CHRIS KIRWAN: Two years after the painful decision to sell Rodney Parade, Newport facing another agonising choice about their historic home

Newport scored two tries in injury time to beat Cornish Pirates 34-32 with hooker Andrew Brown going over before wing Owen Broad raced away.

It was fly-half Matthew Jones that had the final say, splitting the posts for a second time to stun the British and Irish Cup holders.

That came two years after the Black and Ambers' terrific win against Exeter when Andrew Coombs stood tall in an uncompromising performance from the home pack, one that infuriated Chiefs boss Rob Baxter.

I've only been in Wales in the regional rugby era, so I can't talk about the times when Newport were in their pomp.

My fond black and amber memories, like plenty of others, feature crowds in three-figures rather than five.

The inception of regional rugby has ultimately left Newport RFC playing in a professional ground that is too big for them.

It led to the building of the Bisley Stand that they did not need in place of the popular Argus Terrace.

More importantly, it also led to a slippery slope that saw the club to turn from landlords to tenants.

The 2019/20 Black and Ambers still play on the same patch of land as Watkins, Brian Price, Tommy Vile, Brian 'BJ' Jones and Rod Snow but there is a growing fear that future squads may not be so fortunate.

Just two years after Newport made one crushingly hard decision they are faced with another: do they stay where they belong or plot for the future elsewhere?

When the Newport shareholders were asked to give the green light to the Welsh Rugby Union's takeover of the Dragons they were told that it was the only way to stop Rodney Parade becoming a building site.

Loans were outstanding to Handelsbanken (£750,000), the governing body (£900,000), Tony Brown (around £3million), Martyn Hazell (around £1.5million) and Will Godfrey (£175,000).

The memories of years gone by would have been to the fore of many voters when the 81 per cent said yes, a figure above the 75 per cent threshold.

Those that had seen the bulldozing runs of Bryn Meredith and Gary Teichmann didn't want to see actual bulldozers on the ground.

"The message we are trying to get out is that to protect the memories, we have to move things forward and ensure there is rugby here at Rodney Parade," said Godfrey ahead of the vote.

There was relief in many quarters when the deal with the WRU was rubber-stamped with some comfort provided by assurances that Newport would play rent-free for 10 years.

One wonders how many would vote the same again if they had a second referendum.

There was always the concern that three was not the magic number when it came to Rodney Parade, the famous ground the Black and Ambers share with the Dragons and Newport County, two professional teams that now come ahead of them in the pecking order.

The strain on the pitch becomes clear in the second half of the season as the games rack up – the tally has already passed 30 – and the hard-working groundstaff don't always get the appreciation they deserve.

It's financially worthwhile to have County on board and the same applies for the Football Association of Wales, who paid a good sum for the women's and under-19s fixtures.

It has created a situation where something has to give and ironically it was Newport RFC that were calling the shots when the Exiles were first welcomed to NP19 0UU in 2012.

Now the Black and Ambers are in a dispute with the Dragons over matchday fees for them to play at Rodney Parade after they were put up from £700 last season to £2,500.

Dragons chairman David Buttress says they are merely being asked to cover the costs for fixtures and that it's a good deal while the Newport board dispute the size of the bill.

Hopefully something can be worked out because it will feel wrong if rugby is being played at the historic ground but not by the team that put the venue on the map.

It was similar when Pontypool were threatening to move from the ground that has been home since 1945 because of vandalism. Thankfully things have all been worked out with Torfaen Council and plans have been made for a revamp.

But even if there is a peace deal in Newport for this season there are plenty of Black and Ambers who would rather take the plunge and move.

They feel that they are not wanted, that they are being forced out and there is no guarantee that fees won't rise again.

The £600,000 cash sum that they received as part of the takeover won't go far and there can be no certainty over WRU funding for Premiership clubs, which is being dropped down to £50,000 by 2022. The return of relegation jeopardy means there is a potential for an even bigger cut.

There is an argument for making a new home elsewhere – and ideally prepare it in good time to avoid suffering the same fate as Newport Cricket Club, who were homeless while developing Spytty Park – but it will be hard to be the ones making that decision given the history and memories that are at Rodney Parade.

Such circumstances make pushing such a call down the line understandably attractive.

It is a sensitive and potentially fiery situation for the Dragons, a team of Gwent. Three into two doesn't go but they share a Newport ground with two city teams.

The departure of one won't sit well, and engaging with supporters on the doorstep is vital given their struggles with attendances (the announced 3,332 for Zebre last Saturday, on a freezing night after Wales had played, looked as accurate as the numbers in a political manifesto).

It could be a PR disaster - one that the WRU will distance themselves from - and it should be remembered by everyone in the Dragons organisation that Newport have given more to regional rugby than any other club in the region through what they have lost.

It is a delicate, complex situation and it isn't just the Black and Ambers who have plenty to lose.