Blackwood emerged with great credit at Rodney Parade, going down 41–20 to Newport. They harassed Newport from the off and rarely let them settle in the first half forcing a series of errors and they deservedly went in at HT on level terms at 11-11 against a sluggish Newport side. The Division One East side have lost just one game this season and took the lead after just 2 mins after impressive No 10 Chris Wannell forced Poole to concede a line-out 5yds out with an accurate corner kick. Hooker Stuart Vokes and Short were inches short before hard working No 7 Rusby-Davies got over. Fly-half Chris Wannell had an excellent first half behind a wholehearted pack often pinning Newport back with his accurate kicking. Luckily perhaps for Newport he had to leave the field at HT with a dead leg having only passed a late fitness test on his right kicking leg. The Blackwood pack continually disrupted Newport and prevented them from really getting into the game in the 1st half. Lock Gareth Short was always there or thereabouts and back row Gareth Rusby-Davies worked tirelessly and deserved his two tries. Newport coaches won’t be happy with their display as they adopted the wrong tactics in the first half and added to some woeful handling and tackling and wrong decision-making. On the plus side once again was wing Mike Poole who was always a threat with ball in hand and consistently got over the gain-line to continually worry Blackwood. These days there is a buzz from the crowd whenever he gets the ball and he was unlucky not to get on the score sheet.

Wannell added a penalty on 7 mins to make it 0-8 and the visitors nearly got a second try shortly afterwards with scrum-half Mark Birkby failing to hang on to a pass 20yds out after Newport flanker Craig Hill had spilled a high ball. Dan Griffiths reduced the lead to 3-8 with a 14th min penalty but it was the visitors who then went agonisingly close for a third time from the kick-off when Matt McLean, who had a somewhat uncomfortable afternoon, messed up when he tried to gather the ball yards from his own line but both Perry and Knight were unable to pick up the loose ball. On 23 mins McLean made amends when he crossed for Newport’s first try after one of the home side’s few good three-quarter moves. Inside centre Scott Williams sent Poole on the rampage through midfield with a neat short pass and he slipped the ball to centre Tom Riley, who put McLean over. Newport then got more into the game but the only further scores were penalties from Griffiths on 29 mins and Wannell on 34 mins.

Newport did come out with more intent in the 2nd half and wing Nathan Williams and blind-side Richard Dale went close but they had to be content with a further Griffiths penalty on 44 mins following a Blackwood yellow card which was immediately cancelled out by a Gareth Price kick one later. The came the turning point as and referee Mike Bethell sent prop Ian Jones and flanker Adam Coupe to the bin on 43 and 50 mins for killing the ball. Bethell had to operate without touch judges and this meant Newport’s Steve ‘Snickers’ Jones was given the flag and in a blazer and cravat he looked every bit an upper crust gent! In fact he soon had to run behind the posts after Blackwood conceded a penalty try after breaking off and kicking the ball out of a scrum that was advancing to their line. Griffiths converted and then replacement lock Matthew Amos went over for his first ever Newport try on 62 mins after another incisive charge by Poole. Replacement scrum-half Tom Isaacs added another with a magnificent effort from 45 yds, beating tired tacklers and showing a fine turn of speed. Blackwood continued to compete and got their reward when Newport, down to 13 men with flanker Tom Organ (73 mins) and prop Alex Murphy (75 mins) in the bin, could not stop Rusby-Davies, who had returned to the field, burrowing over from the base of a 5 metre scrum. Newport had the last word when Hill on 81 mins was first to his chip over the defence to touch down in the far corner for Griffiths to convert and finally finish off brave Blackwood.