Newport (Salop) RUFC

Sat 17 Sep 2022, 14:00

Leicester Lions

48 - 19

(HT 17-19)

Newport (Salop)

Leicester Lions

Newport (Salop)

Newport travelled to Leicester Lions on Saturday looking to carry on the good work from their win over Bournville the previous week. Lions have not lost at home in eighteen months however and were always going to be a tough proposition. Newport held their own for the first sixty minutes but a flurry of tries at the end brought Port back to earth.

Newport started brightly with a fifty twenty-two kick giving lineout ball within Lions twenty-two. Nick Murphy gathered the ball at the lineout and put in George Boughey for a second minute try. A missed penalty attempt from halfway by Newport then heralded a period of consistent Lions pressure. A number of effective line breaks ensued with the Lions held back by some resolute Port defending. The pressure finally told in the twenty second minute when Lions scrum half Ben Young grubbered the ball through for Zach Bean to dot down. Bean was on the score sheet again after twenty-five minutes getting on the end of a cross field kick for the try. Newport responded on thirty-two minutes when after a period of sustained pressure Jake Leonard ran a great line to pick up a pass from Connor Adams and dot down. Leonard converted his try to make the score twelve all. Lions came right back however, their forwards gong through the phases methodically to finally put in Alex Wilcockson for the try. From the ensuing kick off a great chase by Port’s Charlie Gamble forced the error from Lions. A kick through by Leonard was gathered by Sam Brown who fed the ball back to Leonard to go in for the try. Leonard again converted his own try to give a seventeen to nineteen half time lead to Port.

Lions came out with purpose in the second half and after forty-eight minutes won scrum ball under the Port posts which was spun out to Devon Constant for the try. The resulting conversion gave the lead back to Lions twenty-four to nineteen. This again heralded a period of consistent Port pressure but also served to illustrate the difference in class between North Mids. Premier and National rugby. On fifty-five minutes Adams found a soft shoulder and made a great line break creating a three on two. The Lions inside centre Bouchier however did not panic and simply filled the passing lane to take away the opportunity, a defensive play we rarely if at all saw last season. Lions then went into overdrive combining some impressive driving play with the ability to move the ball from wing to wing probing the Port defence. Cairns dotted down on sixty minutes which was converted. There then followed tries for Williams, Wilcockson and Sumpter with the final try being converted by Bouchier for a full-time score of forty-eight to nineteen.

Whilst on paper a big deficit the Lions supporters were full of praise for Newport’s play. One committee member told me that they were rarely down at half time and that Port had given them a real scare. Definitely a performance to build on and once again Port showed they have ability and class to live at this level.

Scoreline: Two minutes, try Leonard 0-5; 22 minutes, try Bean, converted Young, 7-5; 25 mins, try Bean, 12-5; 32 minutes try Leonard, converted Leonard, 12-12; 35 mins, try Wilcockson, 17-12; 38 mins, try Leonard, converted Leonard 17-19; HT; 48 mins, try Constant, converted Young, 24-19; 60 mins, try Cairns, converted Young, 31-19; 65 mins, try Williams, 36-19; 74 mins, try Wilcockson, 41-19, 79 mins, try Sumpter, converted Bouchier 48-19.

 By Peter Maher