N'port

[Stevey]

Well we could have and should have won this game, or drawn at the very least. Early red card did it for us really, didn't see the incident so can't say whether it was deserved or not, we fought with 14 and N'Ports many mistakes kept us in the game. Late penalty miss would have made a draw had we been more accurate, but what's beyond me is why the outside half didn't attempt the second opportunity from a similar position. That would have brought us level. Not too disappointed considering we missed one of our most consistent players, Cameron, from so early.

[jadegoodiesfridge]

Yeah! A hard defeat to take in the end having held our lead for the majority of the game .But a bonus point away from home when you've played most of the game with 14 men can't be sniffed at.Cameron's red was out of character ,but apparently it was deserved. So no arguments there.It seemed the Gods were against us today what with Dorian being told that he couldn't play against Newport by the dragons,then Dai Langdon gets injured scoring the first minute try thus we lose our kicker in the process.Then the red card.Great effort by the forwards in the dying minutes to get us two kickable penalties only to discover Dan had by now lost his kicking boots and then Callum didn't fancy the second one.Very frustrating.But a losing bonus against a side that took us to the cleaners a few weeks ago is definitely not to be sniffed at.

[viewfromthestand]

Disappointed yes. To have lost this game. A red card for use of the elbow ultimately cost us this game. Our pack was incredible and matched a big Newport 8 pound for pound. We looked classy for our 2 tries but as soon as Cam went off our balance was way off. Thought some of our back play was good but other times we look ponderous. James Lewis has a new lease of life and did his job very well today. Dai Langdon was injured very early on and continued but maybe should of gone off earlier. All said and done we lost but we were 100% better than we were several months back and had Cam not been carded i ve no doubt we would of won and dare i say it got a bonus point for tries. Disappointed that Dragons. Would nt allow Dorian to play . Poor show Dragons. But we got a losing bonus and that s mote than we got before Christmas

[Phillip Grey]

Didn't make the game yesterday as had some family commitments that took precedence.

By the sound of it we were in command and heading for a good place in the game before Cameron's red card.
A bit out of character for Cameron, but by all accounts it was probably deserved as a bit reckless.

I get the impression that after that we were a little disjointed and the man advantage allowed them back in the game.

Disappointing, but not a disaster we have Pontypridd at home Friday night to make amends and am looking forward to the match.

[david brown]

Could someone please clarify the terms and conditions of the dual contracted players ? Surely,if a player is not required by the region he should be able to play for the club he has a dual contract with.? The Dragons are making a big issue of trying to get the clubs in GWENT on board.Well that decision they took yesterday to prevent DORIAN playing stank of hypocrisy.They cannot give preferential treatment to a club just because they used to share their name .Just goes to prove that deep down they are still TOWNIES with no scruples what so ever.

[viewfromthestand]

I totally agree with you David that not allowing Dorian to play does nt build any bond with the Dragons. Dorian is not a duel contracted player. He is paid solely by the Dragons. So he s their asset to do as they please. He is a full time Dragon but currently it appears surplus to requirements. He ll probably be off loaded at the end of the season to an English championship club. I believe had we been playing anyone other than Newport he would of played. Then again i may be blowing smoke out of my rear end. As i m not totally certain on my facts.

[JohnCoffey]

I totally agree with you David that not allowing Dorian to play does nt build any bond with the Dragons. Dorian is not a duel contracted player. He is paid solely by the Dragons. So he s their asset to do as they please. He is a full time Dragon but currently it appears surplus to requirements. He ll probably be off loaded at the end of the season to an English championship club. I believe had we been playing anyone other than Newport he would of played. Then again i may be blowing smoke out of my rear end. As i m not totally certain on my facts.

I think that's pretty accurate - he is their asset. Other than the recently introduced dual contracts between the WRU and selected regional players there is no such thing as a 'dual contract' between a region & a premiership club, although it is a popular term used often by supporters.

[JohnCoffey]

I thought on the balance of play that Newport did just about deserve to win – they had far more territory than we did & spent much longer in our 22 than we did in theirs. But without any doubt we could have won the game & they struggled to beat us even with the extra player for over an hour, - which is a great reflection on our players, who didn't let their heads drop when we went down to 14 so quickly, & still looked like they believed they would still win anyway ! A seismic change in body language from the last time we played them.

I don’t think it was Cam Regan’s red that cost us the game & I think we could have beaten Newport even with only 14 players. It was our inability to get out of our 22 for long periods - rather than Newport’s ability to keep us in our 22, that cost us the game & I think the loss of Dai Langdon at half time was a much bigger loss & that turned the game in Newport’s favour.

However, I agree with others that there were many positives to take out of the game & we are continuing to improve substantially. We have some tough games coming up thick & fast but considering where we were for the first half of the season I am not so concerned about the results as we are definitely competitive, look a much better team & the performances & new coaching group deserve support. In the absence of the 2 Dragons Dorian Jones & Carl Meyer that was our best back division and although they have been available all season that is the first time that back division has played together in those positions. James Lewis clearly suffered under the previous regime but I also thought he looked very strong & committed to the cause on Sunday.

[Stevey]

Agree on all points John Coffey, and thought James Lewis looked better than for any other game this year. We will how kick on and improve even more.