THE DRAGONS are set to bring back their first teamers to boost their bid for the quarter-finals of the European Rugby Challenge Cup by ending an 18-month away losing streak.

THE DRAGONS are set to bring back their first teamers to boost their bid for the quarter-finals of the European Rugby Challenge Cup by ending an 18-month away losing streak.

The Rodney Parade region travel to Moscow to face Enisei-STM on Saturday afternoon and Bernard Jackman is poised to select his big guns.

The head coach left a string of key regulars – wing/full-back Hallam Amos, centres Tyler Morgan and Jack Dixon, hooker Elliot Dee, tighthead Leon Brown and captain and lock Cory Hill – out of his matchday squad that opened Pool One at Newcastle last weekend.

Nonetheless, he was given plenty of food for thought by a strong performance from a largely inexperienced side at Kingston Park that yielded a losing bonus point from a 32-27 defeat but could easily have ended in victory.

Instead they have been left no margin for error and need to return from Russia with at least four points to keep alive their last-eight hopes going into December’s home clashes with Newcastle and Enisei, which are followed by a January double-header with French big guns Bordeaux-Begles.

The Dragons will resist the temptation to leave their top names at home to prepare for a Guinness PRO14 derby against the Ospreys in Swansea a week on Friday.

They have been given a boost by stalwart Lewis Evans returning to fitness but the back row forward will instead make his first outing of the season for the Premiership Select XV in their British and Irish Cup encounter with Jersey in Ystrad Mynach on Saturday.

Scrum-half Charlie Davies played in the B&I Cup at London Scottish last weekend but is poised to swap squads with Owain Leonard, who was an unused replacement at Newcastle as Sarel Pretorius’ back-up.

Lock Matthew Screech will miss out after being forced off in the first half against the Falcons because of a concussion but the rest of the first team will seek revenge in Russia.

Last October Enisei-STM overpowered the Dragons 38-18 in Krasnodar, a costly result as Kingsley Jones’ side missed out on the quarter-finals for the first time in three years.

That result is ensuring nothing is being taken for granted at Slava Stadium.

“Bernard will make his selection but I know we will bring a few of the boys back into the mix and go there with a strong team to get continuity into that Ospreys game,” said chief analyst Will Precious.

“We had a good performance in Newcastle, we out-scrummed the fourth-placed team in the Aviva Premiership and that was a great step forward for us.

“We are scoring a lot of tries at the moment and we are getting turnovers, counter-attacking and scoring from deep.

“As we know from last year, we have to turn up to Enisei with a great attitude because they are going to be unbelievably passionate and have a great pack.”

The Russian champions lost 57-17 to Bordeaux last week – hindered by a poor start and sloppy finish – but the Dragons are not being lulled into a false sense of security.

“They were unlucky,” said Precious. “Bordeaux scored early on but Enisei played a lot better than they did in the semi-final and final of their domestic competition.

“Last year they outplayed us there and dominated up front so we need to make sure we get good territory. We are certainly not taking them lightly.”

The Dragons haven’t won on the road in any competition since stunning Gloucester at Kingsholm in the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup in April, 2016.

Their encounter in Moscow is followed by away fixtures at the Ospreys and Munster in the Guinness PRO14.

The other Pool One clash sees Bordeaux host Newcastle at Stade Chaban-Delmas on Saturday evening.