NEWPORT aim to end a tumultuous week with victory at their famous Rodney Parade home when they host Llanelli in the Principality Premiership Tier Two play-off semi-finals today.

The Black and Ambers enjoy home advantage (kick-off 2.30pm) after enjoying a strong run of form after the controversial January split.

They won their first five games to secure a spot in the play-offs before letting things slip against today’s opponents and Cross Keys in Newport.

There were perhaps mitigating circumstances with the vote over the future of their historic home, and therefore the futures for the players and staff.

The decision has now been made and head coach Craig Warlow will want to start this new chapter with some silverware.

The management reward James Little for promising displays with a start at lock ahead of captain Adam Brown.

Newport have suffered a blow with Rhys Jenkins, a standout performer this term, out after an injury in training with Reuben Tucker coming in at number eight.

Matt O’Brien will pull the strings from fly-half in a week when Arwel Robson was called up by Wales for the World Rugby U20 Championship.

Llanelli include powerful Scarlets number eight Jack Condy, formerly of Cross Keys, and ex-Newport centre Nathan Edwards.

Cross Keys would love it to be a Gwent derby for the Tier Two trophy and they will have to avenge a heavy defeat at Neath tomorrow (kick-off 2.30pm) if they are to extend their season.

Keys won 48-3 when the sides met in September and 29-10 in the WRU National Cup in February but were dismantled by the Welsh All Blacks in April when they romped to an eight-try 59-14 win on their own turf.

They booked a place in the semi-finals by beating Newport with a bonus point and the management stick with the starting pack from Rodney Parade with Darren Hughes, a hooker by trade, at blindside flanker.

Teenage scrum-half Owain Leonard, an unused replacement for the Dragons in Edinburgh last month, returns while Barney Nightingale moves to the wing with Lewis Barnett at outside centre.

Keys saw three of their Dragons academy prospects – wing Joe Goodchild and hookers Ellis Shipp and Owen Hughes – join Robson in the Wales U20 squad for Georgia.

While Newport and Keys are gunning for Tier Two glory, Bedwas are within 160 minutes of the big prize.

Steve Law’s side have enjoyed a tremendous season that has already seen them secure one piece of silverware with glory in the Foster’s Challenge Cup.

Now they head to Aberavon tomorrow (kick-off 3.30pm) looking to earn a title showdown with either Merthyr or RGC 1404, who clash today at the Wern (kick-off 2.30pm).

Bedwas lost to the Wizards 28-9 last weekend in a shootout for home advantage in the semi-final, while the spoils were shared 17-17 at Bridge Field in November.

Law recalls Mike Callow at inside centre while Richard Powell is back at fly-half after being unavailable last week.

Robson Blake shifts forward to partner Joe Davies in the second row with Andrew Waite moving across to number eight and Nathan Hudd coming in at blindside flanker. Brynley Toms gets the nod at loosehead prop.

The venues for the finals will be decided by a draw once the teams are known.

Newport: G O’Driscoll, J Morris, C Smith, T Pascoe, W Cunliffe, M O’Brien, R James, N Boyce, H Palmer, G Harris, J Little, D Partridge, D Mock, K Tayler, R Tucker. Replacements: E Whitson, M Prosser, T Piper, A Brown, L Greggains, O Davies, T Riley, L Ap Myrddin.

Cross Keys: L Andrews, B Nightingale, L Barnett, P Williams, N Trowbridge, J Prosser, O Leonard, L Smout, R Jones, R Cornock, D Hodge, T Lampard, D Hughes, S Matthews (captain), I Jones. Replacements: A Powell, G Price-Jones, G Carpenter, J Skinner, R Fitzgerald, J McCarthy, J Leadbeater, C Howells.

Bedwas: A Bramwell, P Lewis, R Wardle, M Callow, M John, R Powell, N Griffiths (captain), B Toms, A Rees, M Pettit, R Blake, J Davies, N Hudd, G Lee, A Waite. Replacements: D Preece, N Huish, K Dowding, G Edmunds, R Verley, T Rowlands, J Dixon, A Williams.