CHRIS KIRWAN: Dragons have a shot to nothing after another super Euro campaign

In April 2015 there was genuine optimism that the Dragons could beat Edinburgh; they went to Murrayfield with high hopes of making it to the final at the Twickenham Stoop.

There was no mystique about their Guinness Pro12 rivals. There were internationals in the Scots' side but they were not superstars, the ground and city was familiar while their hosts were knocking about in a similar section of the league.

The odds were tilted slightly in Edinburgh's favour but it was a game seen to be well within the Dragons' grasp and that was what made the result so disappointing.

It was a hammering even worse than the lopsided 45-16 scoreline suggests. There were 23 Dragons players on the famous turf in Scotland's capital yet not one turned up.

If that is repeated this weekend then things will get ugly because Montpellier are red-hot favourites and head into the game with the bookies pricing them at -16 in the handicap.

World Cup-winning coach Jake White has such a strong squad at his disposal that even if he opts to rest some key figures ahead of their Top 14 title tilt – they are currently second – then he will be calling on top-quality deputies.

Montpellier have stellar Springboks in their side, have won their last eight games, have the motivation of a final in France and will want to lift a first trophy since the Parker Pen Shield in 2004.

There is a smidgen of hope for the Dragons but there is no expectation on their shoulders; I doubt that many folk have priced up flights to Lyon for the final just yet.

But whatever happens on Saturday evening, it has been another fine European effort by the men from Rodney Parade.

Sadly I won't be at Altrad Stadium, instead my colleague David Williams will be on the press bench while I am among Hertha Berlin supporters at the Olympiastadion for the visit of Bayern Munich.

My absence is not down to an assumption that the Dragons would be knocked out long before the last four, it is because I will be at a close friend's last hurrah before he gets married (I'll also miss Judgement Day for the wedding as not everybody looks up fixtures on newportgwentdragons.com when picking dates).

But I must admit that when it came to booking the flights to Germany way back in October, before the Challenge Cup kick-off, it seemed a long shot that there would be a clash.

The Dragons were in a tricky group with two French sides in Castres and Pau, who boast strong squads and are proud on their own turf, while Sale started as favourites for top spot.

It seemed unlikely that Pool Two would provide a best runner-up given that there were far easier groupings, two that featured minnows Enisei and Calvisano.

But to the Dragons' great credit they not only qualified but did it with a round to spare thanks to a trio of bonus-point wins at Rodney Parade, a consolation in Castres and a stunning five-point haul at the Stade du Hameau.

Suddenly a fixture clash this weekend was very possible.

Then came Sale – a 38-5 humiliation in Salford that ensured not only an away quarter-final but one at Kingsholm against Gloucester, holders and on a 15-game winning streak in the competition.

Suddenly a fixture clash looked unlikely.

Yet here we are with the Dragons playing in the last four just over 12 months after their Murrayfield experience.

Can they do it? You wouldn't bet on it but they have a puncher's chance. Perhaps one of the few Frenchmen in the home squad will play up to the stereotype and leave referee Wayne Barnes with no option but to brandish a card matching the colour of their red mist. Maybe Hallam Amos and Sarel Pretorius will run amok under clear skies in the south of France.

The Dragons will just give it a crack and unlike the Murrayfield encounter, the Dragons have nothing to lose. Expectations are low and hopefully the performance level will be sky high.

You just never know and this time we are ready to be pleasantly surprised. My diary is free for Friday, May 13. All aboard for Lyon?

THE Gwent challenge seemingly rests with Ebbw Vale in the Principality Premiership but all four clubs in Newport Gwent Dragons’ can reflect on super seasons.

The Steelmen are in the box seat when it comes to joining Pontypridd and Llandovery in the play-offs – win against Aberavon at Eugene Cross Park on Sunday and they will be in the semi-final, probably at Church Bank.

For Ebbw to have their fate in their own hands is down to a stunning run of form since November; few would have predicted they would be in this position when they sat a distant sixth before Christmas.

They are favourites to join Ponty and the Drovers in the play-offs but there shouldn’t be frowns on faces at fellow contenders Cross Keys and Newport, nor Bedwas for that matter.

Keys may look back with frustration on 2015/16 while cursing the weather. A raft of postponements have played their part in derailing a challenge that looked good when they topped the pile at Christmas.

Add to that angst last weekend’s narrow Swalec Cup semi-final loss to Carmarthen Quins and there will be plenty at Pandy Park wondering what it will take to catch a break in 2016/17.

Newport can mathematically make the top three but need a freak set of results. Craig Warlow’s team are likely to fall short but can reflect on a great campaign in which they played some enterprising rugby to restore some pride after finishing bottom in 2015.

Newport County AFC fans bemoaning their recent form should remember what they would have settled for when Terry Butcher had just been given the boot and the same applies for supporters of the Black and Ambers. Recent defeats may have been painful but a play-off push was the stuff of dreams in September.

And then there is Bedwas, who haven’t been involved in the tussle at the top but who have had a strong season themselves given their relatively thin squad and a raft of injury problems.

Steve Law and his management team are canny operators and they have mixed a solid league campaign with going so close to silverware in the Foster’s Challenge Cup.

Come Sunday evening Ebbw Vale may be the last team standing but the Gwent Premiership quartet should all look back with pride when they hold their end-of-season dinners.