OWNER Tony Brown would be prepared to drop the name Newport from a top flight team playing chiefly out of Rodney Parade next season.

Brown admits the revelation will shock many Newport fans, but says it could be necessary to maintain major rugby in the city.

And Brown also appeals to the West Wales clubs in particular to get their act together quickly and come up with a similar merged arrangement to the one planned between Newport and Ebbw Vale. We have been talking to our Premiership neighbours Ebbw Vale about a possible merger, Brown wrote in last nights Newport-Cardiff programme after previously disclosing that to the Argus.

The basis of the talks have been about creating a top flight super club or provincial team to represent Gwent and to play at Rodney Parade, he added. The fine detail, such as how the team would be funded, what the team would be called and what colours it will wear, have yet to be fully considered, but the Newport Steelers or the Gwent Steelmen dont sound too far wide of the mark.

This might come as a shock to many of you, but the underlying principle is to maintain the highest level of professional rugby in Newport for as long as possible.

I just hope that the clubs in West Wales such as Llanelli, Swansea and Neath can now get their act together and come up with a similar arrangement among themselves.

Brown also reveals the amount of money to make a new system feasible in Wales. The bottom line is simple. We need a minimum of £1.75m per super club if we are to have five teams in South Wales next season, he says.

If we follow the WRU route and go for four provincial sides, I think we will need £2m a year to make them viable and competitive.

Newport and former South Africa star Percy Montgomery, meanwhile, praised the decision to go ahead with the match despite massive pressure from Cardiff to get it called off.

It was definitely OK. Ive played in much worse than that at Newlands, he said.

And he gently chided teammate Hal Luscombe for depriving him of a scintillating first try for Newport.

Ill have to talk to him. He tried to steal my glory! he joked. But it was a good win. Well grab the points and go from there.

A personal boost after a bleak Christmas saw Montgomerys fiance joining him this week.