DRAGONS caretaker boss Ceri Jones continues with Wales lock Cory Hill in the back row at the Scarlets this evening (kick-off 5.15pm) after enjoying fielding an old school heavyweight Gwent pack, writes Chris Kirwan.

The former Wales prop has held the reins for the last three games after head coach Bernard Jackman was sacked at the start of December.

Forwards coach Jones selected Hill at blindside flanker to combat Clermont Auvergne's imposing pack in the European Challenge Cup clash at the Stade Marcel Michelin and continued the experiment in the derby encounters with Cardiff Blues and the Ospreys.

Warren Gatland and Robin McBryde raised the possibility of the 22-times capped lock moving back in the autumn to see whether it is an option to provide more versatility in their World Cup squad.

Hill stayed in the second row for the Principality Stadium dates with Scotland, Australia, Tonga and South Africa but Gatland & Co will have been watching the Dragons' experiment closely over the past month.

"A lot was said about Cory playing at 6 and whether it was a Welsh management thing, no it wasn't and we had no lead from them whatsoever," said Jones.

"I thought it would be good for us as a pack and Brandon Nansen and Matthew Screech have shown good form lately.

"It's about getting those players on the field and Cory has done a remarkable job at 6 because it is a different position and he tends to spend more time out in those wide channels. He has shown how athletic he can be to be able to do that.

"Both Matthew and Brandon are big, strong men who like to go around being physical. That's something I like to see in a Gwent pack and they are delivering what I have asked of them."

The second row cover in Llanelli comes in the form of Joe Davies, who replaces Lewis Evans after the converted back rower suffered an ankle injury against the Ospreys.