Wales' Aaron Wainwright is set to return from injury and boost Dragons' chances of pulling off an upset against Lyon in the European Challenge Cup on Sunday. The Rodney Parade club are still reeling from their 41-17 thrashing by Perpignan last weekend, who have lost all 11 games in the Top 14 this season.
Wainwright was rested for the trip to Perpignan after his autumn exertions with Wales and will now return to the team ahead of the Lyon fixture. Dragons' head coach Filo Tiatia has praised Wainwright's return, saying he is "a good strong Gwent man" who is important to the group.
The match against Lyon presents an opportunity for Dragons to put some things right after a poor display in France. Tiatia said that the result was "unacceptable" and that their performance was not up to par. However, he believes that this game can be an exciting chance for them to turn things around.
Dragons have had a tough start to 2025, losing 17 of their 19 fixtures so far. Their only wins came against Newcastle in the Challenge Cup last December and two home games in the United Rugby Championship (URC) first block. They are now looking to make some progress before the festive period, with a string of tricky matches ahead.
As for Lyon, they are facing a tough challenge in their bid to avoid relegation from the Top 14. The pressure is mounting on them after losing all 11 games this season.
The Dragons' hooker crisis worsened last weekend when Sam Scarfe went off with a head injury, leaving the team without any experienced hookers for the game against Lyon. Elliot Dee and James Benjamin are also out until the New Year, while Oli Burrows and Brodie Coghlan are doubts for this weekend.
Dragons have been trying to make emergency signings, but they will rely on their experience and depth of squad to try and get something from the match against Lyon.
Wainwright was rested for the trip to Perpignan after his autumn exertions with Wales and will now return to the team ahead of the Lyon fixture. Dragons' head coach Filo Tiatia has praised Wainwright's return, saying he is "a good strong Gwent man" who is important to the group.
The match against Lyon presents an opportunity for Dragons to put some things right after a poor display in France. Tiatia said that the result was "unacceptable" and that their performance was not up to par. However, he believes that this game can be an exciting chance for them to turn things around.
Dragons have had a tough start to 2025, losing 17 of their 19 fixtures so far. Their only wins came against Newcastle in the Challenge Cup last December and two home games in the United Rugby Championship (URC) first block. They are now looking to make some progress before the festive period, with a string of tricky matches ahead.
As for Lyon, they are facing a tough challenge in their bid to avoid relegation from the Top 14. The pressure is mounting on them after losing all 11 games this season.
The Dragons' hooker crisis worsened last weekend when Sam Scarfe went off with a head injury, leaving the team without any experienced hookers for the game against Lyon. Elliot Dee and James Benjamin are also out until the New Year, while Oli Burrows and Brodie Coghlan are doubts for this weekend.
Dragons have been trying to make emergency signings, but they will rely on their experience and depth of squad to try and get something from the match against Lyon.
can't believe how rough Dragons' start has been this year, losing 17 out of 19 games already 
! They gotta bounce back ASAP or it's gonna be a super tough season ahead for them 
. Aaron Wainwright's return is like a breath of fresh air, he's such an important player for the team 
! Hopefully Filo Tiatia's tactics will click this time around and they can pull off that upset against Lyon 
. I mean, Lyon's in a bit of trouble themselves with all those losses, but still gotta respect their experience and squad depth 
. Let's see how it goes down on Sunday, fingers crossed for the Dragons! 
Lyon's in a world of trouble! Losin' all 11 games this season? 
Meanwhile, Dragons are just tryna keep their heads above water. 
Wainwright's back, so that's a big plus for them. Let's see if they can pull off an upset on Sunday! 
I think Dragons got a decent chance at beating Lyon, but only if Wainwright can start the game properly, he's their talismanic player 
they cant even play a full season without hurtin themselves 
any way tho, i think dragons got this tho, wainwright comin back will make a big diff, plus lyon dont seem that strong this season 
we shud see some upsets in the europa league, esp with all these teams strugglin like perpignan 
but seriously, wales should be focusin on their own league rather than worryin about euro cup 
but at the same time, Perpignan destroyed them last weekend so Lyon can't be having an easy life either 
Tiatia sounds like he's putting pressure on the team to turn things around, which is good, they need a wake-up call 
! And now they're relying on this one guy Wainwright to turn their season around? That's like putting all your hopes on a lottery ticket 
. And with the hooker crisis and all, it's just gonna be another embarrassing loss for them 
.
. I swear, back in my day, we used to watch rugby matches with real passion and excitement, not just hoping for a miracle win 
. Fingers crossed for the Dragons, but not holding my breath 
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and now they gotta face lyon who's basically struggling to stay up 
Lyon just lost all 11 games this season lol what kinda math problems do you need to solve to get a win 
the dragons are def in trouble tho wainwright is like their last hope, he's back from injury which is dope 
but they gotta get their squad issues sorted ASAP, it's like they're trying to make emergency moves instead of actually recruiting new players 
Hopefully they can pull off an upset against Lyon and get some momentum before the festive period 
the dragons need a win bad & wainwrigths presence on the field could be the game changer they need t turn things around already 
They need a miracle to turn things around before the festive period. Lyon's struggles are palpable too 
Relegation is hanging over their heads and they're not even close to being in form. But hey, a win against Lyon could be exactly what the Dragons need 
! They've had such a rough start to 2025, it'd be awesome if they can turn it around and pull off that upset against Lyon 
. Aaron Wainwright's back in the mix, which is huge for them - he's like the glue that holds the team together