KEEN learner Harris Keddie takes the next step on his rugby education when he makes his first start for Newport Gwent Dragons in Russia this afternoon.

The 20-year-old from Llanvaches caused a stir with inspirational performances for Wales Under-20s last season as they won the Six Nations Grand Slam and he then played his part in helping Ebbw Vale win the Principality Premiership title.

Given the summer exit of Taulupe Faletau, there was excitement about the next back rower off the production line but Dragons bosses have been keen to protect their prospect.

The plan is to drip the youngster into senior rugby and after making his bow off the bench in the last game of 2015/16 at Zebre, he has made three cameos this term.

Keddie has proven that he has the physique to hack it with the big boys but needs to experience the intricacies that make a difference at a higher level. He has been keen to pick the brains of fellow flankers and number eights at the Dragons training base in Ystrad Mynach while he has been working hard on his skills with his former Ebbw Vale and Wales Under-20s boss Jason Strange.

As Keddie says: “You go higher up to the levels and some of the back rowers have hands like centres and fly-halves, so it’s always good to add another string to your bow”.

Today he will hope to show the strides he has made when he wears 8 on his back against Enisei as the Dragons bid for what would be a vital away win in the European Rugby Challenge Cup. Keddie may be keen to impress but will approach it as business as usual.

“I will treat it as nothing too different,” he said. “I’ll just get on with it and do a job for the team, that’s most important.

“If things fall into place and I make a few breaks, it happens but first and foremost it’s about doing your role and whatever is right for the team.

“It’s good to be involved whenever you can as a youngster and take any opportunity that comes your way; 15 or 20 minutes every few weeks all adds to your experience and pushes you to be a better player.”

It will be more than a brief hit-out for Keddie at Trud Stadium with the number eight at the fore of the challenge against a rugged Enisei pack full of Russia Test players as well as a Latvian, Georgian and Ukrainian internationals.

He said: “They have got a few lumpers in there, we’ll see what they are like in person but they look pretty big on the tapes!

“We’ve got to be ready for the challenge and have to front up – we’ve faced some big packs already this season in Exeter in pre-season while Brive weren’t exactly small last week.

“It’s just about doing the same job as we did on them, making sure that we are accurate at scrum time and getting the job done.”

Keddie is one of nine personnel changes to the side that started the Challenge Cup with a superb 37-16 win against Brive at Rodney Parade.

Nick Crosswell comes in at lock and captains the side while there are recalls for wing Pat Howard, centres Sam Beard and Jack Dixon, fly-half Angus O’Brien, props Phil Price and Lloyd Fairbrother and openside Nic Cudd.

Adam Warren moves from midfield to the wing while former Wales scrum-half Tavis Knoyle is set for his Dragons debut off the bench.

The Russian side have lost just one home game – to Connacht – and last week added Worcester to their scalps of Newcastle and Brive.

They are forced into one change to the XV that beat the Warriors with influential Bears centre Dmitri Gerasimov missing out after being cited for a dangerous tackle in Moscow.

Enisei field nine Russia internationals - including prolific fly-half Yuri Kushnarev - while they are captained by Latvia lock Uldis Saulite. He packs down next to Moldovan international Maxim Gargalic, who returned from a two-year doping ban in the summer.

They include Georgia centre David Kacharava, who has played in two World Cups and won 95 caps, Ukraine flanker Vitalii Orlov, Georgia A flanker Mikheil Gachechiladze and New Zealander Thomas Halse, who played for London Irish last season.

Enisei: R Gaisin, I Kurashov, D Kacharava, T Halse, D Simplikevich, I Kushnarev, A Shcherban, A Polivalov, S Selskii, I Zykov, U Saulite (captain), M Gargalic, M Gachechiladze, V Orlov, A Rudoi. Replacements: S Magomedov, V Morozov, E Pronenko, T Ghadgiev, J Baranovs, K Uzunov, A Mikhaltsov, V L Krasylnyk.

Dragons: C Meyer, P Howard, S Beard, J Dixon, A Warren, A O’Brien, C Davies, P Price, R Buckley, L Fairbrother, N Crosswell (captain), R Landman, J Thomas, N Cudd, H Keddie. Replacements: D Harris, T Davies, C Mitchell, M Screech, C Hill, T Knoyle, GR Jones, A Hewitt.

Referee: Vlad Iordachescu (Romania)