Paea debut as Dragons bid to end 18-game losing run

United Rugby Championship: Dragons v Sharks

Venue: Rodney Parade Date: Friday, 3 October Kick-off: 20:05 BST

Coverage: Live on S4C and BBC iPlayer

Fetuli Paea helped Tonga qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup

Dragons attempt to end an 18-game United Rugby Championship (URC) losing streak on Friday when hosting the Sharks side that started the miserable run.

The Rodney Parade club have not won in the league since beating Ospreys with a last-minute try in the opening round of the 2024-25 season.

The following weekend Sharks scored in the 85th minute to win 33-30 in Newport.

Dragons started this season with a 42-21 defeat at Ulster to hit 18 league defeats on the spin and will hope to end the run before it gets close to Zebre Parma's 24 losses between April 2022 and November 2023.

Dragons will aim to follow Zebre's lead - the Italian side having stopped the rot by beating Sharks - and need to stand up to South African physicality.

"We are pretty clear about what the Sharks will bring with their big pack," said Dragons head coach Filo Tiatia, whose only win since taking over from Dai Flanagan last November was against Newcastle in the Challenge Cup.

"They are very physical, will try to dominate space when they see it and have a very good offload game on the edges. We know what is coming and need all 23 players to front up."

Dragons make four changes to the XV from Ulster with three of them enforced due to injuries to wing Jared Rosser, centre Joe Westwood and Wales hooker Elliot Dee.

Fine Inisi makes a first start out wide after coming on in Belfast, while his fellow Tonga international Fetuli Paea - a summer signing from Zebre - makes his debut in midfield after returning from the Pacific Nations Cup.

Brodie Coghlan comes in for Dee while Ryan Woodman is selected at blind-side flanker ahead of Harri Keddie in a hefty back row with Shane Lewis-Hughes and Aaron Wainwright.

Tight-head prop Chris Coleman, who won his first Wales cap against Japan in July, is preferred to Dillon Lewis on the bench.

Sharks, who lost 35-19 in Glasgow last Friday, are without six players who will feature for South Africa against Argentina in London on Saturday.

Wing Ethan Hooker, loose-head prop Ox Nche, lock Eben Etzebeth and blind-side flanker Siya Kolisi will start for the Springboks at Twickenham, with hooker Bongi Mbonambi and scrum-half Grant Williams on the bench.

Head coach John Plumtree selects the same pack from Glasgow, including lock Deon Slabbert, who pulled out of a move to Dragons in 2023 due to personal reasons.

There are three changes in the backs with Jean Smith coming in at fly-half, Jurenzo Julius at outside centre and PK Sobahle on the right wing.

How they line up

Dragons: O'Brien (co-capt); Dyer, Paea, Owen, Inisi; De Beer, R Williams; W Jones, Coghlan, Hunt, Screech, Carter (co-capt), Woodman, Lewis-Hughes, Wainwright.

Replacements: Burrows, Martinez, Coleman, Douglas, Keddie, Hope, Ackerman, Anderson.

Sharks: Van der Merwe; Sobahle, Julius, Am, Grobbelaar; J Smith, Ja Hendrikse; Matanzima, Mbatha, Dreyer, Slabbert, Orie, Buthelezi, M Tshituka, V Tshituka (capt).

Replacements: Swart, Dawson, Dlamini, Hlekani, Hatton, Braude, F Venter, Kunene.

Referee: Fillipo Russo (FIR)

Assistant referees: Ben Whitehouse, Lucas Yendle (WRU).

TMO: Stefano Roscini (FIR)