Newport up for the cup (From South Wales Argus)

Newport up for the cup

11:30am Saturday 2nd February 2013 in Latest Rugby By Iwan Davies

NEWPORT head into tomorrow’s Swalec Cup clash with Bonymaen as favourites to halt their seven-match winless streak stretching back two-and-a-half months.

Andrew Coombs’ big brother Ross will start at number eight for the Black and Ambers, his younger sibling, a former Newport captain, making his Wales debut against Ireland today.

A quirky statistic sees the hosts’ 23-man squad containing no less than five players who have played at hooker for Newport in Ryan Prosser, Gethin Robinson, Craig Attwell, Dale Rogers and Andrew Brown.

The last time the home side won was in mid November when they beat Neath 19-9 at The Gnoll in the Premiership.

Since then they have lost four and drawn three of their next seven games.

And this is the third time the Black and Ambers, cup winners in 1977 and 2001, and Championship Swansea club Bonymaen have met in the cup, Newport winning both of those encounters convincingly.

They beat them 41-3 in the 2001/02 season before recording a 55-7 triumph in the 2006/07 campaign – both wins away from home.

Recent postponements because of snow and heavy rain mean Newport haven’t played since January 12 when they and Cross Keys drew 27-27 in the British & Irish Cup.

Newport: G O’Driscoll, O Broad, D Robinson, A Davies, E Frewen, T Hancock, J Leadbeater, J Jeune, R Prosser, G Robinson (capt), L Randall, R Jones, B Lampitt, C Attwell, R Coombs. Replacements: D Rogers, D Pattison, C Everett, A Brown, A Awcock, S Sneddon, A Quick, T Ryan.