Dragons V Edinburgh 9/5/26
Take the Positives
It has been a strange couple of weeks since our win v Sharks.
We didn’t have a game last weekend as we weren’t involved in the semi finals of either European competition. I must have had a premonition that would be the case as I was in Sicily and rugby was as far from my mind as it could be. Yet as the plane touched down late Friday morning and my phone re-connected the news filtered through that the signing of James Grayson from Japan had been confirmed for next season.
As an aside if you think it’s hard coming up with chants from the word Edinburgh try Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars. Maybe we should try that kind of naming. We’d be Un-Reliant Edinburgh Megabores!
I digress. The announcement of Grayson’s signing followed the news of Alec Hepburn joining from Scarlets and Louie Chapman from Crusaders.
These new signings were also backed up by first full pro contracts being handed out to Jack Brown, Jerry Blyth-Lafferty and Ollie Duncan.
It has also been announced that Paul Hill has signed a new contract for a further 2 years and then Magnus Bradbury signed on for a further year and declared that there “was only one place he wanted to be” and that beyond that year he’d “take anything with open arms.”
So a lot of news despite there being no game and on the back of that thrilling win v Sharks it has meant confidence for the future is pretty much on the up.
There are caveats to that confidence. Grayson is coming from a poor league. Hepburn isn’t Venter (who is?). We may not see Chapman or Riley Higgins until late October. That said despite attempts by the Daily Mail of Scottish Rugby AKA Scotland Rugby News, to stir up discontent or perhaps more accurately get more clicks, I am still feeling positive.
This weekend we travel to Wales to take on Dragons. This is an opportunity to do something that we haven’t done since late season 23-24 which is win 3 league games in a row. On that occasion it was Scarlets, Cardiff and Zebre.
To call something a winning streak 3 games is probably the minimum required and every time we have managed a streak, in URC days anyway, Zebre have been in the list. To complete that story the longest streak we’ve managed, again in URC, is five in a row.
Longest winning streak ever? 6 in Pro14 in 2019-2020, 2017-2018 and Celtic League in 2008-2009.
For balance the longest losing streak was 8 games in the Pro12 in 2016-2017.
We have won our last 4 games against Dragons. Two home and two away and that takes us back to a last defeat which came in Newport.
Our last game against them was a home win. 38-5 in March 2025. It was a six try affair and featured a double from Paddy Harrison (remember him?) the second of which was created by a break and chip through and then another kick by Darcy Graham (sound familiar?) before the hooker chased it down almost a full half of the field to touch it down.
Here’s the highlights -
We have a 58% win record against Dragons. This is our 2nd best record against any of our long term opponents with only the 69% record against Zebre topping it. Perhaps more pertinent is that our attack stats this season are better in every area.
This is their last home game of the season with their final game being at Scarlets and they are 2 places and 8 points behind Edinburgh in the table.
Dragons have had a 6 day turnaround since their defeat at Montpellier’s hands last week in the semi final of the Challenge Cup and despite never being ahead in that game they seemed to feel they were somewhat unlucky and keen to perform again this weekend.
They make 6 changes to the team that played that game. Brodie Coghlan at 2 and Dillon Lewis at 3 swap places with Elliott Dee and Chris Coleman who drop onto the bench. Harrison Keddie comes in at 6 and partners Thomas Young and Aaaron Wainwright in the back row. Wainwright is making his 100th appearance for Dragons and his last home game before he joins Leicester for the new season.
Rhodri Williams is in at scrum half and is partnered by Tinus de Beer at 10. De Beer is second in Dragons points scoring table for the season with 37 points whilst Angus O’Brien who tops the charts with 127 points is at full back. Top try scorer Rio Dyer is on the left wing.
Only one change up front for Edinburgh. Callum Hunter-Hill starts alongside captain Grant Gilchrist. This is his first start since Leinster in late January. Marshall Sykes is on the bench.
Pierre Schoeman starts and fellow centurion and a half Magnus Bradbury is back on the bench.
In the backs Ross Thompson gets the nod at 10. Cammy Scott drops out of the 23 altogether and there is no specialist cover for that position on the bench where we have gone with a 6/2 split, the backs replacements being Charlie Shiel and Piers O’Conor.
Harry Paterson is fit and starts at 15 and Duhan is back on the left wing with Satala not in the 23.
This is Duhan’s scoring record over the past few years in the league, minutes played and tackles made.
2025-2026, 3 tries, 459 mins, 17 tackles
2024-2025, 4 tries, 617 mins, 27 tackles
2023-2024, 3 tries, 942 mins, 35 tackles
2022-2023, 2 tries, 387 mins, 16 tackles
It is a pretty strong bench and should provide a boost. If previous weeks are anything to go by I’d expect to see the front row come on early in the 2nd half.
There may be nothing concrete to play for but regardless of that this bit of the league is as intriguing as the bottom half of a table can be as these 6 teams, in the 10-15 spots are all playing a rival in this section this weekend.
Sharks are at home to Benetton
Ospreys are at home to Scarlets
Dragons are at home to Edinburgh.
The upshot being that I’d be surprised if a win for Edinburgh would mean anything except a better points total. That said our game is the last of the weekend so any prospective bonus in league position will be apparent prior to kick off.
You have to take the positives, small as they may be.