From the match programme:-

"Our Visitors . . ."

"Last season Newport were not quite able to repeat their 1956 performance in the Welsh Championship and they finished third only a few points below Cardiff. Nevertheless, they had a very fine season and won thirty three of the forty three games they played."

"Today the side is captained by L. H. Jenkins who takes over from Malcolm Thomas. The evergreen Ken Jones is again on the right wing and Roy Burnett on the left. In his last match against the Harlequins at Twickenham it may be remembered that the latter partnered D. O. Brace at half back."

"In 1954, when this match was last played here, the Harlequins were without seven of their regular players. They are not quite so depleted today, but it is unfortunate that both their captain Ricky Bartlett and his usual partner at scrum half, K. D. Jones cannot play. It had been hoped that M. Phillips, the Oxford centre, would be alongside W. P. C. Davies, his fellow centre in the Probables side, that Dick Leonard would be playing on the wing and R. W. D. Marques again would be with Currie in the second row. None of these, however, is available. Nevertheless the XV playing today should provide worthy opposition to even such formidable opponents as Newport."