AMID all the chopping and changing at Rodney Parade this season, Newport have found a source of comfort in the man wearing the number 12 jersey.

Inside centre Scott Williams will make his 36th appearance of the season in tomorrow’s winner-takes-all British and Irish Cup play-off at Cross Keys.

The 29-year-old is one of a small core that the Black and Ambers have relied on in a chaotic season dominated by a lengthy injury list and Dragons call-ups.

He has been frequently been caught in the middle – four different players have started at fly-half while 14 (including Williams once) have been handed the number 13 jersey.

It has meant that head coach Sven Cronk has put plenty of responsibility on the shoulders of his outside centre, traditionally a key position in both attack and defence. It is a role that Williams has relished.

He said: “It has been hard having a different 10 and a different 13 virtually every week but I just like playing – the more you play the better you get.

“When you have a core of players you don’t need to think as much and everybody knows their role. There has had to be more talking this season, especially in defence.

“You just have to adapt to it and it has been a situation that has been out of the coaches’ hands.

“I think Sven relies on me a bit as a senior player and I like helping to bring through the younger players like Adam Hughes and Pat Leach last season and Jason Tovey a few years ago.”

Newport have a strong Gwent derby record this season with five wins and a draw from their clashes with rivals from the Dragons region.

And seasoned campaigner Williams, who has also donned the red, black and white of Pontypool, knows exactly what to expect.

“It’s always a big game and it is always physical against Cross Keys,” said Williams, who is in talks with Newport about a deal for next season.

“It has been a disappointing year for us and as a club we should not be in this situation.

“We should have been in the British and Irish Cup automatically with the wins we had (14, the fifth most in the league) but we let ourselves down with bonus points (eight, only Carmarthen Quins earned fewer).

“The BIC is big for everyone at the club, it’s a step up and is good for the youngsters but also the senior players. Tomorrow gives us the chance to prove we deserve to be in the tournament and we have one last push.”

Newport’s problems have not abated for their final clash, with Hugo Ellis and Matthew J Watkins missing out after going off in Saturday’s convincing win against Tonmawr. Hopes of Pat Leach returning to bolster their line-up were ended by an ankle injury.