Newport RFC v Carmarthen Quins RFC by John Evans, 3rd October 2026
Newport RFC entered this round of games sitting at the top of the Super Rygbi Cymru tree following RGC pushing Ebbw Vale all the way last weekend, ensuring that our friends from the top of the valley couldn’t gain the additional bonus point on offer. It’s a heady position to be in but brings its own challenges as you’re now the team everyone wants to topple. On this occasion, it was a Scarlets Academy-laden Quins that came to take the Challenger Shield home on the bus with them.
Josh Skinner and Ben Roach returned to the starting XV, but the influential Carwyn Penny was absent at fullback. Sam Morgan was given the nod at 15, but a beefy centre pairing of Joe Westwood and Ollie Woodman looked threatening. Garin Harris made his first start of the season in the front-row, while Kobi Rees was back following his cameo appearance for Cardiff RFC against Pontypool last weekend.
A bright afternoon followed a lunchtime rain shower at Newport Stadium, the wind playing little part in the proceedings. Will Ford kicked off with Newport attacking the Cricket Club end. Quins set up the ruck before kicking long, but Sam Morgan was only able to deflect the ball into touch. Quins fluffed the lineout, knocking on before a huge scrum surge let the Quins pack know that the Newport front five meant business. With a penalty coming, Newport tried to play but couldn’t gain an advantage. Will Ford kicked to 30-metres out. Quick ball from the rucks gave Newport momentum, Josh Skinner looking especially effective, but a pass out to Ethan Phillips was unsympathetic and that particular chance went begging. Luckily, the Black & Amber pack had quickly found the measure of their opposite numbers and heaved them off their own ball. Lucas Welsh sniped, but Lewys Millin, the Quins 8 and captain, was lying across the ruck. Will Ford kicked Newport right to the corner; Ethan Phillips claimed the throw, set up the rolling maul, Henry Palmer, ball clamped to his chest broke left before barrelling over a tackler to dot down. Will Ford added the conversion to make it Newport 7 Quins 0 with 5 minutes played. The hooker got his name on the scoreboard, but that try belonged to Tom Devine and Garin Harris as much as Henry Palmer.
Henry Palmer was lively soon after, seizing loose ball on the deck following a Quins attack which had shown little threat. Newport set off, gaining ground, before a boomed pass was picked off by Quins wing Callum Woolley. Newport were playing with a penalty advantage, though, so Will Ford kicked to the corner again. The lineout was completed and the rolling maul nudged forward, but Quins number 4, Sam Williams, was singled out for dragging the maul down. The lineout reset, but this time the rolling maul was irresistible, backs supplementing forwards, a heaving mass of Black & Amber flopping over the tryline. As the mass broke up it was Henry Palmer receiving the plaudits from his teammates. Will Ford added the conversion to make it Newport 14 Quins 0 with 11 minutes played.
Quins had to wait until the twelfth minute before they entered the Newport 22, with a penalty to the corner. Their execution was poor, however, and Hunter Ward could carry the ball away.
Newport were back bothering the scoreboard again on 16 minutes following some outstanding handling by backs and forwards alike. The speed and fluency of the attack allowed Sam Morgan to puncture the defensive line before Newport switched play to the left. A penalty advantage was coming as centre Gabe McDonald flopped over the ball before Newport thrust home their attack. Garin Harris linked well, but Will Ford spotted Fin Baker at full tilt on the wing, and he glided in for Newport’s third try. Will Ford added the two-pointer to make it Newport 21 Quins 0 with 18 minutes played. Unfortunately, Fin Baker was injured while scoring and was replaced by Brogan Leary.
Newport switched to defensive mode as Quins got themselves organised, but they were soon broken down before Will Ford punished them further with a well-taken 50:22 kick. Sadly, Newport couldn’t capitalise on that, knocking on at the line out.
Brogan Leary continued his exhilarating run of form with a super linking run across field to find more support. Chay Foster-Smith, selected to start on the wing, added his muscle to the attack before the ball worked its way back to centre-field. With another penalty coming, Newport went for the jugular. Will Ford punted to the corner, Ethan Phillips claimed the lineout ball and, in a neatly worked set piece, the ball swung left for Hunter Ward to cross, running along the narrow channel. There was no conversion, but that was Newport’s try-scoring bonus point claimed inside 24 minutes. Newport 26 Quins 0.
Newport seemed restless and Brogan Leary clearly had an appetite for work; he managed to find Sam Morgan striding along the touchline, but the ball ended up at the bottom of a pile of bodies as Lucas Welsh was unable to dig the ball out quickly enough for the referee, Mr Rhys Jones’, liking. However, another massive shove by the pack soon regained possession. Josh Skinner crashed through before Garin Harris got hold of the ball to score, only for Mr Jones to signal no-try, and there had been crossing in the build-up.
Quins were undeniably sloppy. A 39th minute penalty kick for position was kicked out on the full. The dominant Newport scrum earned a penalty which Lucas Welsh took quickly. Hunter Ward foraged for the ball; Josh Skinner linked before Chay Foster-Smith weighed in with a bustling run to make ground. Lucas Welsh was in position to pop the ball up to Kobi Rees to barge over and score. Will Ford added the two points to make it Newport 33 Quins 0 with 40+2 minutes played.
Newport weren’t finished with the first half yet. They were able to carve Quins open at will, Chay Foster-Smith and Joe Westwood combining to send Kobi Rees away on the wing. He had Will Ford and Lucas Welsh running in support. Will Ford caught the pass infield, gave a cheeky swivel of the hips and rounded the last defender to score near the posts. Will Ford converted his own try to make it Newport 40 Quins 0 with 40+4 minutes played.
Newport had been outstanding, in spells. Some of the handling had been little short of magical. But poor Quins had no answer to it. Bullied in the scrums and picked apart in the backs. Our visitors needed to reorganise, and quickly.
Half Time: Newport RFC 40 Carmarthen Quins RFC 0
Reorganise they had. Ifan Davies, the Quins 10, kicked off and it was the visitors quickly on the scoreboard with a try by flanker Joe Denman. Blindside flanker Scott Davies had a rumble along the wing but was hauled down metres short. Scrumhalf Alfie Luger was on hand to pop the ball up to Denman to cross. Carwyn Leggett-Jones added the conversion to make it Newport 40 Quins 7 with 43 minutes played.
Wade Langley was a replacement for Henry Palmer while Josh Skinner made way for Nick Thomas.
The hooker was soon in the thick of things with Newport’s seventh try of the game; Quins found themselves offside, centre-field. Will Ford punted a splendid kick to the corner. With the lineout completed, the rolling maul nudged ahead, and Wade Langley scored the touchdown. Newport 45 Quins 7.
Newport made more changes of personnel on 50 minutes. Monty Jones replaced Lucas Welsh, while props Tom Devine and Garin Harris were relieved of duty, Ollie Drake and Sam Bixby replacing them.
Quins hadn’t quite got the full message when they were found to have made a forward pass; needless chopsing soon saw Mr Jones upgrade that to a full penalty. Newport kicked to the 22 but couldn’t build any further.
Carwyn Leggett-Jones was on the ball for Quins, though. Newport conceded a penalty for not releasing the tackled player. The defence was up flat and a neat chip ahead saw Leggett-Jones win the race to the ball and touchdown. He converted his own score to make it Newport 45 Quins 12 on 59 minutes.
Hunter Ward was replaced by Josh Reid on 62 minutes, just before Newport claimed their final try of the afternoon through Sam Morgan. From a lineout, Newport searched for an opening, Ollie Woodman proved effective, but Sam Morgan wriggled through a tackle to score under the posts. Will Ford’s conversion looked simple, so the score now was Newport 52 Quins 12.
Dafydd Buckland replaced Ollie Woodman on 65 minutes, playing on the wing, Chay Foster-Smith moving to his usual centre berth.
Nick Thomas was shown a yellow card on 67 minutes for preventing release of the ball at a ruck. Quins opted to scrum. A decent shove and interplay between back-rowers Millin and Denman, before a long pass unpicked the Newport defence, making room for winger Ifan Davies to cross out wide. The score now was Newport 52 Quins 17 with 69 minutes on the clock.
Leggett-Jones was making a difference to his side. A kick through was met by Aron Hemmings who punted the ball further. Daffyd Buckland swept across to seize the ball but was found to have knocked on in doing so, With Newport a forward short, and Ben Roach deputising in the second row, Quins were right to opt to scrum again. A mighty effort by the Black & Ambers seven held Quins out. The visitors went for phases but were met by ferocious defence, prompting Quins to become impatient and fling the ball out. But, with another penalty coming, Quins chose to reset the scrum. The Black & Amber pack creaked under the squeeze and Luca Giannini crossed, despite the best efforts of Kobi Rees. The conversion was successful, so the score now was Newport 52 Quins 24, and our visitors had secured their try-scoring bonus point.
Nick Thomas took his place back on the field and Newport sought to spark another attack, Daffyd Buckland coming off his wing, Joe Westwood and Brogan Leary working hard, but it came to nought.
Quins fullback Iori Badham came very close to narrowing the gap further as he carved through the Newport defence, but Sam Morgan’s effective tackle saw Badham spill the ball in the act of scoring.
As the game drew to a close, it was disappointing to see Ben Roach yellow carded for a needless challenge on the Quins scrumhalf at a ruck. Mr Jones took a second to process what he had seen but brandished the card almost as the last action of the game.
Quins had improved markedly in the second half, outscoring Newport by 24-12, but it was the Black & Ambers that finished the weekend at the top of the table.
Full Time: Newport RFC 52 Carmarthen Quins RFC 24
Newport are on their travels next weekend when we go north to face RGC at their Parc Eirias ground on Saturday October 10th, Kick-off is at 2.30pm. Our next home game is on Saturday October 17th when the Drovers of Llandovery RFC visit us.
The Friends of Newport Rugby are eager to run a bus for supporters to the return fixture at Carmarthen Park on Friday October 30th. It’s priced at £20 a seat which must be paid up front and is non-refundable, unless in the event of cancellation. Please get in touch with FoNR via Socials to book.
Newport RFC host their Hall of Fame Awards on Friday November 6th, in the Bisley Suite at Rodney Parade. Tickets are £45 which includes a carvery dinner. Please email Kevin Jarvis on commercial@newportrfc.co.uk
Onwards and upwards Newport.
Your City. Your Colours. Your Club
#cotp
Final Score – Newport RFC 52 Carmarthen Quins RFC 24
Vittorio’s Seren y Gem – Henry Palmer