NEWPORT'S rugby squad are off to North Wales on a pre-season summer camp on Sunday.

They will be based at Wrexham until next Wednesday, returning for their second friendly, a tough one at Gloucester a week Friday.

Gloucester finished third in the Zurich Premiership last season and are currently preparing in South Africa, facing Natal Sharks on Saturday.

"The training camp will be the first opportunity for the squad to get together because of Wales commitments, Wales sevens and overseas commitments," said Newport coach Leigh Jones.

"It'll be the first time we've had the chance of pulling together as a squad and we hope to get a lot done."

Key scrum half Ofisa Tonu'u tests his knee for the first time tomorrow after resting for a fortnight when it swelled up again following an operation near the end of last season. He trained the backs this week in the enforced absence of backs coach Richard Hill, on a holiday arranged before he joined Newport.

Shane Howarth says he has been impressed with Hill during club training sessions this summer.

And there is brighter news of some of Newport's casualties as Jones says he is now optimistic both Jason Jones-Hughes and Hal Luscombe will be fit for the start of the new season.

Injury-plagued Welsh international Jones-Hughes needed a complete knee repair which kept him out for almost the whole of last season.