Aberavon 20 Newport 16

Newport slipped to the bottom of the Principality Premiership table when they went down to Aberavon in a basement battle at the Talbot Athletic Ground on Saturday.

They will however get a quick chance for revenge as the two teams meet again next Sunday in the first round of the Swalec Cup at Rodney Parade.

The Wizards led 17-6 at the interval and later by 20-9 but Newport spent most of the final quarter camped in the Aberavon half.

An interception by fly half Angus O'Brien should have brought either him or wing Ashton Hewitt a try, but somehow, Aberavon's tacklers, led by wing Stefan Andrews, saved the day.

However, the game was won by Aberavon's scrummage superiority with their front-row pounding all six players that Newport placed there.

In scrum half David Pritchard and loose-head prop Rowan Jenkins, Aberavon had the two best players on the field, yet Newport never turned it in and fought to the final second, earning a vital losing bonus point."

It was a return to the Talbot Athletic Ground for Newport backs coach Craig Warlow, who was there 12 months in that role for the Wizards and who was once a team-mate of Hyatt at Stradey Park, Llanelli.

"If I had to sum it up, I could do so in five letters," said the honest Warlow. " S-C-R-U-M. They had it and we did not."

Aberavon took an early lead when Darren Ryan led a charge and when a penalty was awarded, fly half Cameron Clement kicked the goal.

Full back Geraint O'Driscoll levelled with a Newport penalty after five minutes, but Aberavon drove strongly at successive scrums to gain a penalty try after 16 minutes with Clement converting.

Again O'Driscoll replied but flanker Rob Dudley-Jones and Andrews combined to send flanker Nathan Brown crashing over with Clement converting.

When Newport lost prop David Pattison to a yellow card, Clement landed a penalty, but again O'Driscoll hit one back.

Now Aberavon had hooker Ieuan Davies carded and Newport fought back for replacement prop James Greenfield to score and O'Driscoll converted.

It was touch and go with O'Brien racing away from an interception but being caught as play went back and forth and Newport were now on top.

A last chance saw Newport penalised at a scrum and Aberavon kicked to touch to clinch it.

Aberavon: M Williams; R Carter, W Price, D Ryan, S Andrews; C Clement, D Pritchard; R Jenkins, I Davies, N Thomas, B Davies, I Moore (G Harvey 62-68, A Gwynne 68), R Dudley-Jones, B Thomas, N Brown.

Tries: N Brown, pen try. Cons: C Clement 2. Pens: C Clement 2.

Newport: G O'Driscoll; A Hewitt, J Morris, J Murphy, E Frewen (D Robinson 61); A O'Brien, A Quick; D Pattison (J Greenfield 58), D Rogers (Andrew Brown 40), J Monck (C Davies 58), Adam Brown (capt)(A Frampton 76), M Screech, S Feehan (J Greenfield 47-58, R Gibbon 73), S Cross, R Jenkins.

Try: J Greenfield. Con: G O'Driscoll. Pens: G O'Driscoll 3.

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Swansea).

PRINCIPALITY MAN OF THE MATCH :Steffan Andrews (Aberavon)