NEWPORT Wasps fans will discover on Saturday which riders will help defend the British Premier League Knockout Cup in 2012.

Newport's management has acted fast to secure signatures less than a month since the end of the 2011 campaign.

The team announcement will be made on Saturday in the Wasps Nest bar at Queensway Meadows Stadium, where club officials have planned an afternoon and evening of events.

They are determined to make the new-look team Wasps strong enough to successfully defend the Premier League Knock Out Cup as well as being a serious contender to land a first league title win.

“I am fully aware that many of our supporters would, like us, have wanted to have kept our cup winning side together," remarked co-promoter Nick Mallett.

“However they will have now realised averages for riders determine what we can and can not do.

“All I will say is that there are changes to our line-up, but the cosmopolitan side we have assembled is solid right through from one to seven.

“We are convinced our new-look outfit it will be up there challenging for honours."

The Wasps defeated eventual league champions Glasgow to land the PL Knockout Cup, their first piece of team silverware since their 1999 Premier Trophy success over Edinburgh.

A tremendous run of form from early June saw climb off the bottom of the 14-strong PL table to finish the 2011 campaign in fifth position.

They ended the season with skipper Leigh Lanham, Dane Charlie Gjedde, rider replacement for shoulder-injury victim Jason Doyle, Swedish duo Robin Aspegren and Anders Mellgren plus Aussie pair Mark Jones and Todd Kurtz.

Lanham and Gjedde have previously said that they wish to return to Newport and it’s understood there will be two new arrivals.

* The bar will be open from 1.00pm and the Wales v Australia rugby Test will be shown on the big screen.