Dragons and Scarlets are not in the mix for the play-offs, but they are in a duel.
It has been an encouraging campaign for the Rodney Parade club after they had a shocking time in 2024-25, winning just one league game when finishing bottom for the first time.
The Dragons’ win column is still disappointing, with just two bonus-point successes against Connacht and Scarlets, but they have drawn three fixtures that could have been won with late kicks.
Filo Tiatia’s men could even have been contenders for the top eight and will be keen to finish a campaign of progress strongly.
They have an eight-point lead over bottom club Zebre while Benetton, Edinburgh and Sharks are all within striking distance going into this weekend.
However, a clear target must be to avoid being Wales’ worst side for the first time since 2020, with Scarlets currently four points back.
Dragons have been the lowest Welsh side in 17 of 22 seasons while Scarlets have only finished bottom once, in 2010.
Nigel Davies was head coach on that occasion and he returned to Llanelli in January above Dwayne Peel as interim director of rugby.
Scarlets are trying to sort out their structure for next season but cannot clock off in the URC and have three derbies to play.
They will expect to go above the Dragons, at least temporarily, with a home win against Zebre on Friday evening.
Tiatia’s side have a tough double-header in South Africa against Stormers and Lions so could be chasing when they return to the URC after trying to shock Stade Francais in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup.
There might be a Llanelli shootout to avoid the Welsh Wooden Spoon in the final round on 16 May when Dragons visit Parc y Scarlets.
Dragons also have the target of ending their league struggles on the road, with a trip to Zebre certainly one to target.
They have not enjoyed an away success in the URC since beating Scarlets in April 2022, while their last league victory outside Wales was at Connacht in October 2021.
Dragons’ remaining URC fixtures: Stormers (away), Lions (away), Bulls (home), Zebre (away), Edinburgh (home), Scarlets (away).
Scarlets’ remaining URC fixtures: Zebre (home), Leinster (away), Cardiff (home), Bulls (home), Ospreys (away), Dragons (home).
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