NEWPORT and Swansea rugby clubs are involved in a row after Saturday's Welsh League Premier Division clash at St Helen's was called off.

Newport are claiming that their opponents made no effort to get the game on.

They criticise Swansea for calling the match off three hours before the scheduled kick-off time of 5.30pm instead of waiting and working to try to get the game played.

"We had booked into the Marriott Hotel on the marina in Swansea as part of our pre-match build-up when we had a phone call saying the match was off," said Newport team manager Jim McCreedy.

"We immediately queried the decision and asked whether it had been made by the referee.

"But they said they made the decision on safety grounds because the pitch was unfit.

"We then went to the ground, and we expressed our huge disappointment.

"There was a heated debate because we felt they should have made more effort to get the game on.

"We suggested they should have left a decision a bit later, but all we got was a blank wall."

Swansea official Byron Mugford, though, defended his club's action.

"There was no problem in the morning, but the rain got heavier and the forecast was for heavy and persistent rain and a gale force six," he explained.

"We still hoped the game would go on, but between 1pm and 1.30pm, water started appearing on the pitch.

"It concerned us and we were having difficulties with things not going to get any better.

"The stadium manager, who is also the safety officer, felt it was not safe enough and the decision was taken to call the match off.

"We had to think of the players' safety, and we had a responsibility to the supporters to stop them travelling rather than arrive and find the game was off anyway."

There is no new date for the match to be played.

Swansea would have been without Wales pair Colin Charvis and Ben Evans on Saturday, but Newport now lose Simon Raiwalui and Rod Snow to Fiji and Canada, respectively, for the November internationals.

Troubled centre Jason Jones-Hughes was forced to withdraw from yet another scheduled comeback game on Saturday when a hip injury forced him out of Newport's Under-21s game against Swansea which the Black and Ambers won 20-15.

l Trevor James, the long standing WRU national squads manager, is set to leave his post.

He played a leading role under Graham Henry, giving evidence in the 'grannygate' case and constantly at Henry's side.

But, with Alan Phillips becoming the first full-time team manager, James' role has been less significant.

As part of the WRU's cost-cutting exercise, only around half-a-dozen committeemen made the trip to Wrexham.