NEWPORT need a rugby miracle if they are to make the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup, though Newcastle have given them the slightest possibility of making it after their shock 42-9 victory over Toulouse on Saturday.

That means Leinster are through because even if Newport finish level on points the results between the two teams would decide it.

Newport could still go through as one of the two best runners-up, but Llanelli and Ulster are big favourites because of their try count with an Italian side in their pool.

Friday's night's titanic Rodney Parade struggle between Newport and Leinster in front of the biggest crowd for a club game in Wales this season -- 10,285 -- all but saw the end of the Irish province's unbeaten record.

After dominating the game with a ferocious assult Newport took nothing from it other than the scars of an undeserved 26-21 defeat.

The difference lay in Shane Howarth's record of three successes out of six at goal compared with Nathan Spooner's six out of seven ratio.

But Newport team manager Jim McCreedy, explaining the reasons behind Howarth often going for touch instead of for goal, said: "It's part of Ian McIntosh's game plan that we go for the pressure and the seven points.

"The aim is to keep the momentum going. It's easy to say 'if we had taken those kicks'," adding that Howarth had won games as well, like the one against Castres last season.

The result left McIntosh, now back in South Africa after flying out for a 12-day visit back home, heartbroken.

Newport financial backer Tony Brown, who rarely comments on team affairs, was still full of admiration for Newport's effort.

"I thought it was tremendous and we couldn't have asked for more," he said. "The Irish knew they had used their get out of jail card, but it was one of those things, it was destined not to happen."

* Brown said there will be an inquiry into the floodlights failure after 67 minutes which caused an 18-minute delay and forced both teams to leave the pitch.