NEWPORT will attempt to get back to winning ways on Sunday when Bargoed visit Rodney Parade (kick-off 2.30pm).

The Black and Ambers, according to head coach Craig Warlow, were “thin on the ground” at Merthyr last Saturday but should have more players available for selection this time around.

Their 43-33 loss to the Ironmen left Warlow’s men sitting fifth in the Principality Premiership’s eastern conference, four points above basement boys Bargoed.

Newport had beaten Pontypridd and Ebbw Vale prior to that Merthyr reverse, and 33 points against the reigning champions shows the threat they possess going forward.

Bargoed have lost their last three but did beat Cross Keys at Pandy Park at the start of the month and were unlucky to go down to Ebbw on the opening day of the season.

And Warlow is expecting nothing less than a stern test this weekend.

“It’s still early in the season and you can climb three or four places with a win so the table doesn’t mean much at the moment,” he said.

“Bargoed are a decent team who play good rugby and can be very dangerous at set plays.

“They will be strong at scrum time and like to play with two lines of attack.

“If you can go to Cross Keys and win there then you have got to have something about you.

“And if we don’t get everything right then Bargoed will beat us.”

Reflecting on last weekend’s defeat, Warlow added: “There were a couple of occasions where we had them pinned back 20 or 30 metres behind the gain line, exactly where we wanted to be, but allowed players to wriggle out of contact and that led to tries.

“While you’ve got to be pleased to score three tries and 33 points against Merthyr, you can never be happy about conceding 43 points.”