2026–27 Dragons RFC season
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The 2026–27 season is Dragons' sixth season in the United Rugby Championship, and 24th season in all formats of the competition since the region was formed in 2003. Previously, the region had been represented in the then Celtic League by traditional Welsh clubs of Caerphilly RFC, Ebbw Vale RFC and Newport RFC.
| 2026–27 season | |||
| Head coach | Filo Tiatia[1] | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman CEO | David Wright Rhys Blumberg | ||
| Captain | Ben Carter | ||
| |||
As well as competing in the URC and its Welsh Shield competition, Dragons RFC will also participate in the 2026–27 EPCR Challenge Cup.
Staff and management
Filo Tiatia continues as head coach of the Dragons.[1] The following is the senior coaching team for the Dragons in 2026–27.[2]
| Staff | Role |
|---|---|
| Filo Tiatia | Head coach |
| James Chapron | Head of Rugby Operations |
| Dale MacLeod | Senior Coach |
| Sam Hobbs | |
| Matt O'Brien | |
| Tom Hancock |
Transfers
Players in
|
Players out
|
United Rugby Championship
Matches
Dragons RFC will begin their sixth URC campaign away to Italian side Benetton Rugby.[11]
| 25 September 2026 | Benetton  |
19-19 |  Dragons |
Stadio Monigo, Treviso | |
| 19:45 | Try: Mey 12' c Bernasconi 24'c Mendy 40+1' m Con: Umaga (2/30 13' 25' |
Report Scorecard Highlights |
Try: De Beer 28' c Inisi 44' c Dee 78' m Con: De Beer (2/3) 28' 45' |
Referee: Christopher Allison |
| 3 October 2026 | (1 BP) Dragons |
38-26 | Scarlets |
Rodney Parade, Newport | |
| 15:00 | Try: Tuitauki 13' c Dee (2) 23' m, 71' c Martinez 41' c Anderson 65' m Hunt 80 + 1' c Con: De Beer (3/5) 14' 43' 72'; Lloyd 80 + 2' |
Report Scorecard Highlights |
Try: Page (2) 2' c, 28' c O'Connor 58' c Jones 73' m Con: Costelow (3/4) 3' 29' 59 ' |
Referee: Jones |
| 9 October | (2 BP) Dragons |
31–38 | Ospreys (1 BP) |
Rodney Parade, Newport | |
| 19:45 | Try: Dee (2) 5' c, 50' c penalty try, 40+3' Tuitavuki 56' c Con: de Beer (3/3) 6', 51', 57' Pen: O'Brien 82' |
Report Scorecard Highlights |
Try: Moriarty 17' c Giles 35' m Parry (2) 46' c, 54' c Morris (2) 72' m, 79' c Con: Edwards (4/6) 18', 47', 55', 80' Cards: Moriarty  42' |
Attendance: 6,037 Referee: Robbie Jenkinson (Ireland) |
| 24 October 2026 | Ospreys |
v | Dragons |
St Helen's, Swansea | |
| 19:00 |
| 31 October 2026 | Dragons |
v | Zebre Parma |
Rodney Parade, Newport | |
| 17:30 |
| 4 December 2026 | Edinburgh  |
v | Dragons |
Edinburgh Rugby Stadium | |
| 19:45 |
| 19 December 2026 | Cardiff |
v | Dragons |
Cardiff Arms Park | |
| 15:00 |
| 26 December 2026 | Dragons |
v | Cardiff |
Rodney Parade, Newport | |
| 15:00 |
| 2 January 2027 | Scarlets |
v | Dragons |
Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli | |
| 15:00 |
| 23 January 2027 | Leinster  |
v | Dragons |
RDS Arena, Dublin | |
| 17:30 |
| 29 January 2027 | Dragons |
v | Munster |
Rodney Parade, Newport | |
| 19:45 |
| 26 February 2027 | Dragons |
v | Ulster |
Rodney Parade, Newport | |
| 19:45 |
| 20 March 2027 | Bulls  |
v | Dragons |
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria | |
| 15:00 |
| 27 March 2027 | Sharks |
v | Dragons |
Kings Park Stadium, Durban | |
| 16:30 |
| 16 April 2027 | Dragons |
v | Glasgow Warriors |
Rodney Parade, Newport | |
| 19:45 |
| 24 April 2027 | Connacht |
v | Dragons |
The Sportsground, Galway | |
| 19:45 |
| 7 May 2027 | Dragons |
v | Lions |
Rodney Parade, Newport | |
| 19:45 |
| 15 May 2027 | Dragons |
v | Stormers |
Rodney Parade, Newport | |
| 17:30 |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edinburgh |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 54 | +26 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 14 | Qualification for the Champions Cup and knockout stage |
| 2 | Glasgow Warriors |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 95 | 72 | +23 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 | |
| 3 | Bulls |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 126 | 54 | +72 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| 4 | Stormers |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 81 | 54 | +27 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| 5 | Sharks |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 89 | 83 | +6 | 12 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |
| 6 | Cardiff |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66 | 71 | −5 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| 7 | Lions |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 77 | 102 | −25 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| 8 | Dragons |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 88 | 83 | +5 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |
| 9 | Munster |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 72 | 74 | −2 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 9 | Qualification for the Challenge Cup |
| 10 | Leinster |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 75 | 58 | +17 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| 11 | Ulster |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 88 | 93 | −5 | 13 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 8 | |
| 12 | Scarlets |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 68 | 85 | −17 | 10 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |
| 13 | Ospreys |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 81 | 107 | −26 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| 14 | Connacht |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 84 | −28 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 15 | Benetton |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 64 | 68 | −4 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| 16 | Zebre |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 52 | 116 | −64 | 7 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Updated to match(es) played on 4 October 2026. Source: UnitedRugby.com
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won 2) The difference between points for and points against 3) The number of tries scored 4) The most points scored 5) The difference between tries for and tries against 6) The fewest red cards received 7) The fewest yellow cards received.[12]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won 2) The difference between points for and points against 3) The number of tries scored 4) The most points scored 5) The difference between tries for and tries against 6) The fewest red cards received 7) The fewest yellow cards received.[12]
URC Welsh Shield
Dragons RFC enter the URC Welsh Shield yet to win the competition in five attempts. In 2026–27, the Dragons' fixtures against other Welsh regions are heavily front loaded, making up six of the first nine games of Dragons' domestic season, with their Welsh Shield campaign completed in the first week of January 2027.
| |||||||||||||||||
| Welsh Shield | |||||||||||||||||
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TBP | LBP | Pts | Pos overall | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dragons |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 69 | 64 | +5 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | |||
| 2 | Ospreys |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 | |||
| 3 | Cardiff |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 15 | +6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | |||
| 4 | Scarlets |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 41 | 59 | –18 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15 | |||
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[13]
| |||||||||||||||||
| Green background indicates teams currently leading the regional shield. Upon the conclusion of the regular season, these teams win their respective regional shields. (S) : URC Shield champion | |||||||||||||||||
EPCR Challenge Cup
Pool 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ulster |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 21 | +19 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Home round of 16 |
| 2 | Dragons |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 14 | +15 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Bayonne |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 27 | +2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Cheetahs |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 29 | −2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Away round of 16 |
| 5 | Perpignan |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 29 | −15 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Zebre Parma |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 40 | −19 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First match(es) will be played: 16 October 2026. Source: EPCR[14]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled.
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled.
Pool stage
| 16 October 2026 | Dragons |
29-14 | Perpignan |
Rodney Parade, Newport | |
| 20:00 | Try: Rosser 12' m Owen 55' c Tuitavuki 67' c Paea 76' c Con: de Beer (3/3) 56' 68' 77' Pen: de Beer 64' |
Report | Try: Coulon 29' c Tuilagi 61' c Con: Tedder (2/2) 29' 62 ' |
Attendance: 4,636 Referee: Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa)) |
| 13 December 2026 | Cheetahs |
v | Dragons |
St Helen's (Swansea, Wales) | |
| 13:00 | Report |
| 8 January 2027 | Dragons |
v | Bayonne |
Rodney Parade | |
| 20:00 | Report |
| 16 January 2027 | Ulster |
v | Dragons |
Affidea Stadium | |
| Report |