AS five Dragons players prepare for a crunch clash that can extend their World Cup to the knockout stages, their teammates are counting down to finally getting on the pitch.
Dai Flanagan's men last played on April 22 when they upset the Scarlets at Judgement Day in the United Rugby Championship.
Their winning streak in competitive rugby will stretch to six months with their URC opener against Edinburgh taking place on October 21 in Newport.
With four of their first five at Rodney Parade, a fast start is needed and the preparation steps up a notch next Saturday.
The Dragons entertain the Ospreys in a friendly when most of their squad will get some game time.
Things will get a little more serious six days later when Flanagan takes his team to Llanelli to face the Scarlets.
It’s a big season for the club, who are now privately-owned after six woeful years under the Welsh Rugby Union, and they will want to make steady progress.
The squad looks pretty good, albeit they will have to cope without Aaron Wainwright, Taine Basham, Dan Lydiate, Elliot Dee and Rio Dyer, plus Argentina’s Gonzalo Bertranou, for a few more weeks.
Test stars make a big difference to the Dragons and a few of those currently in Ystrad Mynach rather than France will be looking to make that rise in the new World Cup cycle.
Lock Ben Carter and full-back Cai Evans missed out on Warren Gatland’s final 33 after being in the training squad while hooker Bradley Roberts was briefly called up to help with preparations due to injuries.
Dane Blacker has moved east from the Scarlets to play more regularly and push for international honours after being an unused substitute against Georgia last autumn while Leon Brown is a Test beast when fit and firing.
With Welsh clubs operating with small squads, any call-ups will be bittersweet and the Dragons will for three URC fixtures (plus those during the post-World Cup rest period).
They travel to Munster on the weekend of Wales’ cash-generating fixture against the Barbarians and then Glasgow and Ulster games are on Six Nations rest weeks (and Gatland is traditionally cautious/mean with releasing players from camp).
This is where things could get interesting for the Dragons in an area of weakness.
They currently plan to run with just two fly-halves – Angus O’Brien, who featured mainly at full-back last season, and Will Reed.
Cai Evans has been signed as a 15 but could be pressed into duty as a 10, where he played age-grade rugby (as did centre Aneurin Owen).
It is undeniably a gamble by Flanagan, who had been interested in Rhys Patchell only for the ex-Scarlet to get an offer from the Highlanders that he couldn’t turn down.
The Dragons are thin at fly-half… and so are Wales.
Dan Biggar will retire after the World Cup, Gareth Anscombe is heading for Japan so won’t be a Six Nations contender while Patchell and Jarrod Evans (Harlequins) don’t have the 25 caps required to be eligible.
That will leave Gatland with few options at 10 with up-and-coming Sam Costelow and the Ospreys’ Owen Williams the leading candidates.
O’Brien, who recently turned 29, is a lovely footballer who is dependable and possesses a big boot while lively Reed, 21, is incredibly talented and his game management is improving with experience.
They will have to come into the conversation to join them in the national squad, especially if they start the campaign strongly.
A big opportunity is on the horizon for a Welsh fly-half and the Dragons would love one of their two to take it, even if it leaves them short of options.
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