It was a cagey start from both teams with Newport having the majority of ball for the best part of 25 minutes. Within those 25 minutes the Blue and Blacks were guilty of collapsing a driving maul and Skipper Morgan Allen was awarded a yellow card by referee Mike English.
It wasn’t a costly yellow card for the home side as the visitors only managed to convert a penalty with 24-year-old Carwyn Penny breaking the deadlock.
Harrison James brought the home side back level at the second time of asking. Then after playing the ball nicely through the hands 22-year-old Luke Pollock made a sublime line break and crossed to score the opening try of the afternoon. With this score it put the home side in front for the first time.
Minutes later referee English played a penalty advantage for the visitors, scrum-half Che Hope decided to cross kick it for Lloyd Lewis to take and power his way over the Blue and Blacks line for his seventh of the season. Penny kicked the extras to put his side level just before the break.
HT: Cardiff 10-10
Newport definitely started the second half like they finished the first half and after moving the ball nicely through the hands and pressurising the Blue and Blacks line 23-year-old Ioan Davies crossed for the visitors second of the afternoon.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the visitors as on his 150th appearance Jon Morris received a yellow card. It wasn’t a very costly yellow card for Newport as they were awarded a penalty just inside the Blue and Blacks half, which made it a 10 point game.
However, the Blue and Blacks weren’t going down without a fight, after some impressive handling skills Craig Hudd popped the ball to Harrison James as he crossed the line just after the hour mark. With James’s shot going wide of the posts it meant it was still a five point lead for the visitors.
Carwyn Penny kept the scoreboard ticking as he converted two penalties to extend Newport’s lead to eleven.
The Blue and Blacks finished the game on the front foot and kept pressuring Newport’s defence. After trying to work around Newport’s brick wall defence and with the clock in red, referee English awarded the home side one last opportunity but sadly the ball ended up going dead to finish what was a good day at the office for the visitors.
FT: Cardiff 15-26 Newport