Adams back for Cardiff as Tiatia eyes Dragons lift

Josh Adams has 50 Wales caps and toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2021

United Rugby Championship: Cardiff v Dragons

Venue: Arms Park, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 30 November Kick off: 17:15 BST

Coverage: Live commentary on Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and also on the BBC Sport website and app along with live text. Highlights on the BBC Sport website and app.

Filo Tiatia takes charge of Dragons for the first time with the aim of ending the longest losing streak in Welsh rugby at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday.

Dragons have lost the last 18 league fixtures against local rivals Cardiff, a decade-long run dating back to 2014.

Tiatia took over when Dai Flanagan parted from the Rodney Parade club at the start of November after five successive defeats.

He has made six changes for the United Rugby Championship (URC) encounter from the loss to Connacht, including Angus O'Brien starting at full-back to captain Dragons for the first time.

Re-called Wales scrum-half Rhodri Williams, Taine Basham, Jared Rosser and Rodrigo Martinez also start, while George Nott replaces injured captain Ben Carter.

Josh Adams makes his first appearance in six months after a hernia operation as eighth-placed Cardiff makes four changes from the Ulster win.

Fellow wing Harri Millard, hooker Dafydd Hughes and flanker Thomas Young also return.

Cardiff's iron grip on this fixture is only matched in the URC by Leinster's unbeaten winning run against Zebre.

The last meeting proved the biggest win of the lot when Cardiff equalled the league record with seven tries in the first half on their way to a rampant 55-21 win on 26 December 2023.

However, eight of the previous nine games had been decided by a converted try or less.

"We honestly don't think about the run at all because many of those wins have been last-minute scores," said Sherratt.

"Games against the Dragons are always highly competitive, especially between the back rows at the breakdown.

"They've been unlucky with some narrow and late losses this season and we expect to face the very best of them emotionally given it's a derby and also the bounce of having a new coach."

Cardiff ended a three-game losing run by beating Ulster before the autumn Test break and have not posted back-to-back home wins since October 2022.

Filo Tiatia faced Cardiff as a player during his five years at Ospreys between 2006 and 2011

Dragons have gone even longer without an away league win, since April 2022, but Tiatia is upbeat.

“Local derby games are special. Players have an opportunity to face a local rival just up the road, so it’s exciting," he said.

“Cardiff are a good team, the record is what it is, but there's an opportunity this weekend to play at our best."

Scrum-half Morgan Lloyd, lock Joe Davies and prop Dmitri Arhip could make their first appearances of the season from the Dragons bench.

Cardiff: Winnett; Adams, Lee-Lo, Thomas (capt), Millard; Sheedy, A Davies; Byrne, Hughes, Assiratti, McNally, Williams, Donnell, Young, Lawrence.

Replacements: Lloyd, Domachowski, Litterick, S Davies, Mann, Bevan, Jennings, Hamer-Webb.

Dragons: O’Brien (capt); Dyer, Westwood, Owen, J Rosser; Evans, Williams; Martinez, Coghlan, Coleman, Screech, Nott, Lewis-Hughes, Basham, Wainwright.

Replacements: Benjamin, Seiuli, Arhip, Davies, Woodman, Lloyd, Wilson, Anderson

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

Assistant referees: Craig Evans & Mike English (WRU)

TMO: Aled Griffiths (WRU)