Dragons flanker Ryan Woodman faces a lengthy absence from the pitch, being ruled out until late December due to a bicep injury. This setback means the 22-year-old will miss the opportunity to compete for a spot in Wales' Nations Championship campaign scheduled for November.

Woodman, primarily a blind-side flanker but also capable of playing lock, made his mark last season when he was called up to the Six Nations squad as a replacement for the injured Taine Plumtree. He made his international debut in June during an uncapped match against the Barbarians at Twickenham but was subsequently left out of the summer Nations Championship squad.

Dale MacLeod, the Dragons defence coach, confirmed the injury's severity, stating, "Ryan has seen a specialist and will go for surgery on Friday, then get under way with his recovery."

Woodman had participated in the United Rugby Championship (URC), starting in the 19-19 draw against Benetton and coming on in the 38-26 victory against Scarlets. His targeted return coincides with two back-to-back derbies against Cardiff on December 19 and 26, followed by a trip to Scarlets on January 2.

MacLeod emphasized the impact of Woodman's absence, saying, "Anyone of that quality is a big loss, and it's a big year for him as part of that Welsh group building towards the World Cup. The good thing is that he is not gone for 12 months; he'll work hard and get back to where he needs to be."

In the meantime, Shane Lewis-Hughes has stepped up to fill the blind-side flanker role, while the Dragons await the arrival of new signing Terrell Peita from New Zealand. Peita is currently competing for Northland in the National Provincial Championship (NPC) and is expected to join the team during the Nations Championship break.

The Dragons will kick off their Challenge Cup campaign at home against Perpignan on Friday at 20:00 BST, before concluding the first block of the URC against Ospreys at St Helen's and Zebre in Newport.