If Craig Warlow’s Newport side can win the WRU National Cup at the Principality Stadium on Sunday then it will be the perfect way to celebrate the club’s first major success 140 years ago.

For the Black & Ambers were the first team to win the South Wales Challenge Cup when they beat Swansea in the final at Bridgend on 2 March, 1878. There were 18 teams in that first competition, including Newport’s rivals at the weekend, Merthyr, and the first round draw was as follows:
Carmarthen v Cardiff (at Neath)
Talgarth v Merthyr (at Merthyr)
Brecon v Monmouth Grammar School (at Neath)
Cowbridge Grammar School v Llanelli (at Neath)
Carmarthen Grammar School v Lampeter College (at Carmarthen)
Glamorgan 10th Rifle Volunteers (Cardiff) v Llandovery College (at Swansea)
Pontypool v Newport (at Newport)
Llandeilo v Neath (at Neath)
Swansea v Abergavenny (at Brecon)

Newport beat Pontypool, Llanelli, Carmarthen Quins and Llandovery College on their way to the final, which was played in Bridgend in front of the biggest crowd ever seen at a match in Wales up to that time, of 2,000. The game lasted an hour and a half and the only score was a touch-down for Newport by E Jenkins which was converted into a goal by AJ Moggridge.

Newport were able to take home with them a silver cup worth 50 guineas that was bought by the South Wales Football Club to award to the winners. It was the last game of the season for Newport and ensured that skipper Will Phillips’ side completed an ‘Invincible’ season.

Newport 1878
W Cliff Phillips, Babbington Jones, AJ Moggridge, Charlie Newman, Fred Goss, Tom Spittle, Bill Mitchell, RH Loane , Arthur Goss, Gus Phillips, CB Cross , E Jenkins, Tom Ponsford, Will Phillips (captain), VA Julius

They successfully defended their title in 1879, beating Neath in a one-side final by two goals, four tries and eight touch-downs to nil. The game was played at Rodney Parade with a 3,000 crowd.

Newport 1879
Tom Ponsford, CF Thompson, AJ Moggridge, George Rosser, Charlie Newman, Tom Spittle, Will Phillips (captain) , Willie Ponsford, RH Loane, Horace Lyne, E Jenkins, George Harding , Fred Goss, Arthur Goss, Llewellyn Evans
     
It would be almost another 100 years before Newport were able to welcome back the biggest prize in Welsh rugby, the Schweppes Cup, after an epic battle with arch-rivals Cardiff in front of a 50,000 crowd at the National Ground, Cardiff Arms Park.

Newport skipper David Burcher and his co-centre international Gareth Evans stood down for after being selected to tour New Zealand with the 1977 British Lions. It meant future England prop Colin Smart led the side.

Tries from wings Ken Davies and Jeff Cranton were key to the success, with full back Leighton Davies chipping in with a penalty. Young student Chris Webber, drafted in as cover at centre, also kicked a penalty and won the game with a touch line conversion. Second row Ian Barnard was given the “Man of the Match” award.

Newport 1977
Leighton Davies; Ken Davies, Neil Brown, Chris Webber, Jeff Cranton; David Rogers, Alun Billinghurst; Colin Smart (captain), David Ford, Rhys Morgan, David Waters, Ian Barnard, Richard Barrell, Keith Poole, Jeff Squire     
Reps: Fred Headon, Terry O’Gorman, Steve Phillips, Jeff Watkins, Bryan Lease, Huw Davies

It took another 24 years before Rodney Parade welcomed back the trophy, the first in the professional era. Newport held on to win 13-8 in a close match with Neath.

It was 3-3 at the break with penalties from Shane Williams and Shane Howarth who had been felled with a head high tackle by Neath fullback Gareth Morris in the 35th minute. Howarth kicked the penalty and Morris went to the sin-bin.

Former Springbok prop Adrian Garvey then scored following a line-out drive and the score was 10-3 to Newport before Neath hit back with a Kevin James try to make it 10-8. Howarth’s dropped goal made it 13-8 and it took some desperate defence and tackling – including a last ditch try saving tackle by skipper Gary Teichmann on speedster Shane Williams – to see Newport home.

Newport 2001
Matt Pini; Matt Mostyn, Matthew Watkins, Andy Marinos, Emyr Lewis; Shane Howarth, Dale Burn; Rod Snow, James Richards, Adrian Garvey, Simon Raiwalui, Ian Gough, Peter Buxton, Jason Forster, Gary Teichmann (captain)
Reps: Ceri Jones, Paul Young, Gareth Taylor, Alix Popham, Jonathan Pritchard, Scott Mitchell, Darren Edwards