NEWPORT Gwent Dragons may have to throw hooker Steve Jones straight into the fray after being on the sidelines for six months when they face French opponents Brive in the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup at Rodney Parade on Saturday (3pm).

The Dragons' situation at hooker has reached crisis level, with Ben Daly aggravating a hamstring injury against Llanelli Scarlets on Friday night and forced to leave the field after only 19 minutes.

With Daly extremely doubtful and Kieran Crawford out for the rest of the season, the only hooker sure to be available for the Brive game is Academy player Richard Wilkes, whose senior rugby is strictly limited.

If Daly fails to make it, Jones, who is just about ready to return after his shoulder operation, may well have to go straight back in without any trial run for the Dragons or any other side.

Dragons coach Paul Turner is sweating on the outcome, hoping not to have to go in with too many Academy players for such an important game.

But he also has a problem at loose head prop, where the ever-present Adam Black suffered a dead leg after just two minutes against the Scarlets, though he limped on until a few minutes into the second half when he had to go off.

And then he was replaced by another Academy player in 19-year-old Jamie Corsi, but he is a tight head.

The only other loose head specialist in the squad is David Maddocks, and he has made only one start and one replacement appearance for the Dragons this season, more recently turning out for Bedwas in the Premier Division.

At least centre Paul Emerick came through unscathed against the Scarlets after suffering shoulder trouble, while Wales lock Ian Gough, rested on Friday, will be back and centre/wing Nathan Brew should return after dropping out of the Scarlets game with a slight foot injury suffered in training last week.

The Scarlets' victory and Munster's success against Ulster at Ravenhill lifted both above the Dragons in the league table, meaning the Dragons have dropped to eighth place.

They are now fourth Welsh team in the race for automatic Heineken Cup qualification - if the tournament goes ahead next season after the threatened French boycott - and given that they still face tricky away games against Edinburgh, Munster and Cardiff Blues, it will be difficult to get back into the top three.

But they will re-focus this week after their 35-11 defeat at Stradey Park in their bid to reach the semi-finals of a European competition when, if they beat Brive, they will almost certainly face favourites Clermont Auvergne, assuming they beat Newcastle in the quarters, in France on the weekend of April 20-22.

The semi-final dates will not be decided until after the quarter-finals this weekend.