Dragons v Cardiff: Teams

Moving to the wing: Chris Czekaj

Steffan Jones will make his first start for the Dragons as they tackle Cardiff Blues in Friday's Magners League match at Rodney Parade.

The Dragons may no longer be able to make the play-offs themselves, but their performances between now and the end of the season will shape the chances the other Welsh regions have of making the cut.

They play both the third and fourth placed teams - Cardiff and Ulster - before the end of the season and the results of those matches will have an impact on the respective play-off prospects of Scarlets and Ospreys.

The match is a sell-out and Dragons head coach Darren Edwards has encouraged the home support to get behind their side.

"A good end to the season is crucial and tomorrow's result will have a massive bearing on that," he told the club's website.

"We are not going out there hoping something will happen - we are going out to make it happen.

"Everybody was a part of the win against the Ospreys here 2 weeks ago. The team all played well, the backroom staff ensured the players were well-prepared and of course our supporters played a massive role in helping us to that great win.

"Their support will be just as important tomorrow if we are going to get the all-important win."

Meanwhile, Dan Fish will play at full-back for the Blues, with Chris Czekaj moving to the wing in place of the Leigh Halfpenny who picked up and ankle injury in the win over Treviso.

Halfpenny is expected to miss the remaining matches of the regular season.

The Blues know that a victory will guarantee them a top-four finish, deny Scarlets a play-off spot and end Ospreys' hopes of retaining the title.

Any other result would see the remaining three play-off places decided in the last round of games.

The Blues need to win by a margin of more than nine points and also obtain a four-try bonus point if they are to move ahead of Leinster and take second place in the table.

Dragons: 15 Steffan Jones, 14 Adam Hughes, 13 Tom Riley, 12 Ashley Smith, 11 Aled Brew, 10 Jason Tovey, 9 Wayne Evans, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Gavin Thomas, 6 Danny Lydiate, 5 Adam Jones, 4 Luke Charteris (capt), 3 Ben Castle, 2 Lloyd Burns, 1 Phil Price.
Replacements: 16 Tom Willis, 17 Hugh Gustafson, 18 Dan Way, 19 Andrew Coombs, 20 Lewis Evans, 21 Pat Leach, 22 Jonathan Evans, 23 Mathew Jones.

Cardiff Blues: 15 Dan Fish, 14 Chris Czekaj, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Tom James, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Richie Rees, 8 Xavier Rush, 7 Sam Warburton/Ben White, 6 Michael Paterson, 5 Paul Tito (capt), 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Taufa'ao Filise, 2 Gareth Williams, 1 John Yapp.
Replacements: 16 Rhys Williams, 17 Sam Hobbs, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 Deiniol Jones, 20 Ma'ama Molitika, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Ceri Sweeney, 23 Dafydd Hewitt.