NEWPORT Gwent Dragons Premiership Select boss James Chapron has challenged his team to show more brains and brawn in their tough British and Irish Cup encounter with Yorkshire Carnegie tomorrow, writes Chris Kirwan.

The Dragons face an uphill challenge to qualify for the quarter-finals after having to settle for a four-try bonus in defeat at Bedford in round one and throwing away a strong position when edged out 28-27 by Ealing at Pandy Park.

They go up against a Yorkshire Carnegie side (kick-off 2.30pm) who are going well in the English Championship, with the side formerly known as Leeds sitting second with 10 wins from 11 games.

The hosts at Pontefract RFC have also got hopes of making the quarter-finals of the cross-border competition thanks to a bonus point at Ealing and 52-28 hammering of Bedford.

Nonetheless, Chapron wants to see his mixture of bright academy prospects and promising Premiership talent make strides from their October openers.

“There are two main areas of improvement that we want to see from our players,” said the academy boss.

“We played some high tempo, high skill rugby in the first rounds but lost because of our game management. Look at the Ealing game, we were a score away from burying that one but failed to do that.

“We’ve got young half-backs (scrum-halves Owen Davies and Owain Leonard, fly-halves Arwel Robson and Josh Prosser) but we are challenging them to be better at managing the game while also trying not to discourage them playing off the cuff when it’s on.

“The other challenge is for our front five, how dominant physically can we be? They will be up against another strong English side and have to step up and provide good ball for our exciting backs.”

The double-header presents its own challenges with the Yorkshiremen welcomed to the plastic pitch at the Dragons’ training base in Ystrad Mynach next Saturday.

Last season the Dragons started the tournament strongly with wins against Connacht Eagles and Jersey before coming a cropper in the festive dates with Doncaster.

“Last year we did better than expected at Doncaster away and then a lot worse than hoped for at home,” said Chapron, whose team were edged out 21-16 at Castle Park and thumped 49-17 in Wales.

“We are only together in two-week blocks so the double-headers do have the advantage of giving us some continuity of opponent and not having to re-preview.

“Yorkshire put out two different sides in their games against Ealing and Bedford, so that has its challenges, but like most English sides they will be well-organised, physical around the field with a solid set piece. It is going to be a difficult test.”

Dragons skipper James Benjamin and prop Craig Mitchell are two of seven changes to the XV that started the defeat to Ealing.

Dragons Select: J Prosser (Cross Keys); J Goodchild (Dragons Academy/Cross Keys), C Edwards (Dragons/Bedwas), B Nightingale (Dragons/Cross Keys), E Frewen (Newport); A Robson (Dragons/Newport), O Davies (Dragons/Newport); J Lavender (Newport), E Shipp (Dragons Academy/Cross Keys), C Mitchell (Dragons), J Davies (Dragons), M Williams (Dragons Academy/Ebbw Vale), A Waite (Bedwas), J Benjamin (capt, Dragons), R Blake (Dragons/Bedwas). Reps: D Harris (Dragons), K Bale (Dragons), C Coleman (Dragons Academy/Newport), H Williams (Dragons Academy/Newport), N Hudd (Dragons Academy/Bedwas), O Leonard (Dragons Academy/Cross Keys), P Lewis (Dragons/Bedwas).