Cardiff RFC are back at the Cardiff Arms Park on Thursday evening (19:30), where they host Newport RFC following a run of three away fixtures in the Super Rygbi Cymru (SRC).
In that time, the Blue and Blacks have recorded impressive results against Aberavon RFC, Pontypool RFC, and Llandovery RFC. In their last outing at Church Bank, Cardiff handed the Drovers their heaviest defeat of the season, after a 45-14 triumph.
A dominant second-half, which saw the 2024 Premiership champions try-less, saw Cardiff also record their second consecutive six-point bonus-point win.
Player of the Match Osian Darwin-Lewis brilliantly claimed a brace, whilst Dewi Cross, Tom Bowen, Joe Goodchild, Ben Fry, and Aled Ward all scored as Cardiff extended their SRC winning streak to seven.
Cardiff RFC Team News vs Newport RFC
- Ioan Emanuel
- Alun Rees
- Tom Harper
- Craig Hudd
- Ethan Phillips
- Sonny McCabe
- Ben Fry
- Aled Ward
- Ethan Lloyd
- Harri Wilde
- Dewi Cross
- Steffan Emanuel
- Osian Darwin-Lewis
- Tom Bowen
- Matty Young
Replacements:
- Tom Howe
- Cam Tyler-Grocott
- Will Davies-King
- Tirion Bowen
- Jason Harries
- Joe Williams
- Lloyd Lucas
- Rhys Cummings
Pre-Match Thoughts:
Speaking ahead of the encounter against the Black and Ambers, head coach Dan Fish said: “Last home game of the regular season and a big one to finish.
“With a lot to play for, we know this is going to be another tough game, as always, when we play Newport.
“We had a good performance on Saturday and know we will need the same Thursday night.
“With a short turnaround, we have focused on getting our detail right going into Newport.
“Every time we play, it’s always a tight physical game and comes down to small margins.
“Newport is a team on top holding all three trophies, so it’s going to be a great challenge for us and one I know the boys can’t wait to get stuck into.”
Remember the last meeting at the Arms Park?
The pair’s last meeting in the Welsh capital came in the SRC Cup, when the Blue and Blacks suffered a 33-19 defeat.
That afternoon, Bailey Cutts claimed a brace, but following crosses by Joshua Skinner, Dafydd Buckland, Carter Pritchard and Harri Ackerman, Newport took the spoils.
In their last league meeting, which came at Rodney Parade, Newport were also narrowly triumphant 19-12 and did so in front of S4C cameras, which is the same for Thursday evening’s encounter.
For those unable to make it to the Cardiff Arms Park on Thursday evening, you can stay up-to-date with live updates across all Cardiff RFC social media channels (X, Facebook, and Instagram).