NEWPORT head coach Sven Cronk rued the errors his side made and their failure to kill off the game after an excellent start.

The Black and Ambers were much faster out of the blocks than the opposition in the opening stages of the game.

Ponty were shell-shocked to find themselves so far behind so soon, but clawed their way back into the game as Newport started to fade after such a bright opening.

“It’s so frustrating. Despite being 17-0 up we didn’t look like shutting the game out,” Cronk said.

“Ponty showed us how it should have been done by putting the ball behind us,” he added.

“We recognised that they would want to keep Scotty (centre Scott Williams) quiet but that opened up more space for other people.

“But we made too many errors and they didn’t really create anything. I’d spoken before the game that the side who made the least mistakes would win.”

And there was no criticism of Mr Bodilly’s decision to award the penalty after he adjudged Newport had infringed at a ruck. The referee was given a hard time by the partisan home supporters and was barracked by many.

But many observers thought the official did a good job.

Cronk agreed: “There’s no complaint. I thought he did well. There was no need for us to have given that penalty away.”

Newport winger Alan Awcock missed the game after being involved in a four-car collision near Newport’s Tredegar Park on Saturday morning.

He was taken as a precaution by ambulance to the city’s Royal Gwent Hospital, but was not injured.

Awcock made it in time to watch the game and his place was taken by Nathan Williams, with David James coming in on the bench.