Ollie Smith admitted London Welsh’s defeat against an inexperienced Saracens side in the LV= Cup last Sunday had been “embarrassing”, writes Simon Williams.

And the Exiles assistant coach said they are determined to put things right at Newport Gwent Dragons tomorrow.

Smith said: “With all due respect to Saracens, if you look at the teamsheet, one would have thought this was our best chance of getting that much-needed first victory.

“We had a very good opportunity and we didn’t take it. “It was embarrassing. As a coach, I was very disappointed.”

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He added the defeat had not been through a lack of effort, but blamed handling errors, not being clinical enough and conceding a lot of possession.

Smith said Welsh were not pushing the panic button and the post-match huddle following the defeat against Saracens had been calm and quiet.

“We have lost enough games now to understand the good bits and bad bits,” he said.

Smith added Welsh were optimistic of bouncing back against Newport.

“Over the recent weeks and months, our performances have been improving. On Sunday, it was a step back,” he said.

“We will go down to Newport and try to put in a performance.”

The game at Rodney Parade sees Welsh face the club’s former head coach Lyn Jones, who left the Exiles to join Newport in June 2013 as director of rugby.

Jones spent two seasons at Welsh, being promoted to the Premiership as Championship winners his first year and then being relegated in his second term.

Will Robinson returns at full back for Exiles with Elliot Kear moving to right wing. Seb Jewell and Nic Reynolds are back from injury to play in the centre, while Piri Weepu starts at scrum half.

Nathan Morris is named at hooker, with Peter Browne and Richard Thorpe on the flanks.

On the bench is Rob Elloway, who has joined the club on loan from Cornish Pirates for the rest of the season.

Newport centre Pat Leach will make his first appearance of the season. The influential centre has been out of action since suffering a knee injury.

TOMORROW’S TEAMS

Newport Gwent Dragons: Prydie, Pewtner, Leach, Smith, Hewitt, O’Brien, Jones, Price, Rhys Thomas, Harris, Coombs, Landman (capt), Evans, Benjamin, Crosswell. Reps: Buckley, Stankovich, Way, Gough, Matthews, Rees, Tovey, Dixon.

London Welsh: Robinson, Kear, Reynolds, Jewell (capt), Scott, Roberts, Weepu, Trevett, Nathan Morris, Vea, West, Down, P Browne, Fonua. Reps: Elloway, Aholelei, Gilding, Corker, Liston, Davies, Barkley, Tincknell.

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