Charteris, who won his seventh cap for Wales in the Prince William Cup clash with South Africa last month and brings a massive 6 feet 9 inches presence to the Dragons line-out, joins teammates Michael Owen, Ceri Sweeney and Gareth Wyatt among those to receive a 50th cap for the region.
Speaking about his time at the Dragons since his debut against the Blues in the then Celtic League on December 27th, 2004, the giant lock said: “It’s always a privilege to play for the Dragons and a 50th cap is a great achievement for me and the club.
“We will travel to Italy looking for a win this weekend and what better occasion than on my 50th start for the team. It’ll be tough for us away from home but we go with the determination to get a good result and build a solid platform for the following weekend.”
Charteris is included in a strong line-up, Head Coach Paul Turner adding: “The team will need to be strong to match the intensity of the European tournament and I was pleased to have key players back in contention for places, which was a great boost ahead of the weekend.
“Italian rugby has developed immensely over the last decade and sides have to really earn their victories at any Italian venue.”
Colin Charvis, who became the world’s leading Test try-scoring forward when he crossed for his 22nd Wales try against the Springboks, returns from the Wales camp to captain the team.
“Obviously we’re back in Europe and it’s a step up in terms of intensity for everyone involved,” he said. “We’ve put in some promising performances without the results but we’re a strong team with confidence in each other and our capabilities this season.
“We are looking to the fans to support us in these back-to-back games.”
Dragons: Kevin Morgan; Martyn Thomas, Paul Emerick, Rhodri Gomer-Davies, Richard Mustoe; Ceri Sweeney, Andy Williams; Adam Black, Steve Jones, Rhys Thomas, Luke Charteris, Adam Jones, Colin Charvis (Capt), Richard Parks, Michael Owen
Replacements: Ben Daly, Huw Gustafson, Joe Bearman, Jamie Ringer, Wayne Evans, Aled Thomas, Ashley Smith
