Rugby Lions completed the opening run of successive matches in SSE National 3 Midlands in good shape – played 9, won 9, 4-try bonus points 9, place in league 1st.
Now there is one week’s respite before Lions play the top three team behind Rugby.
Lions brought in Nick Walton in the front row for Ben Nuttall and Sam Raven replaced the injured Fraser Tait in the back row. Dan Oselton and Matt Mountford came onto the replacements bench.
Despite the great hospitality shown by Newport to the ever-growing band of Lions’ travelling support, the conditions and the game itself were less convivial.
Those watching from the clubhouse decking or the bank in front of it would not have realised how strong the wind became at the far side of the pitch and it rained for the second quarter too.
Lions were aggressive from the kick off and on 7 minutes, Andy Vilk and Emyr Lewis contributed to full back Peter Wackett scoring and Leigh Hinton converting. Ten minutes later, it was Wackett and Hinton who set up Lewis for the second try again converted by Hinton to make the score 0-14.
But that was the last score of the first half as the rain began to fall and players on both sides finding it difficult to give and take passes with the ball moving with the wind, Hinton twice finding the ball not settling in his grasp for at least one certain try opportunity to be lost. Rugby were punished just before half time when lock Alex Bibic, having a fine game especially in the lineouts, was sinbinned for a reacting to interference with a punch. A Newport break led to a penalty to give the home side a lift on the restart at 3-14.
But Lions hit back almost immediately when an attack on the right saw Hinton accelerate through to score and convert for 3-21.
The Lions defence and discipline remained solid throughout the second half despite the frustration of Newport playing on the referee’s reluctance to enforce the offside law which stifled a lot of the potential creativity in Rugby’s play.
Finally, Rugby secured the important 4-try bonus point when Ade Hales was able to make a run down the left touchline and brush off two tackles to score after 53 minutes.
Surprisingly that was Lions’ last score of the game as Newport managed to keep going and keep competing despite the difficult conditions.
The limit of their ambitions was shown, however, when they took a penalty kick at goal for 6-26 rather than trying to score a try from a lineout.
Rugby brought on all their replacements within a 5-minute spell without any loss of control to stay in charge for almost all the rest of this rather unexciting match hampered such a strong wind and so much offside play.
Rugby Lions: Wackett, Hinton, Lewis, Vilk, Hales, Gollings, Needham, Hardy, Pearl, Walton, Bibic, Wright, Raven, Brock, Mukarati. Reps: Oselton, Carney, Mountford
Article by kind permission of The Rugby Lions
