EDF Energy Cup - : Newport set for the biggest game in their history

Newport set for the biggest game in their history

11 March 2008, 9:52 am

By Jonathan McConnell

Newport are set for the biggest match in the history of the Shropshire Club, the EDF Energy Intermediate Cup semi-final at Chester on Saturday March 15.

Successive home wins over Stockport, the 2006 champions, and Middlesbrough have taken Newport through to their first national sem-final and they are just one game away from becoming only the second Shropshire club after Cleobury Mortimer, runners-up in the Junior Vase two years ago, to play in a Twickenham final.
"When you look at what is at stake, a place at Twickenham, then you would have to say that this is the biggest match in our history," said Ray Price, Newport's director of rugby.

"It's created a massive amount of interest in the town. We are a pretty well-supported club anyway, but this has really captured the imagination."

Newport will go to Chester, leaders of North Two West, buoyed with confidence having completed a double over Midlands One champions Loughborough Students last Saturday.

"The league is our priority and although we are not quite mathematically certain of being safe we are just about there," Price said. "That would allow us to concentrate on the cup and beating Loughborough last Saturday will have given the players a real lift for the semi-final."

Having secured promotion last season Newport initially struggled to find their feet at the higher level. But the mid-season recruitment of New Zealander Morgan Sikanen, a prop, and South African flanker Vic van Staden has given them a physical presence up front that was missing earlier in the season.

"At the start of the season we were getting bullied by most of the sides we came up against," Price said. "Most of the sides in this league play a similar type of game but we were struggling to compete with our existing players.

"But the couple of players we have signed have made a big difference, we are much more competitive now and we have started winning games."

Sikanen and van Staden have added to a cosmpolitan Newport dressing room which already included two long-serving Fijians in Watsoni Leqeti and fly-half Tomasi Tanumi.

The side is coached by Ginger Wills, who was in charge of Whitchurch during their days in National Three North. He will relish the semi-final as he previously coached Chester.

Though Newport are a division higher than Chester in the league structure, Price is under no illusions about the task that they face on Saturday.

"We know the job that we have got to do," he said. "We have been to have a look at Chester and they are a very good side. We are under no illusions about how tough it's going to be. They are walking their league, it looks like they are going to be promoted, they are a very good outfit and we are going to have to dig deep and tough it out as we have in our recent games."