Monday 2 November 2026 09:20
Newport Turn on the Style
Newport made their first ever visit to Oxford Harlequins making them the 130th different opponent that they have faced in league competition. They arrived to find a dry, warm and calm afternoon and a superb artificial pitch, a surface that Newport always tend to thrive on and Saturday was no exception as they put on an excellent show. Eight tries were recorded as they returned home with maximum points.
There had been no real change to the long injury list amongst the backs although Charlie Gamble was able to return from suspension and the decision was made for Head Coach Tomasi Tanumi to start on the wing, his first appearance for the club since 2012, although he is only recently retired from playing having featured in Harrogate’s promotion winning team last term.
Forward coaches Tom Cowell and Jack Wells were again named on the bench and they too featured in the latter stages of the game
Newport demonstrated exactly what was in store for the home side when John Tuia put in two big hits early on to set the tone for the day. Henry Lockington then burst though but couldn’t keep his feet as he approached the last man. This was the first of many tackle-busting runs that earned him a deserved man-of-the-match award.
It was nine minutes before Newport could open their account, Tanumi finding himself boxed in but a clever chip through saw skipper George Boughey, another player to really shine on the day, collect and go over to get the scoreboard ticking.
It was all Newport with Quins having to rely on the odd break from deep. It was from one such break that Fin Barnes raced back to make a crucial tackle only to be carded for not releasing the tackled player.
This allowed the home side to generate some territorial pressure but Tuia, Tom Clifford, Tom Clark and Jordan Grass were all instrumental in keeping them out producing hard and physical defence. Just as it appeared that they had weathered the storm whilst down to fourteen Quins opted for a scrum in front of the Newport posts and it was Harry Burn who was able to slice through to score, Benn Morris tacking on the easy extras to put the home side ahead 7 – 5 after twenty-four minutes.
Quins were then hit by a “double” from Lockington, firstly finishing off a fine flowing move on thirty-two minutes then just a few moments later picking up at the base of a scrum inside the Newport twenty-two and racing clear, scattering defenders on the way to scoring under the posts. Elliot Dolphin converted both scores and Newport led 7 – 19 with seven minutes left in the half. That was the last we would see of the young fly-half who was forced off and was soon seen hobbling around on crutches as the injury curse struck once more.
Charlie Saunders came on at nine with Jack Ingram moving to the wing allowing Tanumi to fill in at 10, not his usual position but he acquitted himself well. There was just time for Newport to add another before the break, Oli Bird being driven over from fully fifteen metres out to register the bonus point try and bring the half to an end, Newport with a healthy lead of 7 – 24.
There was a good following from Newport and they were hoping for more of the same in the second half and despite a shaky start where Quins missed a golden opportunity that’s exactly what they got. Boughey then broke up two Quins attacks in quick succession, the second of which set Tim Waqadau away down the left where Gamble and Charlie Pugh combined to put Saunders in by the posts, Ingram converting to stretch their lead to 7 – 31 after forty-six minutes of play.
The re-start failed to go the necessary ten so Port had a scrum on half way, which resulted in a penalty being awarded to the visitors much to the annoyance of the Quins front row who’s continuous “back chat” to the referee saw them marched back a further twenty metres. Henry Longfellow, whose kicking out of hand had been excellent all day along with several fine piercing runs, put the ball into the corner and after a number of controlled tight phases it was Clark who was awarded the try after being driven over, Ingram adding the conversion to make it 7 – 38 with a further twenty-odd minutes still remaining. Grass was nearly in for what would have been only his second try in nine million appearances but the shock of being in such a position produced a dizzy spell forcing him to slip and mean he remains on one! Wells was on now and Cowell was soon to join him, but in the unusual role of Number Eight.
Newport continued to pile on the pressure and having sucked in most of the defenders Ingram was left in acres of space to cross in the left-hand corner to extend the lead to 7 – 43
Quins at last found their way into Newport territory and were able to manufacture enough space for Oli Cassidy to cross, Ross Cooke converting to move them into double figures at 14 – 43. Cowell then produced a delightful long miss-out pass that any fly-half would be proud of to find Longfellow who nearly got in at the corner but in any event Port were awarded the penalty resulting in another line out on the Quins line. Port drove on and it was soon Cowell peeling off to crash over for his second try in consecutive weeks. Ingram couldn’t convert to bring up the fifty, the full time whistle bringing the game to a close with a final score of 14 – 48
Newport can be well satisfied with their performance particularly with their defence and a line-out that worked to perfection all afternoon. It really is amazing how simple rugby becomes when you do the basics well.
Newport now have a week off where hopefully some of the walking wounded will have recovered sufficiently to feature in the crucial match up with the unbeaten leaders Stourbridge on 14th November, followed by games against Bridgnorth and Banbury, matches that could well be season defining.
All please note – Kick-Off times are now all 2.15 unless otherwise advertised
