Match report from The Times of 29th December 1920:
RUGBY FOOTBALL
NEWPORT V. THE BARBARIANS.
Newport beat the Barbarians, at Newport, yesterday, by two goals, two dropped goals, and seven tries (39 points) to nothing.
This heavy defeat of the Barbarians came as a surprise to followers of Welsh Rugby football as on the previous day the Barbarians had been unlucky to lose to Cardiff by a single point. However, on yesterday's play, the Barbarians were a properly beaten side. They began excellently on a wet and heavy turf, but as the game proceeded they had to confine themselves exclusively to defence. The Newport forwards settled down early to their game, and once they gained control of the scrummages the Barbarians pack were hopelessly outclassed. The best of the Newport forwards were R. Edwards and Neil McPherson. The former played exceptionally well, being prominent in the loose and in the tight mauls. His fast following up harassed the opposing defence and his work in the line outs and his dribbles were excellent. McPherson was conspicuous by his great speed and capacity for creating openings which gave his backs innumerable opportunities. In the conditions his handling was splendid, but the surprise of the game was the wonderful handling of the Newport backs. On such a day it would not have been unusual for the Newport Fifteen to have concentrated upon loose dribbles, having regard to the marked superiority of their forwards in the loose. Instead, however, the half-backs and three-quarter backs were given the ball from almost every scrummage, and with J. Wetter and H. Davies playing at their best, the three-quarter backs were never without opportunities. Time and again the whole line handled the ball with marked precision, and more than once only the slippery turf prevented them from scoring. It was a tribute to their abilities to rise above the conditions that they should have scored nine tries chiefly as the result of brilliant combination. Of the three-quarter backs Hammett and Shea were the best. Shea was playing on the right wing, opposed to M. Thomas. He played admirably, and at least three tries were directly due to his initiative. Baker-Jones, the son of an old Welsh international, who has assisted the Army for the last two seasons, played splendidly with Hammett at centre three-quarter back.
The Barbarians might have done better on a dry ground. Opposed to heavy and fast forwards they soon lost the initiative and never regained it. Some of their dribbles were clever, but they were beaten in the finer phases of the game. Duncan, Van Zyl, Shaw, and Young worked hard. At half-back Bekker was untiring, but he found Wetter too clever and fast for him. When the three-quarter backs had chances of scoring they preferred to kick into touch rather than to risk cutting through. Onece or twice M. Thomas used his speed well, but the others were ineffective in attack. Sullivan, of Cardiff, at full back, was sound but not brilliant.
Tries were scored by Rees (2), Hammett (2). Whitfield (2), Shea (2), and Uzzell. Shea and Hammett each dropped a goal, and Birt converted two tries
The teams were:?
NEWPORT.?F. W. Birt back ; Jack Rees, E. Hammett, F. Baker-Jones and J. Shea, three-quarter backs; J. Wetter and H. Davies, half-backs; N. McPherson, H. Uzzell J. Whitfield. A. Bell, L. Attewell, R. Edwards, T. Jones, and Dr. Roche, forwards.
BARBARIANS.?J. Sullivan, back; C. L. Steyn, W. H. Udy, A. M. David, and M. G. Thomas, three-quarter backs ; J. G. Van Schalkwijk and F. Bekker, half-backs; S. Orchard, C. Shaw, A. H. Shelswell, G. Young, F. J. Biddle, A. B. Blake, H. Van Zyl, and R. F. H. Duncan, forwards.