NEWPORT Gwent Dragons face a selection dilemma in the back three for Thursday’s derby with Cardiff Blues, but they aren’t so lucky in the back row.

Full-back Martyn Thomas and wing/centre Adam Hughes were yesterday named in the training squad for the clash at Rodney Parade after missing the RaboDirect Pro12 loss to Munster with concussion and a facial injury respectively.

Hughes is waiting for the all clear from a specialist but it is expected that both he and Thomas will be vying for places with Will Harries, Aled Brew and Tonderai Chavhanga.

However, the Dragons aren’t as blessed with options in their back row.

Dan Lydiate and Toby Faletau are on Wales duty while Luke Charteris’ international recall means that Jevon Groves is forced to move to lock from blindside flanker.

The Dragons name flankers Lewis Evans and Darren Waters and number eights Tom Brown and Hugo Ellis in their squad.

But with Gavin Thomas out injured, hooker Hugh Gustafson could be forced to cover the back five on the bench – a role he fulfilled against Cavalieri Prato in the Amlin Challenge Cup.

Another option could be Newport’s Hywel Stoddart,pictured, who has been training with the Dragons and could feature among the replacements if he makes it through the Black and Ambers’ Premiership encounter with Cross Keys this evening.

"Our back three looks pretty good and it’s nice to have a real selection headache," said head coach Darren Edwards.

"It’s great to have that strength because there is only one way that we will approach this game, as we do every game, and that is to attack.

"Of course it was disappointing to lose to Munster but I thought that we played some pretty good stuff and we are not going to go into our shells and play a negative style."

Royce Cadman comes into the squad to cover the second row while scrum-half Joe Bedford is back after missing the last two games with a shoulder injury, a timely return with Jon Evans on Wales Under-20s duty.

Three fly-halves are named in the squad with Blues-bound Jason Tovey joined by Lewis Robling and Steffan Jones, who trained yesterday after overcoming the groin injury he suffered last week while playing for Cross Keys.

Dragons squad: M Thomas, T Chavhanga, A Brew, W Harries, A Hughes, A Tuilagi, A Smith, L Robling, S Jones, J Tovey, J Bedford, W Evans, P Price, N Williams, S Jones, S Parry, H Gustafson, N Buck, D Way, R Sidoli, R Cadman, J Groooves, L Evans, T Brown, D Waters, H Ellis.