History of Newport RFC :: 1874

"Last Saturday we were beaten quite convincingly by South Africa who were competent in every way. Congratulations to Francois Pienaar, the captain, who played an admirable part in his first match on this tour. The seventh Springboks fielded their strongest possible team and thus ensured there would not be a surprise result. It is not unreasonable to say they are going to be a very difficult side to beat."

"The largest crowd of the season welcomed His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales on his second visit to Stradey Park. Fortunately the rain, which threatened, did not mar his arrival nor the presentation of both teams and officials. In the stand the Prince was "guided" through the match by Phil Bennett and chairman Roy Bergiers. He was obviously pleased to be at the game, and after it was over he moved around the Carwyn James suite meeting and eagerly talking to Rugby club officials and guests until his departure. After signing the visitors book, he was presented by the chairman, with a miniature silver saucepan and ball, suitably mounted, together with Scarlet T shirts for the two princes, William and Harry and the tie commemorating the visit of the seventh Springboks."

"We were very pleased for Jason John Jenkins and Heol Goffa School, Llanelli, that he was chosen to be the Match Mascot last Saturday. It was an honour he deserved and we wish him well in future representation for his school and West Wales in the Welsh Sports for the disabled."

"The "Eve-of-Match" dinner at the Stradey Park Hotel saw over 400 members and guests witnessing a splendid rugby occasion. A host of distinguished guests, sponsors, patrons and members, all wooed by our Honorary Functions Officer, Mr. Les Morris were present. The President and Chairman welcomed and introduced the speakers -Gerald Davies who proposed the Toast, in a masterly way, "Rugby Football", Mr. Jannie Engelbrecht, Manager of the 1994 South African team replied in an equally eloquent way. Lord Gordon Parry, former Chairman of the Wales Tourist Board, rounded off the evening with an amusing speech which added to the enjoyment of the occasion. There was a traditionally rousing performance by a section of Cor Meibion Llanelli which provided a great welcome to the visitors."

"The whole week-end was most memorable and was the climax to a tremendous amount of preparation and work by many members of the club, the Management Committee and Administrative Office who put in many extra hours. Please accept my grateful thanks, it it all greatly appreciated."

"Edward James President"

"It was a cold, cold day. I remember the icy wind racing up the River Usk, side-stepping the Rodney Parade Stand, shoulder-charging the bob bank and diving straight into the face of my just-knitted, black-and-amber balaclava."

"I was eight; or was I nine? Time blurs the inconsequential details. But the important facts are there. It was the first time I had seen Scarlet - and Newport WON, 12 - 9."

"But as I recall that game across the decades, it strikes me that the extraordinary thing about the result, was that at the time, I did not think it was extraordinary."

"Newport - my Newport - was a club to be reckoned with. The team had enough caps to open a gent's outfitters. Ken Jones and Brian Jones. Bryn Meredith and Glyn Davidge. The reputations of my heroes fired the pre-adolescent pride I felt in being part of the same club."

"In my formative years that pride was inflated by players like Stuart Watkins - he of the winning try for Wales against France in 1966; and Keith Jarrett who scored 19 points and beat England on his own in 1967. I wallowed in the reflected glory of their achievements and of the achievements of those who had gone before."

"No-one had captained Wales more often than Newport's Arthur "Monkey" Gould. No wing had played more often for Wales than the great Ken Jones."

"I was fed on a rich diet of records. But time has not only blurred the memory. It has changed the balance of power."

"In Newport's case, in this new era of East/West relations, the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Forces is one Ieuan Cenydd Evans - a Scarlet. This man has led some fierce cross-border raids. He took Ken Jones's record without a shot being fired. And where were the Rodney Parade sentries when he stole Arthur Gould's captaincy record? Then in broad daylight the whole Scarlet Army emerged to inflict on Newport their biggest ever defeat. The Newport record-cupboard is beginning to look decidedly bare."

"But George Bernard Shaw said, "We learn from history that we learn nothing from history"."

"It is certainly true of rugby. The changes in the game and in attitudes to the game are too many and too varied to draw historical comparisons. Too many administrators fail to understand that. Too many are dancing the same dance - that is one step forward, two steps back, then you sidestep the issue, open your mouth and put your foot in it."

"When they say they want to return to the rugby of their youth, I am sure its not the rugby they are seeking - its their youth. I understand that change is often difficult to accept -particularly if you happen to have grown up amid the past rich pastures of Rodney Parade."

"So should you see me at today's game, offer a word or two of commiseration."

"P.S. I'll be the one in the black and amber balaclava. As a Newport man, can I wish you the best of luck for the rest of the season ....... with the programme!"

"Well, the Scarlets gave of their best, but the Springbok head remains as elusive as ever. One is tempted to join in the chorus of bigger, faster, more cunning and street-wise - you name it, they were it - but I'll resist that easy option."

"Every touring International side is all of these things, especially so when they represent a major rugby nation. It has always been thus. They are the cream of their rugby-playing population for heaven's sake."

"No, when a David takes on a Goliath, the confrontation invariably needs that generous slice of luck I wrote about a few programme notes ago. The kindly bounce of the ball, the missed knock-on, the 'right' sort of weather - the list is endless."

"Disastrously, the Scarlets were dealt a couple of cruel blows when not just the one ball was tipped, but two. With hindsight, both were totally harmless kicks when launched, but Lady Luck was with the South Africans last Saturday for sure."

"I can't remember when I last saw a similar sequence of events in a match, let alone two; a couple of tries resulted, and the tourists were clear. (As Rob Andrew confirmed in his autobiography: "Most of the games I have played have been determined by circumstances, not planning.") Catch-up rugby is no fun at the best of times, but against the generously talented South Africans, end of story."

"So now it's back to the league, and soon, the cup. Acknowledging the club's poor start to the season (but let's not forget the cracker against Swansea) we can all sigh with relief that the Scarlets are currently in fourth place."

"True, Cardiff look most impressive as front runners, but, strange things can happen. And the Scarlets have shown that they are slowly getting their act together, so go to it, lads."

"In the wake of the Springbok disappointment, with no proverbial kitty-cat to frustratingly boot up the backside, I'll take it out on the next best thing, the WRU!"

"The increasingly confused future of Rugby Union continues apace. With meetings here, forms to sign there, a load of expenses to collect everywhere, your average Dai Public looks on in amazement at it all."

"There's been some interesting correspondence in The Daily Telegraph of late, much of it instigated by a Michael Parkinson article criticising the Rugby Football Union's reluctance to "join the real world" by refusing to abolish their amateur code and ethos."

"In response, Air Vice Marshal Larry Lamb wrote this: "The point I wished to make was that the members of the RFU Committee - who have the power if they were so minded to propose to the International Rugby Football Board that professionalism should be introduced - are elected annually by county, service, university, schools and students' constituent bodies to represent their affiliated clubs' and players' views and interests at Twickenham"."

"If these people are out of touch with grass-roots opinion as was alleged, I sought to remind your readers that they could be replaced annually and democratically by representatives elected on a ticket to make these radical changes. The fact that they continue to serve on the committee surely must indicate beyond dispute that the broad mass of opinion within the game wishes Rugby Union Football to remain amateur"."

"So there you have it. His defence of the curious system whereby members of the RFU Committee are deemed to be totally representative of grass-roots rugby (along with the broad mass of status quo opinion therein) certainly brought my contended chewing-of-cud to a sudden stop. For RFU, read WRU."

"Following the Welsh Rugby Union's recent coup, when most of the old committee were quite amazingly voted back into office, the most oft heard comment continues to be that of 'the tail wagging the dog again', meaning that it is the junior clubs who hold sway over how the Welsh game is run."

"Imagine the day arriving when we the Great British Public finally accept that our politicians really are a bunch of useless plonkers - and we then take inspiration in Napoleon's observation that, if we are a nation of shopkeepers, then shopkeepers are the people we should have running the show, but rather than appoint the Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer as Prime Minister we opt for the local Spar shop owner."

"Nothing against your friendly neighbourhood Spar shop, mind. There's one across the road, and your man would undoubtedly stay open round the clock if that's what the customer wants. Even on Christmas Day, when increasing numbers of pubs, restaurants and hotels stay shut, my local Spar stays open - and does an amazing trade."

"(I am reminded here of why the Spar organisation has never fielded a successful soccer team: well, every time they win a corner, they open a shop)."

"Anyway, the point I wish to make is this: the needs of our own square mile are totally different to those of the whole -which is why Marks & Sparks was recently voted by its peers to be the most admired business in Europe."

"Now here in Wales, those closest to the needs of our game at the highest level, and ipso facto the game as a whole, are those who run our top clubs, Cardiff, Swansea, Neath, Newport, Llanelli... Yet, because of the archaic principle of the district representative, is there a single delegate from these clubs on the WRU Committee?"

"How interesting to note that the Chief Executive of the Rugby Football League, and the person most responsible for rugby league's high profile, Maurice Lindsay, was previously Chief Sitting Bull at Wigan, arguably the most successful rugby club in the world."

"In the meantime, rugby union has to make do with a wagon load of General Custers on a freebie day out to the Little Big Horn of Plenty."