Dragons v Ospreys: Teams

Wales winger Aled Brew has been moved to the centres by the Dragons for their RaboDirect PRO12 derby with the Ospreys at Rodney Parade.

With Adam Hughes ruled out with an ankle injury and Andy Tuilagi sidelined through illness, Brew has been handed the No.13 shirt.

And Dragons coach Darren Edwards believes Brew can thrive in his new role.

"Aled Brew's move to 13 from the wing will be a challenge for him but getting the ball to our fastest players has to be a priority and Aled is proven to be a devastating strike runner," he said.

"With Tonderai (Chavhanga) and Will (Harries) on the wings, there are plenty of options out wide."

Ashley Smith will partner Brew in the centres, with Jason Tovey has recovering from the knee injury to take his place at fly half.

In the pack, the only change is in the back-row where the injured Gavin Thomas is replaced by Lewis Evans.

Depth

Second-placed Ospreys have made a number of changes to their line-up for the trip to Rodney Parade.

Eli Walker, Tom Isaacs and Rhys Webb are added to the back division, while in the pack former Dragon Joe Bearman, Tom Smith, Ian Evans, Aaron Jarvis, Huw Bennett and Duncan Jones all start.

However despite the changes, coach Sean Holley insists the new-look side can build on the win over Cardiff Blues last time out.

"We have a good squad with plenty of depth, results this year have shown us that we can put a lot of trust into the squad, and with three games in 12 days we've had to utilise the squad fully," said Holley.

"We've picked what we feel is the right side for the particular challenge that the Dragons provide, combined with the fixture demands, and it'll be a 23-man effort just as it was against the Blues on New Year's Day.

"If we show the same resolve and spirit that we did to secure that win, but improve the individual aspects of the game where we didn't reach the standards expected, then we'll be in a good place."

Newport Gwent Dragons: 15 Martyn Thomas, 14 Will Harries, 13 Aled Brew, 12 Ashley Smith, 11 Tonderai Chavhanga, 10 Jason Tovey, 9 Wayne Evans, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Lewis Evans, 6 Danny Lydiate (c), 5 Rob Sidoli, 4 Adam Jones, 3 Nathan Buck, 2 Lloyd Burns, 1 Nathan Williams.
Replacements: 16 Steve Jones, 17 Phil Price, 18 Dan Way, 19 Jevon Groves, 20 Darren Waters, 21 Joe Bedford, 22 Lewis Robling, 23 Matthew Jones.

Ospreys: 15 Barry Davies, 14 Eli Walker, 13 Tom Isaacs, 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Hanno Dirksen, 10 Matthew Morgan, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Joe Bearman, 7 Justin Tipuric (c), 6 Tom Smith, 5 Ian Evans, 4 Ryan Jones, 3 Aaron Jarvis, 2 Huw Bennett, 1 Duncan Jones.
Replacements: 16 Richard Hibbard, 17 Paul James, 18 Adam Jones, 19 Jonathan Thomas, 20 George Stowers, 21 Kahn Fotuali'i, 22 Dan Biggar, 23 Tommy Bowe.