Welsh team forced to fly out semi-pro players from rival region amid late crisis in South Africa
The Dragons' miserable season could still plumb new depths as they head into the final game without 22 players
Lewis Morgan in action for Carmarthen Quins
(Image: Ian WIlliams/Huw Evans Agency )
The injury-hit Dragons have been forced to borrow players from Super Rygbi Cymru ahead of their final United Rugby Championship fixture against the Bulls in Pretoria.
Filo Tiatia's side end a nightmare campaign at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, having lost the last 16 matches in a row in the league. And things aren't about to get any easier, with the Bulls having been described as the toughest away trip in the competition by Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt last week.
To make matters worse for the Dragons, they are without a staggering 22 players as they prepare to face the Bulls, who currently sit second in the league.
With an all-Gwent final in Super Rygbi Cymru this Sunday, the Dragons have had to look beyond Newport and Ebbw Vale for support.
At short notice, they've flown out Carmarthen Quins hooker Lewis Morgan and Llandovery loosehead Jamie Hughes to take up places on the replacements' bench.
As well as being limited to who they could call up because of the maiden SRC final, they also had to contend with finding players who could get time off work to fly out to South Africa.
Article continues below
21-year-old Morgan offers coverage at hooker, with Tiatia's side without Wales international Elliot Dee - whose wife is expecting their second baby - as well as the injured Oli Burrows and Sam Scarfe.
James Benjamin also picked up a chest injury last week, resulting in the call-up for former Scarlets and Wales U20s hooker Morgan to back up Brodie Coughlan. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
28-year-old loosehead Hughes has been a leading figure for Llandovery and answers the call following injuries to Rhodri Jones, Rodrigo Martinez and Josh Reynolds.
Defeat without a bonus point would see the Dragons - whose only win came on the opening day of the season against the Ospreys - equal the worst-ever finish in the league in terms of points gained.
In fact, were they to lose by a margin of 108 points or more, they would stand outright as the worst season in the United Rugby Championship on that metric - going beyond Zebre's 2021/22 campaign.
Were the match not difficult enough, the Bulls will be determined to pay a fitting tribute to former Springboks winger Cornal Hendricks, who died at the age of 37 this week.
Article continues below
Dragons: Angus O'Brien; Harry Rees-Weldon, Joe Westwood, Aneurin Owen, Huw Anderson; Lloyd Evans, Rhodri Williams; Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths, Brodie Coghlan, Chris Coleman, Joe Davies, Ben Carter, Ryan Woodman, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Aaron Wainwright.
Replacements: Lewis Morgan, Jamie Hughes, Paula Latu, Barny Langton-Cryer, Evan Minto, Che Hope, Ewan Rosser, Ashton Hewitt.
Unavailable (22): Harri Ackerman (arm), Dmitri Arhip (knee), Taine Basham (leg), James Benjamin (shoulder), Oli Burrows (shoulder), Steve Cummins (arm), Elliot Dee (personal), Rio Dyer (ankle), Cai Evans (leg), Solomone Funaki (knee), Rhodri Jones (calf), Harrison Keddie (leg), Dan Lydiate (knock), Rodrigo Martinez (leg), George Nott (knee), Josh Reynolds (shoulder), Jared Rosser (pec), Sam Scarfe (shoulder), Matthew Screech (knock), Josh Thomas (leg), Scott Williams (leg), Luke Yendle (knee).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
19 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Ex-Rangers star who Steven Gerrard eviscerated for jumping ship for 'bigger wage' is having medical at Wrexham
A former Rangers attacker who received an ear bashing from Steven Gerrard following his hasty departure from Ibrox is expected to sign for Wrexham as a free agent Wrexham are on the brink of signing a former Rangers player who was previously criticised by Steven Gerrard in a candid Zoom call. Josh Windass is widely expected to undergo a medical on Monday before joining the Welsh club as a free agent. It follows the 31-year-old, son of Hull City legend Dean Windass, leaving Sheffield Wednesday by mutual consent amid ongoing issues with the club's failure to pay players' wages promptly. Windass was one of Wednesday's standout performers in the English Championship last season, netting 13 goals and providing five assists. Rangers were among the clubs said to have courted him over a potential return to Ibrox this summer. However, Wrexham, owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, are believed to have won the race for his signature ahead of their first season in the English second tier in 43 years, according to the BBC. Windass had a two-year stint at Rangers after initially joining in the summer of 2016, scoring 19 goals in 73 appearances. He departed to join Wigan Athletic on transfer deadline day in August 2018 in a deal worth approximately £2.5m. In an interview on the Open Goal podcast in May, Windass disclosed how he hastily headed south after hearing about Wigan's interest from then-Rangers manager Gerrard. He admitted regretting the decision and later received a stern reprimand from the Liverpool icon over the manner of his exit. "It was a bad decision but I just went straight down the motorway," Windass said. "I don't know [why]. I just followed my gut at that moment in time and then a week later [I regretted it]. "We had a Zoom call about six months later because I was going to go back on loan in January and Paul Cook wouldn't let me go. Then Gerrard basically gave me what for on the Zoom call. "He told me everything that was wrong with me and what I did and how I can improve as a person. He said, 'If we're going to bring you back we need to have an honest conversation,' and I never went back anyway. That was it. It was a bad couple of weeks." Revealing how rapidly he recognised his blunder, he added: "[I knew I'd made the wrong decision] after my first training session. Mick Beale was texting me saying, 'You're making a big mistake.' I was 23. I was stupid. I just wanted a bigger wage." Windass remained at Wigan for two seasons before switching to Wednesday in 2020 and became instrumental as the Owls secured promotion from League One in 2023. His anticipated switch to Wrexham has materialised despite reported interest from Championship rivals Coventry, Derby and Norwich. Wrexham have been active in the transfer window this summer after registering three consecutive promotions. Plymouth forward Ryan Hardie became their first signing, with Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward following suit. The Red Dragons recently splashed out a record-breaking sum to secure left-back Liberato Cacace from Empoli. They have also reportedly had a £1.2m offer accepted for Bolton captain George Thomason, as per the Bolton News.
North Wales Chronicle
37 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Wales appoint Steve Tandy as new head coach
The 45-year-old Welshman will become the permanent successor to Warren Gatland on September 1 following almost six years as Scotland's defence coach. Tandy is tasked with reviving his country's fortunes after their record 18-match losing run finally ended on July 12 with a 31-22 victory over Japan in Kobe. His first match in charge will be on Sunday, November 9 against Argentina in Cardiff, which will be followed by meetings with Japan, New Zealand and world champions South Africa on the following three weekends. 🚨 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙤 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙏𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙮 🏴 The WRU is delighted to announce the appointment of Steve Tandy as the new Head Coach of the men's senior national side. 🤝#CymruAmByth — Welsh Rugby Union 🏴 (@WelshRugbyUnion) July 21, 2025 'Becoming head coach of my home country is a massive honour and a privilege,' said Tandy, who will lead Wales into the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. 'I am looking forward to playing a role in the rebuilding phase of Welsh rugby and taking the national team back to competing with the best countries in the world. 'I am excited about the potential of Welsh rugby and the group of young, hardworking players we have.' Gatland's second spell as Wales boss ended in February on the back of a 22-15 defeat to Italy in the second round of this year's Six Nations. Matt Sherratt took over on a temporary basis and oversaw defeats to Ireland, Scotland and England before leading this summer's two-match tour of Japan, which began on July 5 with a 24-19 loss in Kitakyushu. Tonmawr-born Tandy was head coach of Ospreys between 2012 and 2018, which included winning the PRO12 title in his first season, before serving as defence coach for Australian side the Waratahs. The former flanker was also part of Gatland's backroom staff for the British and Irish Lions' tour of South Africa in 2021. Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney said: 'After a thorough and detailed appointment process, Steve emerged as the standout candidate, and we know we have secured the very best coach for the job. 'This is a keystone appointment for us and an integral part of our five-year strategy as we look to achieve sustainable success for our senior men's side. 'Steve fits the bill in terms of the affinity he will be able to create with a young group of players with huge potential, but also the galvanising effect we know he can have on the whole rugby ecosystem as a proud Welshman . 'Our task now is to ensure Steve has the support and resources he needs to succeed in this role.'
Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Leader Live
Wales appoint Steve Tandy as new head coach
The 45-year-old Welshman will become the permanent successor to Warren Gatland on September 1 following almost six years as Scotland's defence coach. Tandy is tasked with reviving his country's fortunes after their record 18-match losing run finally ended on July 12 with a 31-22 victory over Japan in Kobe. His first match in charge will be on Sunday, November 9 against Argentina in Cardiff, which will be followed by meetings with Japan, New Zealand and world champions South Africa on the following three weekends. 🚨 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙤 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙏𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙮 🏴 The WRU is delighted to announce the appointment of Steve Tandy as the new Head Coach of the men's senior national side. 🤝#CymruAmByth — Welsh Rugby Union 🏴 (@WelshRugbyUnion) July 21, 2025 'Becoming head coach of my home country is a massive honour and a privilege,' said Tandy, who will lead Wales into the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. 'I am looking forward to playing a role in the rebuilding phase of Welsh rugby and taking the national team back to competing with the best countries in the world. 'I am excited about the potential of Welsh rugby and the group of young, hardworking players we have.' Gatland's second spell as Wales boss ended in February on the back of a 22-15 defeat to Italy in the second round of this year's Six Nations. Matt Sherratt took over on a temporary basis and oversaw defeats to Ireland, Scotland and England before leading this summer's two-match tour of Japan, which began on July 5 with a 24-19 loss in Kitakyushu. Tonmawr-born Tandy was head coach of Ospreys between 2012 and 2018, which included winning the PRO12 title in his first season, before serving as defence coach for Australian side the Waratahs. The former flanker was also part of Gatland's backroom staff for the British and Irish Lions' tour of South Africa in 2021. Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney said: 'After a thorough and detailed appointment process, Steve emerged as the standout candidate, and we know we have secured the very best coach for the job. 'This is a keystone appointment for us and an integral part of our five-year strategy as we look to achieve sustainable success for our senior men's side. 'Steve fits the bill in terms of the affinity he will be able to create with a young group of players with huge potential, but also the galvanising effect we know he can have on the whole rugby ecosystem as a proud Welshman . 'Our task now is to ensure Steve has the support and resources he needs to succeed in this role.'
