How’s Matt! Boot of O’Brien keeps Black & Ambers rolling

NEWPORT made it four wins in a row to keep Swansea deep in relegation trouble.

The Black and Ambers are having a fine season and now have seven victories from their ten games.

Swansea, meanwhile, remain second bottom after their eighth defeat came at Rodney Parade. Home flyhalf Matt O’Brien was the chief tormentor for the All Whites.

Torrential rain turned the game into a kicking battle and it was Newport's O’Brien who booted his team into a half-time lead.

The atrocious conditions limited Newport’s preferred brand of attacking rugby and a strong wind meant the first half was a poor watch. On his Swansea debut, Steff Williams went close with a drop goal effort before O’Brien opened the scoring with a simple penalty.

O’Brien then saw a monster three-point effort from his own half fall short.

But Swansea kept coughing up more penalties and it allowed the Newport pivot to kick two more goals which sent Craig Warlow’s men into the break 9-0 to the good.

The rain finally stopped for the second period, but Williams missed with a penalty that he really should have slotted.

Williams did finally get Swansea on the board with three points on the hour.

But Newport dominated possession in the final quarter and although they were given a scare late on by a rolling Swansea maul, they did enough to prevail. Star man Matt O’Brien - Newport