EBBW Vale have given most of the Principality Premiership a torrid time this season and next week they will give Wales Under-20s a vigorous workout.

The Steelmen will welcome the young guns to Eugene Cross Park on Tuesday for a pre-Six Nations tune-up with the forwards and backs doing some work in units before a 40-minute conditioning game.

The link-up has been established through Ebbw head coach Jason Strange, who has taken up a role with the Welsh Rugby Union as an international skills coach and is part of the Under-20s management team.

Vale will hope that they are welcoming the Wales team to their patch as Premiership leaders with Llandovery their opposition tomorrow afternoon at Church Bank (kick-off 4pm).

They took on the Drovers on the opening day of the season and won a thriller 30-29. They have won their last five games and are fresh from victories against title contenders Cardiff and Carmarthen Quins that pushed Pontypridd into second place, albeit with two games in hand.

At the other end of the table Newport will need to produce a mammoth performance at Rodney Parade if they are to climb off the bottom of the table by upsetting playoff hopefuls Carmarthen Quins this afternoon.

The Black and Ambers lost when the teams met out west at the start of the season with the Quins crossing for five tries in a comprehensive 44-10 win.

Newport enjoyed a morale-boosting Swalec Cup win against Aberavon last weekend but teenager Barney Nightingale is their only fit specialist centre.

Geraint O’Driscoll slots in next to him in midfield with Elliot Frewen providing plenty of counter-attacking ability from full-back.

Cross Keys are in mid-table but haven’t given up hope of making the playoffs and host struggling Aberavon.

Keys will attempt to reproduce the form that saw them thump Llanelli at Parc y Scarlets in the cup to earn an away fixture at RGC 1404.

The management team make seven changes to that team with Jack Condy coming in for influential number eight Adam Powell, who is unavailable, while Rhys Dyer is Ethan Davies’ half-back partner.

Bedwas will attempt to shed their tag as plucky losers when they travel to Llanelli. The Bridge Field side have lost their last three to Cardiff, Ebbw Vale and Neath by under a score.

Elsewhere Bridgend host Cardiff and Ponty travel to Neath.

Newport (v Carmarthen Q): E Frewen, O Broad, G O’Driscoll, B Nightingale, J Morris, J Mogg, O Davies, J Greenfield, R Buckley, A Jeffries, Adam Brown, A Frampton, R Jenkins, O Griffiths (captain), S Cross. Replacements: Andrew Brown, D Pattison, J Monck, D Partridge, S Feehan, R Gibbon, J Lewis, C Rees.

Cross Keys (v Aberavon): J Cordy-Redden, E Jones, L Andrews (captain), P Williams, N Trowbridge, E Davies, R Dyer, R Cornock, J Howard, C Gould, D Hodge, S Williams, R Tucker, S Matthews, J Condy. Replacements: D Hughes, L Garrett, A Lott, J Skinner, P Uhi, R James, J Leadbeater, T Lampard.