NEWPORT Gwent Dragons head coach Kingsley Jones expects exuberance to shine through after ringing the changes for tomorrow’s LV= Cup clash with Exeter at Rodney Parade.

The Dragons will hand debuts to New Zealander Nick Crosswell at blindside flanker and Ebbw Vale centre Carl Meyer.

They have kept just three players from the side that beat Stade Francais to secure a home European Rugby Challenge Cup quarter-final – full-back Geraint Rhys Jones, wing Tom Prydie and fly-half Dorian Jones.

The Dragons include six members of last season’s Wales Under-20s squad at the Junior World Championship in their matchday squad in flankers James Benjamin and Scott Matthews, lock Joe Davies, scrum-half Luc Jones, fly-half Angus O’Brien and centre Jack Dixon along with young wing Ashton Hewitt, who narrowly missed the cut.

Nonetheless, there is plenty of experience in the side with Ashley Smith returning from a jaw injury to captain the side while former Wales internationals Richie Rees and Andy Powell are recalled.

Lloyd Fairbrother, who is primarily a tighthead, switches to loosehead to face the side that he left last summer while Cory Hill and Matthew Screech will attempt to put the heat on the first-choice lock pairing of Rynard Landman and Andrew Coombs.

“The lads have been out there full of energy in training and are keen to take their chance,” said Jones.

“We are giving some players a rest and it’s important to give our youngsters game time because a lot of them haven’t featured of late with us trying to get continuity of selection.

"But it's also important that we keep winning, we are now six from eight and want to continue that run.

“I am sure there will be mistakes because three-day practice isn’t perfect but they will make up for it with enthusiasm."

The Chiefs include two former Dragons in Adam Hughes and Ceri Sweeney, the latter of whom captains the visitors from fly-half, along with Wales wing Tom James, who is returning to Cardiff Blues next season.

They also include tighthead Tomas Francis, who is on Wales coach Warren Gatland’s radar after making an impressive start to the season.

The Chiefs may also have rung the changes ahead of a push for a place in the Aviva Premiership playoffs but Jones expects a typically forthright approach.

“Exeter will be a really strong and well-coached side,” he said. “They have depth like all English clubs.

“They have a very good mix to their game and play for each other. They don’t complicate things, everybody knows their role and they execute it well. The team is the star.”

The Dragons can still qualify for the semi-finals but will probably need a pair of bonus-point wins against Exeter and London Welsh, who visit Newport next Sunday.

Even then they will still need Pool One leaders Saracens to slip up against the same opponents with the Exiles hosting them in Oxford tomorrow before the Chiefs, who top Pool Four, head to Allianz Park.

Dragons: G R Jones, T Prydie, C Meyer, A Smith (captain), A Hewitt, D Jones, R Rees, L Fairbrother, H Gustafson, D Way, M Screech, C Hill, N Crosswell, J Benjamin, A Powell. Replacements: R Buckley, O Evans, D Young, J Davies, S Matthews, L Jones, A O’Brien, J Dixon.

Chiefs: B McGuigan, F Vainikolo, I Whitten, A Hughes, T James, C Sweeney (captain), H Thomas, B Sturgess, E Taione, T Francis, J Sexton, W Carrick-Smith, T Johnson, S Simmonds, S Skinner. Replacements: G Bateman, J Woolmore, J Stanley, E Holmes, J Conlon, S Townsend, L May, M Bodilly.