FORMER captain Adam Brown will start Newport’s rearranged Premiership clash with Swansea tonight on the bench following his return to the Gwent club.

Brown, the ex-Dragons and London Welsh second row, quit rugby at the end of the 2016/17 campaign to become a physiotherapist with Newport County AFC.

The 32-year-old has re-joined the Black and Ambers to provide cover until the end of the season.

He is set to get some game time this evening when Newport lock horns with the All Whites at Rodney Parade (kick-off 7.30pm).

The match had been scheduled for January 19 but was postponed because of a case of mumps in the home side’s squad.

Brown is joined on the bench by Dragons scrum-half Dan Babos and Harry Oliver from Caerphilly.

Head coach Ty Morris makes just two changes from the 20-3 defeat of Gwent rivals Ebbw Vale last Friday.

Kyle Tayler replaces Josh Reid at openside and Geraint Watkin comes in for Luke Crane to fill the number nine jersey.

Brown’s return, and that of fellow forward Rhodri Jones, who does not feature tonight, comes with Newport nursing a sizeable injury list.

Back rowers Josh Skinner (broken foot) and Garin Price (dislocated shoulder) and second rows Dan Partridge (shoulder) and Elliott Ferriman (ruptured ACL) are all on the comeback trail.

In the backs, scrum-half Josh Guy (wrist), centre Jack Wright (hamstring) and full-back Dai Richards (hamstring) are out.

Newport sit eighth in the Premiership, two places and four points above tonight’s visitors.

Newport: G O’Driscoll, H Lang, J Morris, T Pascoe, E Frewen, M O’Brien, G Watkin, L Smout, M Dwyer, L Jones, A Mann, J Bartlett, M Burgess, K Tayler, R Jenkins (capt). Reps: H Palmer, D Preece, G Harris, A Brown, H Oliver, D Babos, H Simons, R Gardner.

Swansea: P Jones, R Griffiths, C Carson, J Evans, B Cambriani, J Davies, M Aubrey, T Sloane, S Howard, G Cunniffe, S O’Rourke, M Dodd, J Williams, C Davies, J Fox (capt). Reps: M Moore, R Davies, J Pritchard, B Asprea, D Eager, C Morgans, S Williams, G Rees.