NEWPORT Gwent Dragons could be set for some bumper pay days next season as a result of the Heineken Cup draw.

The Dragons have been paired with Munster, Sale and Castres, as revealed in later editions of yesterday's Argus, and the game against the Irish province should reap a rich reward.

Munster, twice cup finalists, have got probably the biggest travelling support of any team in the tournament. They regularly take hordes of fans and when they met Newport in the Heineken Cup in January 2001 they brought thousands with them to Rodney Parade.

They still talk of the Welsh hospitality they received that night when the Rodney Parade bars ran dry, so Dragons should cash in.

And Sale are drawing increasing numbers of supporters now that they are establishing themselves among the top three sides in England.

They were attracting near-10,000 crowds towards the end of last season, and large numbers could also travel down the M6 when they take on the Dragons.

The Sale cup tie will put new Dragons coach Paul Turner up against one of his former club and fellow Gwent coach Kingsley Jones, the ex-Ebbw Vale captain now in charge of Sale.

Not only that, but Sale parade British Lions Jason Robinson, the England captain, fellow Lions Charlie Hodgson, Mark Cueto and Andrew Sheridan, as well as French forwards Sebastien Chabal and Sebastien Bruno.

Turner will make the home games his immediate target in the competition. "We'll be aiming to make our home base a fortress," he said. "Munster are always one of the European Cup favourites, I met them when I was with Sale. It's a tough group and it's going to be a big challenge for us."

Rugby manager Jim McCreedy added, "There's no easy game in this competition, it's a hard pool but there are one or two even more difficult."

He was referring to the Ospreys, the Welsh seeds who were 'rewarded' by being put in the same group as runners-up Stade Francais, former winners Leicester and Stephen Jones' club Clermont Auvergne, and Llanelli Scarlets who have drawn big two Wasps and Biarritz plus Edinburgh.

Ironically, Cardiff Blues, who only qualified via a play-off, have got the best chance of making the quarter-finals after drawing Italians Calvisano, Leeds, and fifth ranked French team Perpignan.

Meanwhile, hopes of solving the Celtic League crisis at a meeting in Dublin on Friday have risen following a meeting between the Welsh regions and WRU general manager Steve Lewis yesterday.

As a compromise it appears the WRU are prepared to bring the dates of the new Anglo-Welsh competition forward to September while they have committed themselves to the Celtic League for five years and may be prepared to offer their rivals financial compensation.

Lewis is also in talks with the Wales coaching team about extending contracts to the 2007 World Cup.