NEWPORT Gwent Dragons head coach Kingsley Jones has handed pre-season starts to new boys Pat Howard, Nick Macleod and Tom Davies as they kick off their preparations for the Guinness Pro12 against Cardiff Blues.

The Dragons take on their fiercest rivals at Rodney Parade (kick-off 7.30pm) for a fixture that is part of the beneficiary year for captain Lewis Evans and former centre Ashley Smith.

The encounter will raise funds for the pair's chosen charities of St David's Hospice and Stay Strong for Ows but it's also an important tune-up for the Pro12 opener against Ulster in Belfast on Friday, September 2.

Howard, a try scorer for a Dragons Development XV in a 26-20 win against RGC 1404 in a conditioning match last Friday, starts on the flank along with fellow wing/centre Adam Hughes after arriving from Northampton while Nick Macleod gets first go at fly-half against his old club following his move from Sale.

Davies moved from the Arms Park this summer and slots in at loosehead while props Craig Mitchell and Sam Hobbs, who also headed east from the capital, will make their Dragons bows off the bench.

Flanker Ollie Griffiths is among the replacements and will make his comeback after suffering a serious hamstring injury in January but the management team don't intend to ring the changes too frequently.

"Players need time on the pitch and I don't think we've done ourselves justice over the past couple of years by making a lot of changes throughout the game," said Jones.

"We plan to go with the same group for 45 to 50 minutes then make some changes. I am conscious that we've got games against Ealing and Exeter to come, while RGC was a worthwhile exercise for some young players last week, so the plan is that everybody will get a chance to start in pre-season."

"We are still a long way from where we want to be and have three more weeks of preparation for Ulster," he continued.

"We want to do well because it's at home against the Blues and it will be nice to have a competitive game but it's not about the result; we beat them in Cardiff last pre-season then lost to them twice in the Pro12, we'd happily swap that.

"We want to develop a winning mentality but it's not all about that in this game. It's important that we focus on what we've worked on throughout the summer rather than forgetting that and making it personal against a Welsh rival.

"It's a chance to see under pressure what we have been working on but there are things that we will keep in our pocket for now."

Centre Sam Beard will sit out the derby after suffering a minor bump to his hip in training while speedsters Ashton Hewitt and Tom Prydie are making good progress from shoulder and knee injuries respectively and are nearing returns.

Dragons: C Meyer, A Hughes, J Dixon, A Warren, P Howard, N Macleod, S Pretorius, T Davies, E Dee, B Harris, N Crosswell, R Landman, J Thomas, N Cudd, L Evans (captain). Replacements: C Mitchell, R Thomas, S Hobbs, M Screech, C Hill, E Jackson, O Griffiths, C Davies, G Gasson, A O'Brien.