THE French domestic season gets under way on Saturday, just eight weeks after Racing 92 lifted the ginormous Bouclier de Brennus thanks to their Top 14 triumph against Toulon at the Nou Camp.

But before we lambast our friends from across the Channel for the strain they put on their squads – and it's worth remembering the Top 14 is a real success story, a league that always wants to develop and innovate – it is prudent to have a look at the upcoming schedule for Newport Gwent Dragons.

On Saturday they play Ealing Trailfinders and the following Friday it's Exeter in the final tune-up for the Guinness Pro12 opener against Ulster on Friday, September 2.

The Anglo-Welsh Cup provides the opportunity for first-teamers to have a breather but the next scheduled weekend off for Kingsley Jones' squad is March 11… when they could be in the semi-finals of the competition with their Aviva Premiership rivals.

They play on 26 of 30 weekends between now and their last scheduled fixture against Cardiff Blues at Rodney Parade on Saturday, May 6, and that figure will be increased if they qualify for the knockout stages of the Anglo-Welsh or Challenge Cups.

Such a calendar shows that there can be no passengers in the Dragons' squad this season; everybody must play their part and rotation is a necessity.

Numbers are always high in training in August but it is inevitable in modern rugby that there will be times when the roster is stretched to the limit with Jones and his management short of the desired selection quandaries.

This is why the Anglo-Welsh Cup is important, this is why the British and Irish Cup is key.

The Dragons have one of the smallest budgets, if not THE smallest, in the three frontline European leagues and that presents its own challenges in terms of strength and depth.

It's a necessity that some youngsters will be asked to provide back-up when their English counterparts would be sent out on loan to the IPA Championship while it is also essential that the seniors have plenty of strings to their bow.

Adam Hughes and Pat Howard will cover wing as well as centre, Lewis Evans and Ed Jackson will be both 6s and 8s, Ollie Griffiths will be an option at blindside as well as openside, Nick Crosswell and James Thomas will learn the role of locks as well as their favoured back row, Nick Macleod could slot in at full-back, as could (and should?) Hallam Amos.

After a summer of conditioning, things are about to get very serious for the Dragons and it will be a long old slog.