ABERAVON 21 – 25 NEWPORT

Will Reed returned to the Newport line-up to kick 15 points and then secure the final turn-over in the 82nd minute that steered the Black & Ambers to a thrilling Indigo Group Premiership Cup victory.

The Wizards came hard in the second half through their front five and edged ahead by a single point, 21-20, in the 65th minute with a penalty try. Newport also lost Dan Suter to a yellow card at the same time.

But they hit back immediately with a classic try from inspirational skipper Matt O’Brien and then dug deep to hang on for the win.

Both teams came into the game on the back to two successive defeats, Newport’s two Premiership failures at home to RGC and Merthyr taking the title out of the previously iron grip.

When the teams had faced off at the Talbot Athletic Ground earlier in the season it had been the Black & Ambers who had come out on top 30-25 in a thriller, and there was an explosive start at Principality Stadium.

After Aled Thomas and Will Reed had swapped penalties, Matt O’Brien conjured up an inch-perfect cross field pass on the Wizards’ 10 metre line that gave his right wing Johnny Morris the chance to display his speed and finishing skills.

The wing took the ball standing still, but quickly went into overdrive as he sped up the touchline towards the corner. He was hauled down a few metres short, but held onto the ball.

He then used his momentum to edge closer to the line and somehow touched down before he was bundled into touch. The referee went to the TMO to check the grounding and the try was given.

Newport continued to try to move the ball and keep away from needless contact, while Aberavon tried to use their powerful scrum to grind down their opponents.

The Black & Amber pack gritted their teeth and stood up to the challenge, winning some crucial penalties at scrum time as the pressure mounted in the first-half. They won some crucial turn-overs and that allowed Reed to add three more penalties to another by Thomas to give Newport a handy 17-6 interval lead.

Aberavon missed one gilt-edged opportunity to score a try at the end of the first half when Sam Williams broke clear and Rhodri Cole couldn’t take his pass five metres out. Scrum half Cole then butchered a second in the second half.

The Wizards cut the gap with Thomas’ third penalty at the start of the second half and then got even closer when hooker Ieuan Davies converted a driving line-out maul. Reed’s fifth penalty of the game gave Newport a six point cushion at 20-14, but it didn’t last long.

From the re-start Cole was given the chance to run into the 22 and chip over the final defender. He knocked on with the line at his mercy, but it was too good a position to lose.

Two power scrums later and Aberavon had a penalty try and Newport were down to 14 men.

The response was superb as reed conjured up an opening in midfiled for man of the match David Richards to race into the Wizards’s 22 and send O’Brien sidestepping his way over for a try that regained the lead.

Reed may have pushed his conversion attempt wide of the mark, but he more than made up for that with the final turn over as Aberavon threw the kitchen sink at Newport in search of the winning try.

Scorers: Newport: Tries: J Morris, M O’Brien; Pens: W Reed5. Aberavon: Tries: I Davies, pen try; Pens: A Thomas 3

Aberavon: Jonathan Phillips; Chris Banfield, Joe Thomas, Will Price, Stef Andrews; Aled Thomas, Rhodri Cole; Rowan Jenkins, Ieuan Davies, Geraint James, Shay Smallman, Sam Williams, Ashton Evans, Andrew Waite, Joe Tomalin-Reeves (capt) 

Reps: Iwan Temblett, Dan Edwards, Joe Gage, Lloyd Evans, Luke Davies, Rhodri Hughes, Rhys Fawcett, Chris Davies 

Newport: David Richards; Jon Morris, Cameron Lewis, Matt O’Brien (captain), Elliot Frewen; Will Reed, Luke Crane; Louis Jones, Henry Palmer, Garin Harris, George Young, Josh Skinner, Rhys Jenkins, Lennon Greggains, Ben Roach 

Reps: Jamie Jeune, Lewis Smout, Dan Suter, Andrew Mann, Josh Reid, Che Hope, Will Talbot-Davies, Dafydd Smith