European Challenge Cup: Zebre v Dragons (Sat) – Wales wing Rio Dyer returns for Italian trip

Wales wing Rio Dyer has recovered from injury for the Dragons’ trip to face Zebre in the Challenge Cup on Saturday.

Wales flanker Taine Basham has been left out of the 23-man squad but hooker Bradley Roberts returns on the bench.

Captain Steff Hughes is named as a replacement alongside prop Chris Coleman.

Wales tight-head Leon Brown is left out of the squad while Lloyd Fairbrother has a calf problem and joins Gonzalo Bertranou, Ben Carter, Elliot Dee, Jack Dixon, Ashton Hewitt, Angus O’Brien, Sio Tomkinson, Josh Reynolds and David Richards on the injury list.

With six points from a win against Oyonnax and narrow defeat in Pau, Dragons are third in Pool 1.

The Welsh side would seal their place in the knockout stages if they take four more match points from the game in Parma than Zebre – and then Pau lose to the Cheetahs in South Africa on Sunday.

Zebre: Lorenzo Pani; Pierre Bruno, Luca Morisi (capt), Enrico Lucchin, Simone Gesi; Giovanni Montemauri, Gonzalo Garcia; Danilo Fischetti, Marco Manfredi, Matteo Nocera, Leonard Krumov, Andrea Zambonin, Guido Volpi, Iacopo Bianchi, Davide Ruggeri.

Replacements: Giampietro Ribaldi, Luca Rizzoli, Juan Pitinari, Matteo Canali, Giacomo Ferrari, Thomas Dominguez, Geronimo Prisciantelli, Scott Gregory.

Dragons: Cai Evans; Rio Dyer, Aneurin Owen, Harri Ackerman, Jared Rosser; Will Reed, Rhodri Williams (capt); Rhodri Jones, James Benjamin, Luke Yendle, Sean Lonsdale, George Nott, Dan Lydiate, Harri Keddie, Aaron Wainwright.

Replacements: Bradley Roberts, Rodrigo Martinez, Chris Coleman, Matthew Screech, Ollie Griffiths, Dane Blacker, Steff Hughes, Ewan Rosser.

Referee: Benoit Rousselet (France)

Assistant referees: Thomas Chereque & Pierre Bru (France)

TMO: Cedric Marchat (France).