CROSS Keys head coach Greg Woods knows a flying start is vital to his side's hopes of making the knockout stages of the British and Irish Cup.

Keys host Doncaster at Pandy Park this afternoon in their Pool Four opener while Cornish Pirates welcome Bedford to the Mennaye Field tomorrow.

The quartet will all fancy their chances of making the quarter-finals and Keys can ill afford to slip up on their own patch.

They have previously beaten Moseley, the Pirates, Connacht A and Ealing at Pandy Park in the tournament and would love to add the Knights to the list.

"We have got to get off to a flying start," said Woods. "All four sides in the group will think they have a great chance of qualifying for the quarters so home games are so important.

"Doncaster have adapted to life in the Championship very well (after winning promotion from National One) and they will have a big pack and be strong at the set piece.

"They are professionals and have plenty of power and a step up in intensity from the Premiership but I expect us to match them there with our own Keys boys taking the lead alongside some Dragons players."

Hooker Rhys Buckley is among the regional contingent and lines up against his old side in between props Phil Price and David Young in the front row.

Newport skipper Ollie Griffiths starts at openside flanker in the absence of the unavailable Scott Matthews.

Doncaster, whose tighthead prop Ross Davies hails from Trinant, have made a good start to the season with wins against Plymouth and Jersey as well a notable success against Yorkshire Carnegie in the first derby since Leeds took the county's name.

Director of rugby Clive Griffiths, the former Dragons and Wales coach, expects a stern challenge at Pandy Park.

He said: "We know Cross Keys will be a very tough trip; they like this competition and will be very strong on their own patch.

"But if we can get something down there with two home games on the back of that, who knows?

"We'll see how the opening three rounds go before the long away trips to Bedford and Penzance finishing with Cross Keys at home just before Christmas.

"It will be tough, but it's a competition that I believe we are good enough to qualify in and then reassess in the New Year."

Cross Keys: G R Jones, A Hewitt, L Andrews (captain), B Nightingale, P Uhi, D Jones, L Jones, P Price, R Buckley, D Young, D Hodge, S Andrews, J Skinner, O Griffiths, A Powell. Replacements: D Hughes, L Garrett, A Jeffries, S Williams, R Tucker, J Cordy-Redden, J Leadbeater.