WORCESTER Warriors won’t be the only English opposition for Newport Gwent Dragons next season after it was announced that the Anglo-Welsh Cup is set to return to the rugby calendar.

Featuring the four Welsh regions and 12 Aviva Premiership clubs, the competition took a break last term due to the fixture congestion caused by the World Cup.

The 16-team tournament, previously sponsored by EDF and LV, does not have a backer on this occasion and will just be known as the Anglo-Welsh Cup.

While the Ospreys and Cardiff Blues won the cup in 2008 and 2009 respectively, the furthest the Dragons have gone is the last four in 2011.

Northampton, Gloucester, Leicester, Harlequins, Exeter and Saracens have all lifted the trophy since the Blues’ triumph seven years ago.

The last time the competition was played, two seasons ago, when Saracens beat Exeter in the final, the Dragons finished third in their pool and failed to qualify for the knockout stages.

Teams will again be divided into four groups of four and play sides from other groups.

The make-up of the pools and the fixtures, scheduled to take place during the autumn internationals and Six Nations, will be revealed next Thursday.

Rounds one and two are on November 5 and 12, three and four on January 28 and February 4, semi-finals on March 11 and the final a week later on March 18.

Now seen as a chance to give players experience of first-team rugby, the Anglo-Welsh Cup is likely to be beneficial to the younger members of the Dragons squad.

It is also an opportunity for clubs to renew cross-border rivalries, with the Dragons set to have at least six more fixtures against England’s best to go with their two meetings with Worcester in the European Challenge Cup group stages.

A Premiership Rugby spokesman said: “We are looking forward to having it back in the calendar.

“It provides a fantastic platform for developing players and delivering breakthrough players.

“It will be great to see the old Anglo-Welsh rivalries up and running again.”