NEWPORT clung on to their two-year ground record and made sure of finishing second in the Welsh Premier Division with this victory in Rod Snow's farewell game in their colours at Rodney Parade on Saturday.

It was a terrific match in wet and slippery conditions, full of tension and atmosphere, with just enough niggle to add to that, and including some superb running and handling as well as inevitable mistakes.

It might have gone the All Whites' way for they dominated the first quarter to lead 13-0 against a Newport side slow to settle and hindered by Wales under-21 scrum-half James Ireland having to fill in as fourth-choice fly- half.

He was clearly uncomfortable early on, and it was his charged-down kick that led to Swansea's first try by flanker Ben Lewis after two Luke Richards penalties.

But he and Newport improved as the game progressed, and it was fitting he scored and converted the final, clinching injury-time try, albeit after the suggestion of an earlier knock-on.

In that opening quarter outside-half Richards bossed the game for Swansea with his astute kicking as Newport's handling game foundered.

But when Newport resorted to their pack strength in conditions that suited, particularly their spectacular driving lineout which continually sent Swansea back-pedalling 20m and more, they got right on top.

Hooker Andrew Brown got over on the half-hour after a close-range drive following a lineout take by Neil Edwards, and after full back Aron Bramwell had been yellow-carded for killing a 35th-minute drive, Newport scored immediately through Wales Under-19s World Cup scrum-half Alex Walker to reduce the half-time deficit to 13-10.

Two minutes into the resumption they went ahead with a magnificent effort.

Right wing Gareth Chapman superbly caught a Richards kick on his 22 under pressure from two chasers, and somehow offloaded to full back Will Kershaw-Naylor, who raced 60m down the touchline, evading two tacklers.

He passed inside to Richard Payne, and as he was tackled he got the ball out to fellow centre Rhys Shorney, who completed the move for Ireland to convert.

Swansea later had a second player yellow-carded, lock Ian Evans for a dangerous lineout infringement, but while he was off they hacked upfield from deep inside their own 22 for Lewis to gather and send centre Mathew Brayley over for a converted try and a 20-17 lead.

Newport's record looked over, but tremendous handling and 14 phases of play set up an attacking platform from which Chapman eventually gathered a difficult along-the-ground offload to gallop over in the corner with 62 seconds of normal time remaining.

And in injury time Ireland clinched it as Swansea lost the ball trying to run it on their own line.

Number eight Rhys Jones, locks Edwards and Matthew Veater, and flanker Marc Popham, three later replaced, the former to give Richard Dale his first run- out of the season after twice breaking a foot, were superb in the Newport pack and Kershaw-Naylor, normally a wing, the pick of the threequarters.

Now it's Neath at Rodney Parade next week, and a clash of the certain new champions against the old, another game to relish.

Newport: W Kershaw-Naylor, G Chapman, R Payne, R Shorney, S Ireland, J Ireland, A Walker (A Crothers 77), R Snow, I Evans 50), A Brown, G Robinson, M Veater, N Edwards (B Thomson 54), S Waldron, M Popham (P Williams 64), R Jones (R Dale 64). Scorers: tries: A Brown, A Walker, R Shorney, G Chapman, J Ireland; conversions: J Ireland (2). Swansea: A Bramwell, R Llewellyn (A Lawson 78), M Brayley, D Watts, P Mackey, L Richards, R Rees, T Evans, D Colclough, L May, I Evans, N Thomas, B Lewis (R Hibbard 77), G Jones, G Vaughan-Evans. Scorers: tries: B Lewis, M Brayley; conversions: L Richards (2); penalties: