CANADIAN international prop Rod Snow was a relieved man after his emotional farewell game for Newport ended with them clinging to their almost two-season old ground record against Swansea on Saturday.
Snow played the opening 50 minutes of Newport's most exciting Welsh Premier Division game of the season, in which they scored twice in the final five minutes to win.
He received a rapturous reception at the start, during, and at the end of his appearance, returned to the pitch after the game to salute the fans and received a guard of honour from both sets of players.
Afterwards he admitted: "It was kind of tense out there. I'm glad I got to start the game and not to finish it because the last ten or 15 minutes were quite tough.
"I was afraid I was going to come back and be bad luck. To return and for us to lose our first game for almost two years would have been weird."
He added: "I still feel like I'm playing for a Newport team when I'm playing for the Dragons. It may be a little bit politically incorrect, but it's just the way I see it in my heart and soul.
"The biggest enjoyment I have had at Newport has been from the people I played with, not just the great players like Gary Teichmann and Shane Howarth, but people like Sven Cronk, who was here when I got here and is still here now.
"Playing-wise, winning the Principality Cup, Teichmann's last game, was probably the biggest thing. It even made front-page headlines in my own country, something that doesn't happen very often."
He continued: "It's awe-inspiring to be regarded so well by the fans, and to be honest I feel a little bit uncomfortable with the whole thing. It's a hugely humbling experience and I don't quite understand it.
"When I came in 1995 I figured I'd try to do my best and work my hardest and see how it turned out, and that's all I've really ever done.
"The ten years I've spent at Newport will always be among the proudest times of my life."
Of Saturday's game, Newport coach David Rees said: "It was a great advert for the Premiership. Even in appalling conditions the sides showed superb continuity to send away a 2,000 or 3,000 crowd believing their money had been well spent.
"When we were 13-0 down I thought our two-year ground record was in danger, we weren't functioning.
"It took us 20 minutes to show maturity and realise the driving lineout was our main weapon, and that we needed to build our confidence from that, and two tries just before half- time put us back in the game.
"Then I thought we'd blown it with five minutes to go with their breakaway try, but again the maturity and continuity we showed for Gareth Chapman's try, when we built up through 14 phases, was outstanding.
"Rod Snow's farewell in Newport colours probably put an extra thousand on the gate and it was fitting we gave him a winning farewell."
Snow returns home in early June and will consider playing for Canada in the summer, one game against Wales on June 11, and in the national championship for Newfoundland.
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