Posted by The Rags suffered a first loss of the Indigo Group Premiership Cup going down in a tight contest against old rivals Newport at Rodney Parade on Friday night.
Steve Law had made seven changes to the starting XV that beat RGC comfortably in round one, calling on Efan Daniel, Rory Bartle and James Richards in the pack, while Ellis Bevan, Jake Thomas, Ryan Edwards and Dan Fish were introduced to the back line.
A tense first half saw Harri Millard grab a second try in as many weeks, while Jake Thomas grabbed a try on his competitive debut having scored four against London Welsh in pre-season, with Jack Maynard and Dan Fish kicking a conversion each.
However, each time the Blue and Blacks were pegged back as former Cardiff Academy back rower Ben Roach and Oli Andrew scored tries for Newport, with Will Reed adding four points from the tee, as a Jack Maynard yellow card left the Rags with 14-men for a spell.
The second half was a battle off the tee as a penalty from Maynard and a long range penalty from Ioan Evans were not enough to better three efforts from Reed who handed his side the win with a 75th minute success, with Morgan Allen receiving a second yellow card of the game for Cardiff.
Disappointment for Law’s men who suffer defeat against Newport for the first time in four years, but a valuable learning curve for this Blue and Blacks squad as they stay on the road for a trip to Ebbw Vale next Saturday afternoon.
Cardiff Rugby Life 