Ruaridh Jackson is preferred to Duncan Weir at stand-off.
On returning to the starting line-up, Ruaridh said: "I am really excited to be back. I've sat on the bench the last couple of weeks so I'm looking forward to taking this opportunity in the first game of the Heineken Cup."
His first Heineken Cup experience saw the then 20-year-old make his debut against Bath which he also marked with his first try for the club.
But although his initial Heineken Cup memory was an exciting one, he is determined to create another.
"I suppose I look forward to the Heineken Cup because it holds fond memories for me," he continued.
"I guess it made my name at the time, but that is in the past now and I have to focus on playing well this year, starting with a tough game against our well-known rivals, the Dragons."
The only other change to the match-day 23 sees the return of hooker Dougie Hall to the replacements bench in place of Pat MacArthur.
14 DTH van der Merwe
13 Max Evans
12 Graeme Morrison
11 Federico Aramburu
10 Ruaridh Jackson
9 Colin Gregor
1 Jon Welsh
2 Fergus Thomson
3 Moray Low
4 Tom Ryder
5 Richie Gray
6 Robert Harley
7 John Barclay CAPTAIN
8 Richie Vernon
Substitutes
16 Dougie Hall, 17 Ryan Grant, 18 Ed Kalman, 19 Aly Muldowney, 20 Calum Forrester, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Rob Dewey