The Dragons ended the Ospreys unbeaten run in the League earlier in the season and to prevent them from walking away with the Celtic League title on Friday night have to beat them at St Helens.

"Against the Borders we started sluggishly but we fought back well to secure the bonus point victory which sees us third in the Celtic League table and on course for a home Celtic Cup draw," commented coach Chris Anderson. "The players who have not been involved in internationals have stepped up well and done what has been asked of them. While it maybe wasn’t a classic contest against The Borders we were delighted to secure the win against a side who are often underestimated and do not get the full credit they deserve.

"Our win and Leinster’s loss has seen us move to third in the League table a position we want to maintain and to do that then we have to beat The Ospreys on Friday. In terms of securing a home draw in the Celtic Cup we are nearing that goal, however, we have to keep winning to keep the pressure on Munster and The Ospreys. The Ospreys are in primary position in the league and know that a win against us will almost certainly secure the league title depending on other results so the pressure is all on them. We are going there to spoil the party and we want to secure our first away win of 2005."

Both sides will be missing key players as they will be on international duty for the senior and U21 sides as both look to secure Grand Slam’s on the weekend. However, The Dragons hope to welcome back Luke Charteris and Ian Gough into the side, both have been involved with the Wales squad. If available both will be involved in Friday night’s game.

"The Ospreys have tremendous strength in depth which is one of the reasons they are top of the Celtic League," commented Dragons scrum half Gareth Baber who has featured in 15 of the Dragons 23 matches this season. "They have played consistently well all season playing some tremendous attacking rugby. Last time out they won a difficult match in Donnybrook against Leinster and they have tremendous self-belief. In Jason Spice they have an immense player who is the ideal link between forwards and backs. He is a sniping runner and a threat from anywhere on the field especially from the base of the scrum. They have a dangerous back line with players like Dave Tiueti and Elvis Sevali’i who are powerful players. We cannot concentrate too much on the Ospreys and we have to play our own game. One aspect that will be key on the night is our defence which will have to be resolute."

The match will be the last time the Ospreys play at St Helens as they are set to play at the new Morfa Stadium next season. Looking ahead to the game Dragons captain Jason Forster said, "Against The Borders we performed better than we did against Ulster but we are not achieving the standard of performance the team demands from itself. We have secured two wins recently and need to build on those and keep improving. The matches during the internationals are a test of the strength of your squad and in our last two matches we have stood up well and we have to do the same on Friday night. It will be a difficult match down at St. Helens, facing the Ospreys on their home patch is a step up for us from our last match, they have a good pack of forwards, talented backs and excellent team spirit. They are aware they are in with a chance of clinching the league title and will be going all out to win. However, we are going there with our own objectives. We want to put on a good performance and come away with four points. "

Dragons Squad

Percy Montgomery, Gareth Wyatt, Sione Tuipulotu, Steve Winn, Jon Bryant, Nathan Brew, Ben Breeze, Craig Warlow, Daniel Griffiths, Gareth Baber, Adam Black, Rod Snow, James Richards, Gethin Robinson, Chris Anthony, Rhys Thomas, Ian Gough, Luke Charteris, Peter Sidoli, Jamie Ringer, Jason Forster, Rhys Oakley, Matthew Veater.