Two hard games against the league’s current 1st and 2nd teams have resulted in narrow defeats for the Quins.
This week the side travel to Rodney Parade to take on bottom placed Newport. In the home fixture Quins comfortably beat their opponents 44-10 and will be hoping to get back to winning ways this weekend.
Newport may be bottom of the league at the moment but they beat Aberavon at home last Saturday and the Quins will underestimate them at their peril. It was only a few short weeks ago that the Quins lost at home to Aberavon who were also bottom of the league at that time. Newport will be determined to achieve some momentum and will be desperate to improve from their current position in the Premiership.
The Quins have made a number of changes both in the starting line up and positional. Dion Jones comes in at full back whilst Lee Williams moves to the wing in place of Chris Banfield. Dan Jones starts at outside half and Jason Harries remains in the centre with Rhys Williams. Harries is also the captain for the game with Ian Jones on the bench.
In the forwards Shaun Jones comes back in at Number 8 whilst Aidan Laxton joins Haydn Pugh in the boiler house. Jack Haines makes his first start at Hooker.
The home team are desperate for points to pull away from the bottom while the visitors will want to cement their play-off place especially after their narrow defeat at Ebbw Vale last weekend. In Newport’s favour in their fight against relegation is that seven of the remaining 10 league matches are at home at Rodney Parade.
Wins are fairly rare for the Quins against the Black & Ambers having won only three of the 17 league matches played to date. That said they have won here of the last six encounters which includes their first ever win at Rodney Parade last season 2013/4 and they now have a chance of their first ever double having convincingly won 44-10 earlier this season at The Park, Carmarthen.
Newport : E Frewen, O Broad, G O’Driscoll, B Nightingale, J Morris, J Mogg, O Davies, J Greenfield, R Buckley, A Jeffries, Adam Brown, A Frampton, R Jenkins, O Griffiths (capt), S Cross.
Reps : Andrew Brown, D Pattison, J Monck, D Partridge, S Feehan, R Gibbon, J Lewis, C Rees.
Carmarthen Quins: 15 Dion Jones 14 Gavin Thomas 13 Jason Harries 12 John Rhys Williams 11 Lee Williams 10 Daniel Jones 9 Kieran Hardy; 8 Shaun Mark Jones 7 Elis Huw Lloyd 6 William Boyde 5 Haydn Pugh 4 Aidan Laxton 3 Javan Sebastian 2 Jack Morgan Haines 1 Gethin Robinson
Replacements:16 Steffan Phillips 17 Rhodri Brendan Clancy 18 Ian Jones 19 Lee Taylor 20 Rory Gallagher 21 Gareth George 22 Craig Evans 23 Dylan Wyn Morgans
