After all three Gwent sides in Super Rygbi Cymru saw their games called off last week due to the devastation caused by Storm Bert, this weekend marks a welcome return for our semi-professional sides.
Currently, Gwent makes up three of the top four positions in the Super Rygbi Cymru table with Pontypool fourth behind Ebbw Vale and Newport RFC with all three chasing league leaders Cardiff.
A number of Dragons RFC players are set to get vital minutes this weekend, including Cai Evans and Barny Langton-Cryer plus Academy player Oli Andrew for Newport RFC.
Additionally, Joe Peard and Nathan Evans who shone for Dragons A recently are on the bench as the Black and Ambers host Carmarthen Quins at 2:30pm on Saturday.
The game at Newport Stadium starts at the same time as Ebbw Vale face Swansea in St Helens where Academy player Harry Rees-Weldon who scored a pair of braces in the Dragons A games will start.
Evan Lloyd starts at 10 for the Steelmen, fresh after being part of the coaching team for Coleg Gwent who beat Newport High School in the WRU WSC Conference B Promotion Game on Thursday night.
Ebbw have won each of their last five games, including a 39-11 away win at Carmarthen Quins last time out and will be hoping to get the win against a Swansea side who are yet to win in the league this season.
Meanwhile, Pontypool travel to the Cardiff Arms Park in the first of two Cardiff v Gwent derbies on Saturday with Dragons RFC playing later in the evening.
Pooler will have Dragons RFC hooker Oli Burrows in their ranks as they look to back up consecutive wins against Newport and Swansea before the international break.
Academy player Owain James joins Burrows in the front row with Wales U20’s fly-half Harri Ford starting at 10, with places on the bench for flanker Ryan Jones and wing Walker Price, keep an eye out too for Joel Mahoney who shone for Dragons A in the centres.
Kick off at Cardiff Arms Park for that one is at the slightly earlier time of 2pm, see you there!
Ebbw Vale: Matt Jones; Harry Rees-Weldon, Cameron Davies, Dom Franchi (capt.), Ewan Bowden; Evan Lloyd, Rory Harries; Luke Garrett, Ieuan Morris, Adam Court, Dylan Bartlett, Jack Pope, Cameron Regan, Ben Main, Ryan Jenkins.
Replacements: TBC
Newport RFC: Cai Evans; Oli Andrew, Jon Morris, Chay Foster-Smith, Liam Lloyd; Carwyn Penny, Dafydd Buckland; Tom Workman, Henry Palmer, Garin Harris, Josh Skinner, Barny Langton-Cryer, Rhys Jenkins, Kyle Tayler, Ben Roach (capt.).
Replacements: Wade Langley, Nathan Evans, Ollie Drake, Joe Peard, Scott Davies, Luke Crane, Barney Nightingale, Tom Hughes.
Pontypool RFC: Pat Lewis; Matthew Powell, Joel Mahoney, Kieran Meek, Marcus Jones; Harri Ford, Owain Leonard; Sam Cochrane, Oli Burrows, Owain James, Jon Verrier, Dan Hill, Scott Matthews, Mike Herbert (capt.), Morgan Allen.
Replacements: Connor Chapman, Kyan Best, Harry Drane, Lewis Robey, Callum Davies, Ryan Jones, Amosa Nove, Walker Price.
