Biarritz warmed up for the double header with Newport Gwent Dragons with a 20-9 defeat to Albi. The French side have already recorded two wins from two in Europe, beating Glasgow and then Gloucester at home.

The Dragons travel to the south-west of France with momentum after a bonus-point win over Leinster in the Magners League.

But it will be a major shock if Paul Turner’s men can take anything more than a losing bonus-point from this clash and the head  Turner has named a 25-man squad for the French foray.

The region are boosted by the return of Tom Willis and Joe Bearman whilst Steve Jones and Rob Sidoli are both rested.

“It’s a boost for us to have Tom and Joe back,” said Head Coach Paul Turner. “Leaving Steve and Rob behind is about managing the squad. We have a very short turnaround between the two Heineken Cup rounds and we need to be able to best manage that.

“We are well aware of what Biarritz can offer. They’ve got spark and pace on the wing and Damien Traille remains one of the best centres in the world. We have a good group of players here but we’re going to be under the pump in France. We have to resist that pressure which is something we’ve got pretty good at.

Backs
Aled Brew, Alex Walker, James Arlidge, Jason Tovey, Martyn Thomas, Matthew Watkins, Rhodri Gomer Davies, Richard Fussell, Tom Riley, Wayne Evans, Will Harries.

Forwards
Adam Jones, Ali McKenzie, Dan Lydiate, Duane Goodfield, Gavin Thomas, Gethin Robinson, Grant Webb, Hoani MacDonald, Hugh Gustafson, Joe Bearman, Lewis Evans, Luke Charteris, Peter Bracken, Tom Willis.