THE Dragons will drop into the Challenge Cup with a draw to decide their opposition on March 9.

The Rodney Parade side played in the Champions Cup for the first time in a decade in December when they lost to Wasps and Bordeaux-Begles.

The return fixtures in January were postponed because of new strains of coronavirus and they have now been cancelled.

The European competitions will now go straight to knockout stages, starting with rounds of 16.

The Dragons drop into the second-tier competition and will now face either English or French opposition after an initial plan to go with seedings, which would have meant a derby against the Ospreys or Cardiff Blues, was scrapped.

London Irish, the Ospreys and Leicester have been guaranteed home matches in the round of 16 after winning both of their Challenge Cup pool matches.

The draw for the quarter-finals will also take place on Tuesday, March 9 with no restrictions on who teams can face.

Challenge Cup: London Irish, Ospreys, Leicester Tigers, Cardiff Blues, Zebre Rugby Club, Agen, Benetton Rugby, Newcastle Falcons, Ulster Rugby, Connacht Rugby, Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby, Montpellier, Dragons, Harlequins, Glasgow Warriors

European dates

Knockout Stage Draws: Tuesday 9 March
Rounds of 16: 2/3/4 April
Quarter-finals: 9/10/11 April
Semi-finals: 30 April – 1/2 May
Challenge Cup final: Marseille - Friday, 21 May
Heineken Champions Cup final: Marseille - Saturday, 22 May