LOOSEHEAD prop Ryan Bower will make his 100th appearance for the club in Saturday’s European Challenge Cup match against Dragons at Sixways (3pm).

Bower joined Warriors from Leicester Tigers in the summer of 2014 and was recruited by then-boss Dean Ryan who will be in charge of Dragons.

Bower will become the 24th Warriors player to reach the 100 appearances landmark, just two weeks after centre Ryan Mills joined the 100 Club in Castres.

Bower will have the honour of leading out Warriors against Dragons having battled back from a ruptured Achilles tendon which ruled him out of most of last season.

Two more players who are closing in on 100 appearances for Warriors will line up alongside Bower against Dragons.

Openside flanker Matt Cox, who missed the first two months of the season because of illness, will make his 98th appearance and club captain and number eight Gerrit-Jan van Velze his 92nd.

There will be a debut for academy full-back Noah Heward, who has impressed playing for Stourbridge in National Two North on a dual registration this season.

Former Blues and Northland hooker Matt Moulds will make his first start for Warriors having made two appearances off the bench in the past two weeks.

Lock Andrew Kitchener returns to action having recovered from a rib injury which he sustained in the Challenge Cup victory over Enisei-STM in Russia three weeks ago.

Chris Pennell will start on the right wing as Tom Howe is unavailable for selection this weekend because he is attending his brother’s wedding. Perry Humphreys has also been ruled out by injury.

Wales international duo Aaron Wainwright and Elliot Dee return to action for Dragons.

Back row Wainwright starts his first game for the region since the Rugby World Cup while hooker Dee is  named among the replacements.

Ryan makes eight changes to the starting line-up as the Men of Gwent look to maintain top spot in Pool One of the European competition.

Flanker Ollie Griffiths, prop Leon Brown and fly-half Sam Davies all make returns after featuring for Wales in the clash with the Barbarians.

Wing Ashton Hewitt is back out wide while centre pair Tyler Morgan and Tom Griffiths combine in midfield.

Scrum-half Rhodri Williams also returns to lead the team in the West Midlands

Warriors: Heward; Pennell, Lawrence, Mills, David; Shillcock, Heaney; Bower, Moulds, Carey, Kitchener, Clegg, Dodd, Cox, van Velze (C) Replacements: Miller, Owen, Palframan, Scott, Monks, Kitto, Simpson, Morris.

Dragons: Talbot-Davies: Jenkins, Morgan, T Griffiths, Hewitt: S Davies, R Williams (c); Harris, Hibbard, Brown, J Davies, Screech, Wainwright, O Griffiths, Basham

Replacements:  Dee, Reynolds, Jarvis, M Williams, Taylor, Baldwin, Botica, Warren.