Benjamin wants seat at European rugby's top table

Two ninth-placed finishes sandwiched a disappointing 2012-13 campaign when the Welsh region finished 11th in the league.

But with the dawning of a new era under recently appointed captain Lee Byrne, Benjamin says his team are only looking upwards and are eyeing a return to Europe's top table in the near future.

"We've got huge ambitions this year," said the 20-year-old, currently recovering from a shoulder injury.

"Pre-season has gone well. We are four or five weeks ahead of where we were last year.

"We're going for a European Rugby Champions Cup spot, that's where we want to be. It's our main goal and it would be huge for the club to be involved."

Newport kick their season off against Connacht next month, before welcoming Ospreys, Glasgow Warriors and Benetton Treviso to Rodney Parade before the end of September.

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