The Black and Ambers will take heart from last week’s visit to West Wales when despite fielding a disrupted side against Carmarthen Quins, they snatched a last gasp bonus point win in stoppage time.
To date, the teams have met 18 times in the Premiership with Newport leading the head-to-head record with 12 wins to six. Saturday’s visitors to Llandovery have also won 3 of the last 4 matches between the sides, including a double last season.
In form winger Elliot Frewen will be looking to add to his impressive record of five tries from five games which included a match winning 90 metre score in injury time at Carmarthen. Newport keep the same centre partnership of Geraint O’Driscoll and Iain Smerdon who did so much damage against the Quins as they name a similar looking line up.
For Llandovery, Cerith Rees returns at fly-half with James Garland moving to the bench as the league leaders make a number of changes. Lloyd Phillips leads the side from the back row while Richard Brooks comes in for Kieran Murphy at No. 8. Scrum-half Rhodri Williams will again be one of Llandovery’s main attacking threats as he looks to continue what has been a brilliant start to the season both for himself and his club.
Llandovery: 15 Lee Rees 14 Jake Randall 13 Matthew Jacobs 12 Jack Roberts 11 Aaron Warren 10 Cerith Rees 9 Rhodri Williams, 1 Owen Evans 2 Adam Yelland 3 Dean Howells 4 Shaun Jones 5 Llewellyn Jones 6 Phil Day 7 Lloyd Phillips (c) 8 Richard Brooks.
Replacements: Andrew Jones, Wyn Jones, Bryn Griffiths, Luke Kendall, Thomas Ball, Rob Walters,
James Garland, Chris Knight.
Newport: 15 A Awcock 14 E Frewen 13 G O’Driscoll 12 I Smerdon 11 W Hodnett 10 S Sneddon 9 J Leadbeater, 1 D Pattison 2 R Prosser 3 A Jeffries 4 D Rosser 5 A Frampton 6 I Jones 7 C Attwell (c) 8 H Stoddart.
Replacements: A Brown, J Lavender, S Waldron, C Everett, T Hancock, R Downes, A Quick.
Referee : Jason Bessant
