EBBW Vale boss Greg Woods has called on his side to prove the doubters wrong again by upsetting Pontypridd on their own patch this evening (kick-off 7.05pm).

The Steelmen head to Sardis Road in high spirits after last weekend's excellent 37-21 win against Llandovery at Eugene Cross Park.

Not only did they inflict a first loss of the season on a Drovers side that finished fourth last season but they earned a bonus point thanks to Paul King's late score that added to tries by Ethan Phillips, Dafydd Thomas and Ewan Rosser.

"I was really chuffed with the boys, especially those that are new to the Premiership," said head coach Woods.

"Lot of people had written us off but the manner of the win was pleasing – we defended strongly and converted our chances.

"I've put the pressure on the boys by saying that if we have aspirations of being a good Premiership side then we have to win our home games, so to do that and get a bonus point against a team like Llandovery is something to be proud of.

"But now we have got to back it up with a big performance at Pontypridd on the telly and then again next week against Llanelli.

"Last weekend has given us a lot of confidence – to see the boys' faces after the game was fantastic – and now we have to take it to Ponty because it will be a really tough battle.

"Discipline is always key at Sardis Road and we have to get around on a fast track, because we dealt with Llandovery's pack and the front row's work rate around the field was a telling factor."

Ebbw will keep changes to a minimum after the performance against the Drovers, when Ethan Phillips stepped up impressively after fly-half Dai Langdon was a late withdrawal.

The Steelmen have the same Dragons allocation of academy prospects wing Ewan Rosser, tighthead Chris Coleman and lock Max Ayling.

A tough fixture schedule means that Ponty are sat in the strange, and most would suggest false, position of 11th after away defeats to Cardiff and RGC either side of a narrow home win against Carmarthen Quins.

South Wales Argus:

Newport are on the road again tomorrow afternoon when they head to Swansea.

The Black and Ambers had to be content with a consolation bonus from their trip to Aberavon last weekend when the Wizards edged it 16-12.

"I was disappointed and I don't think either side played particularly well," said head coach Ty Morris. "There were lots of errors and we didn't really stick to the game plan.

"We gave away 19 penalties – that's way too many and discipline will be key at Swansea. Hopefully we can use our strength of pace in the back three.

"I'm looking for an 80-minute performance because we got 40 minutes versus Ebbw Vale, 40 minutes before falling off against Carmarthen Quins and then 10 minutes before and after half-time at Aberavon."

The clash at the Talbot Athletic Ground ended a month-long spell without rugby for the Black and Ambers but they now play for the next six weekends.

"I felt that we were a bit rusty at Aberavon but don't want to use that as an excuse," said Morris.

"We have found it difficult so it will be nice to get back to training on Tuesdays and Thursdays with games on the weekend."

Newport are without centre/wing Jonathan Morris (ribs) but hope to have Dragons lock/back row James Sheekey available again after he made his debut against the Wizards.

Dragons prospect Josh Reynolds, a 20-year-old loosehead who came through at Newport High School Old Boys, could make his Black and Ambers bow.

Fixtures: Pontypridd v Ebbw Vale (tonight), Cardiff v Carmarthen Quins, Llandovery v Bridgend, Llanelli v RGC, Merthyr v Aberavon, Swansea v Newport