NEWPORT fans threw the broken can of leek soup Newcastle used to promote Saturday's Heineken Cup game back at them afterwards, or they would have if they could have got their hands on one, writes Robin Davey.

The massed ranks of supporters sang in front of the stand 'You can stick your can of soup up your --' over and over again.

Then they serenaded Newport's financial backer in an entirely different way, bursting out with 'There's only one Tony Brown' (pictured) to his considerable embarrassment. Before the game the Newport fans expressed their anger that they couldn't get into the clubhouse because of a wedding there.

"It's the only time I've ever been to a rugby club where we couldn't get a drink in the bar," said one. "We've had no welcome at all here," fumed another.

l Ebbw Vale are at the centre of another Welsh rugby storm after suggestions by Wales team manager Alan Phillips, also a member of the WRU general committee, that there are plans to reduce the number of leading clubs to seven at the end of the season.

That would almost certainly mean Ebbw Vale, as well as Caerphilly, falling by the wayside with more to follow if the number is further reduced to five a year or two down the road.

"It's a load of codswallop," fumed Ebbw Vale director of rugby Ray Harris. "Welsh clubs did pretty well in Europe at the weekend, so are we that far behind? I just don't know what this is all about."

Only this year the WRU insisted on nine clubs in the Celtic and Welsh/Scottish Leagues after calls by the clubs themselves for the number to be reduced to eight. l WALES have been handed a great chance of going all the way to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2003.

A draft schedule of the draw has leaked out and it puts Wales alongside New Zealand, Italy, Canada and Tonga.

That should ensure they finish runners-up in the group and with a likely quarter-final against the winners of the France-Scotland quarter-final, they could well reach the last four.

But England face the prospect of having to defeat South Africa to even qualify for a quarter-final place against world champions Australia.