NEWPORT are planning a grandstand finish to the season, starting with crisis club Swansea at Rodney Parade today.

Coach Leigh Jones has set the dual target of a Principality Cup and Welsh League double as the season ends its final stages.

There is one more break of three weeks in the domestic programme after today's league game.

Newport have 11 league games left, 10 of them after Wales complete their Six Nations campaign against Ireland and France, though the postponed league match at Caerphilly could be fitted in during that period.

Newport are still in the Principality Cup, with an all-Gwent quarter-final tie against Ebbw Vale at Eugene Cross Park on April 5, and they are lying third in the Welsh League Premier Division.

"The cup and league title are both obtainable goals. The league would give us a place in Europe if it's nine clubs next season," said Jones.

He admitted the 'super league' crown, taking in bonus points for reaching the later stages of the Heineken Cup and Celtic League, is beyond them.

But he says the squad is focused on the double target. "We've talked about the 11 games left, and it's still frustrating and amazing we threw away the Neath game," said Jones.

"We need resolution and we want to sustain a level of performance and consistency."

Jones will also draw on Newport's experience last season when they were trounced 52-13 by Swansea at St Helen's.

"That was a big defeat and it has left a bitter taste in the players' minds," he said.

"It's an important period now and we need a result to get back on track.

"I'll be using last season's result as a motivating tool. There are some scores to settle and it'll be a good test.

"Swansea are known for their attractive brand of rugby, and I hope we can pick up where we left off even if the Neath game didn't go our way."

It is still difficult to concentrate purely on the rugby in view of the ongoing turmoil in Welsh rugby, Swansea themselves badly affected this week.

The directors put the club into temporary administration, the consequence of which was to slash players' wages for the rest of this season.

"It is affecting everyone in Welsh rugby and it's bound to creep into the players' minds, as it does mine," said Jones.

"Very soon a decision has got to be made so everyone knows where they are - coaches, players and administrators."

The reaction on the Swansea team remains to be seen, but if they pull off a victory when some wages have been cut by two thirds there will be a moral somewhere.

"I've experienced a similar situation to Swansea at Ebbw Vale, and it pulled the group tighter, hardened the resolve and we came out fighting. I'm sure Swansea will do the same," said Jones.

Victory for Newport is vital today for a whole variety of reasons.