PRINCIPALITY PREMIERSHIP EAST

NEWPORT .................... 42 EBBW VALE ................. 12

AN attacking masterclass from Newport saw them cruise to victory against Principality Premiership East strugglers Ebbw Vale at Rodney Parade.

The Black and Ambers carried on where they left off against Pontypridd and ran in five tries to claim a deserved bonuspoint victory.

It was a fast start from the hosts, with winger Adam Sabri finishing off a sweeping team move. But they were pegged back six minutes later when No 8 Cameron Regan forced his way through the Newport defence to pull Ebbw back into the game.

Newport continued to see a lot of the ball and they frequently bamboozled Ebbw Vale with quick offloads and intelligent runs.

And they were soon back ahead when Garin Harris broke free to touch down. Haydn Simons nailed the conversion.

Two quick-fire penalties from Simons and a yellow card to Regan gave Newport a bit of breathing space before another superb attacking move increased their lead when Sabri found a pocket of space to exploit in the final seconds of the first half to go over.

Rhys Clarke picked up an early yellow card for Ebbw in the second half, which invited more pressure from Newport. But the Steelmen managed to keep Newport at bay until they were restored to the full 15.

However, they couldn’t keep Newport out completely as a third Simons penalty edged the Black and Ambers further ahead.

However, Ebbw hit back straightaway, with Carl Lewis just about keeping hold of a quick offload to go over. Lewis Dennett converted.

The Steelmen then went in search of another try but were thwarted when replacement Ryan Bates caught them on the break to keep Newport in control.

Ian George picked up Ebbw’s third yellow card in the final minutes and Newport used their numerical advantage to get their fifth try through replacement Ken Dowding. Simons nailed the conversion.