There will be little Glasgow Warriors and Dragons RFC don’t know about each other when they clash in the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16 at Scotstoun Stadium on April 1.

Although this will be their first EPCR meeting since the 2010/11 season, they regularly face each other in the United Rugby Championship (URC).

Indeed, you only have to go back to January 28 for their last meeting in that tournament, when Glasgow visited Rodney Parade and came away with a 42-28 victory.

That is one of 10 URC wins the Scottish side have recorded this season to leave them fourth in the table on 49 points – well ahead of Dragons, who lie 15th, second bottom, on 19 after three victories.

Glasgow to be strengthened

To make matters worse for Dragons, Glasgow were without eight of their Scottish international contingent who were on duty for last weekend’s 22-7 home loss to Grand Slam-chasing Ireland in the Six Nations Championship.

Only No.8 Jack Dempsey, loose-head prop Jamie Bhatti, hooker Fraser Brown, tight-head prop Simon Berghan and scrum-half Ali Price from Scotland’s matchday squad last Sunday played in the URC match in Newport.

The Warriors should therefore be strengthened by the return of right wing Kyle Steyn, centres Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu, hooker George Turner, tight-head prop Zander Fagerson, locks Richie Gray and Scott Cummings, and flanker Matt Fagerson.

In contrast, the solitary Dragons player missing from the January encounter between the clubs, who has been a Six Nations regular this season, was left wing Rio Dyer.

The Welsh region will be looking to the likes of stand-off JJ Hanrahan, wing Ashton Hewitt, scrum-half Rhodri Williams, lock Ben Carter and No.8 Taine Basham to lead their bid for a quarter-final place.

Past meetings

Glasgow also lead the way in previous encounters between the clubs, having won four out of six, although they have all been in the Heineken Champions Cup, in successive seasons from 2008/09 to 2010/11 at the pool stage.

Honours were even in the first two of those campaigns, as both won their home matches – Dragons 32-22 and 22-14, and Glasgow 13-10 and 29-25.

However, the Scottish region completed the double in 2010/11 – triumphing 21-13 at home before snatching a 23-16 victory in Wales.