THE Dragons Premiership Select aim to give Jersey a run for their money in the Channel Islands tax haven on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm) in their last away trip in the British & Irish Cup.

This is the final season of the competition, which began in 2009 and transferred from clubs to regional select sides in 2015.

There have been some memorable moments with Newport famously becoming the first side to beat Rob Baxter’s Exeter in 2009 and Cross Keys making it all the way to the final in 2012 before losing to Munster A in Cork.

However, there have also been some big beatings, especially in 2012/13 when all Premiership clubs entered.

The Dragons have won just five of 16 games in the competition and will be hard pressed to improve their record against a strong Jersey side who were runners-up last year.

But academy boss James Chapron believes the B&I Cup has proved an invaluable learning ground for the region’s youngsters and hopes that replacement fixtures – with A team games for under-23s against Scottish, Irish and Welsh rivals mooted – can fill the void.

“We’ve exposed a lot of boys to a higher level of rugby that have gone on to play for the first team, so what they are replacing it with next year will hopefully be bigger and better,” said Chapron.

“We will miss it… although I won’t miss the headaches of organising it!

"But the competition has been excellent for us regardless of wins/losses and in the three years we’ve been doing it we have only had maybe three really negative results in terms of hammerings.

“The rest of the games, we have been in them and with a young team, which is what the competition is about.”

The Dragons have lost all four fixtures so far this season and after taking on Jersey, who overpowered them 34-7 in October, they will finish with a home game against London Scottish.

“We want two competitive performances,” added Chapron. “We made strides in the last block against Yorkshire with two competitive games and were unlucky not to win at home.

“Jersey will be a really tough ask, they are putting a strong team out and we didn’t really deal with them in the first fixture.

"Hopefully the weather will be better and we can give a better account of ourselves.

“A lot of our boys aren’t used to travelling for games and it’s an evening kick-off when normally the Premiership players would have a work shift before it, but this time they’ve got to wait around in a hotel all day and deal with that new experience.

“That’s a great part of the competition, because it’s what a pro player does.

"Jersey want to make it as hostile as they can for us and get a big crowd in, so it will bring its physical and mental challenges.”

Chapron has made six changes to his side after the 20-17 home loss to Yorkshire Carnegie in mid-December.

Full-back Josh Prosser is included in the back three with Barney Nightingale and Johnny Morris.

The centre partnership sees senior Dragons player Sam Beard join Connor Edwards, while there is a new half-back pairing in Matt O’Brien and Charlie Davies.

The front row and second row remain unchanged but the back row sees Bath University’s Jack Davies given an opportunity alongside flanker Taine Basham and skipper Lennon Greggains.

Dragons PS: J Prosser (Cross Keys); B Nightingale, S Beard, C Edwards, J Morris (Newport); M O’Brien (Newport), C Davies; P Price, E Shipp, K Bale, H Williams (RGC 1404/Dragons), J Skinner (Cross Keys), J Davies (Bath University), T Basham, L Greggains (capt).

Reps: W Griffiths, J Reynolds, J James (Ebbw Vale), K Parker (Ebbw Vale), A Waite (Bedwas), O Leonard, S Jones (Bargoed).