Newport battled on with 14 men for the final 20 minutes in the driving rain at Rodney Parade against their old enemy Cardiff in front of 9,000 enthralled watches. Flanker Jason Forster had been red-carded for dangerous use of the elbow.

It was an intense physical clash of the old rivals and Newport fully deserved their 22-13 win. Shane Howarth, playing at full-back, collected 17 points with a conversion and 5 penalties - converting Newport?s only try scored by a typical charging run for the line by Canadian prop Rod Snow. It was former Springbok captain and No 8 Gary Teichmann?s first game since taking on the captaincy from Shane Howarth.