The five precious points came thanks to stubborn defensive effort in the final 10 minutes as the Blue & Blacks threw the kitchen sink at the visitors in an attempt to get back on level terms with the swirling wind at their backs.
But Ty Morris’s men refused to buckle and picked up the victory that means they are very much in the mix at the top end of the table. With Pontypool beat Ebbw Vale it means the Black & Ambers are now only five points off top spot with a game in hand on the three teams above them.
“It is very tight at the top and I can see the top five or six teams pulling away from the rest. Pontypool certainly did us a favour and we could do with them doing the same again this weekend,” said Morris.
“It is always nice to beat Cardiff in Cardiff and I thought Jac Lloyd controlled things very well for us. We had the wind in the first half, and it was swirling all around the ground.
“That made it difficult to control our kicking and the ball didn’t necessarily go where we wanted it to. The way we held out in the end was really impressive and showed our defensive resolve.”
Wales U20 outside half Harri Wilde opened the scoring with a penalty for the hosts before Lloyd conjured up a try for his skipper Ben Roach. Lloyd added the extras to give Newport the lead.
Back came Cardiff with a try from prop Marc Thomas that Wilde improved before Oli Andrew showed his class by taking a high ball, beating three players and scoring. Lloyd converted to make it 14-10 to the visitors.
Joe Goodchild raced in for Cardiff’s second try before the break and Wilde’s conversion hit the post. Lloyd slotted a penalty just before the break to leave Newport clinging to a 17-15 interval lead.
Josh Thomas and Harri Ackerman traded tries in the second half, the latter of which was converted for the visitors, and Lloyd knocked over another penalty to make it 27-20. Then came the late cavalry charge from the home side as they desperately tried to close the gap, but Newport held firm to earn the bragging rights in Welsh rugby’s biggest derby match.
The two teams will do it all over again on Saturday, this time at Spytty Park’s Newport Stadium.
Scorers: Cardiff: Tries: M Thomas, J Goodchild, J Thomas; Con: H Wilde; Pen: H Wilde. Newport: Tries: B Roach, O Andrew, H Ackerman; Cons: J Lloyd 3; Pens: J Lloyd 2
