CROSS Keys coach Greg Woods wants his side to hit the ground running at Llanelli on Saturday as they prepare for what feels like the start of a new season, writes Chris Kirwan.

The men from Pandy Park have not played in the Principality Premiership since the big December 5 meeting with Llandovery which they won to earn top spot at Christmas.

Their enforced break means that they have slipped to fourth in the table and even planned Foster's Challenge Cup, a development competition, have fallen victim to the weather to leave them at the risk of being rusty as they head west.

Woods said: "It's like starting all over again for us, it's like a brand new season. Our last competitive game was on December 5 and since then we have had a lot of team runs and selections without anything at the end of it.

"We start afresh and everyone has to have a new chance. I've got to look boys in the eye when doing selection but what can they do in disrupted training?

"The only fair way is to give everybody a chance over the next few weeks and hopefully we will start this block better than we did the actual start of the season."

Keys lost their opening two games of the campaign to Llandovery and Cardiff but have gone unbeaten in the Premiership since then.

Woods wants his seasoned campaigners to lead the way at Parc y Scarlets against a Llanelli side who have played six games, all of them away, since December 5.

"We are seriously undercooked but I hope our experienced players will come to the fore. We have done well there of late but Llanelli have won their last four and have managed to keep playing in the league, Challenge Cup and Swalec Cup," he said.

"They beat Cardiff away in their last Premiership game and are on a bit of a high but we are on a hell of a run and have to find our groove very quickly.

"We have to make sure we are bang on the money because it's getting tight at the top and we are a bit behind in terms of games played."

The enforced break has led to Keys' fly-half problems easing with the return of Josh Prosser from injury but international duty means they are without tighthead Leon Brown (under-20s) plus full-back/fly-half Ethan Davies and wing Lloyd Lewis (sevens).

Keys won 58-22 when the sides met in September and have triumphed convincingly on their last two trips west.