NEWPORT Gwent Dragons are boosted by the return of influential lock Rynard Landman for their Guinness Pro12 opener against Ulster tomorrow but his fellow South African Brok Harris misses out through injury.

Head coach Kingsley Jones makes just one change to the starting XV that pushed Exeter hard for an hour in their final pre-season friendly with Landman replacing Matthew Screech.

Captain and back row forward Lewis Evans has overcome a niggle to take a place on the bench where he will be joined by Nick Crosswell, who passed a head injury assessment after being forced off against the Chiefs, and Wales centre/wing Tyler Morgan.

The absence of influential tighthead Harris because of a shoulder injury is a blow for the clash in Belfast (kick-off 7.35pm) but presents former Wales prop Craig Mitchell, a summer signing from Cardiff Blues, with a chance to impress.

He makes his debut along with wing Pat Howard, centre Sam Beard, fly-half Nick Macleod and looseheads Sam Hobbs and Tom Davies.

Ulster start as hot favourites to take the spoils against a Dragons side who failed to win a single Pro12 game away from Newport last season but the visitors, who were pipped at the death 17-15 in last season’s corresponding fixture, are excited by the challenge.

“We know they are a quality team but a tough game focuses the mind,” said backs coach Shaun Connor. “We feel pre-season has gone well but this is a great sign of where we are.

“We will have a more expansive approach this season, we are going to be looking to score more tries and it’s about us producing a style of rugby that people want to watch.

“It’s not about playing wide, wide rugby. It’s about playing sensibly and if it’s on to play wide then we will but if we’ve got to be direct we will be direct.

“We are encouraging players to make decisions and hopefully we will get more right than wrong.”

Ulster are without their Ireland internationals Paddy Jackson, Jared Payne, Andrew Trimble and Iain Henderson following their summer exertions in South Africa while tighthead Rodney Ah You is out because of a concussion, forcing them to field academy prop Ross Kane.

However, they are still able to call on try machine Craig Gilroy, strong centres Stuart McCloskey and Stuart Olding, Springboks World Cup winner Ruan Pienaar and New Zealand star Charles Piutau, who will make his debut from full-back after arriving from Wasps.

“Charles Piutau is a great signing for them and is a real threat. If we kick loosely against them we are going to be in for a long evening. He is going to stress our defence,” said Connor.

Ulster: C Piutau, C Gilroy, S Olding, S McCloskey, J Stockdale, B Herron, R Pienaar, C Black, R Herring (captain), R Kane, P Browne, F van der Werwe, C Ross, S Reidy, R Wilson.

Replacements: J Andrew, K McCall, A Warwick, A O’Connor, R Diack, P Marshall, S Windsor, R Lyttle

Dragons: C Meyer, A Warren, S Beard, J Dixon, P Howard, N Macleod, S Pretorius, S Hobbs, R Thomas (captain), C Mitchell, C Hill, R Landman, O Griffiths, N Cudd, E Jackson.

Replacements: R Buckley, T Davies, L Fairbrother, N Crosswell, L Evans, C Davies, A O’Brien, T Morgan.

Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)