Newport fired up for All Blacks challenge
Director of rugby Bob Adams believes Newport are now a much better team than the one beaten by Bridgnorth earlier this season as the county rivals prepare to face-off again tomorrow.
Newport travel to the All Blacks for a game which has huge ramifications both in terms of local pride and their promotion hopes.
Adams’s men sit second in the Midlands Premier, just two points behind leaders Scunthorpe with five games to play.
But they know they will face the sternest of tests against a Bridgnorth outfit who for much of the season harboured promotion hopes of their own and beat them on their own patch back in November.
Newport have won eight of their next 11 games to remain right in the shake-up at the top of the division.
Adams said: “I think we are a much better team now than the one which lost to Bridgnorth earlier in the season.
“Tomorrow isn’t about revenge. In the first game Bridgnorth were worthy winners and we could have no complaints.
“We will have the same approach as every other week. With the position we are in they are all big games.
“I’m sure Bridgnorth will be giving everything to try and stop us but so will every other team we face between now and the end of the season.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge. We know it will be tough.”
The chance to throw a spanner in the works of their rivals’ promotion push is far from the only motivation for Bridgnorth.
Though last weekend’s 45-12 defeat at Luctonians extinguished any remaining hopes of making a run themselves, boss Bryan Smallman is eager for his team to build momentum ahead of next Friday’s North Midlands Cup final with Dudley Kingswinford.
“This is a huge fortnight for the club, with the derby first up and then the final,” said Smallman.
“We’ve still got to play Scunthorpe before the end of the season so, though we might be out of contention ourselves, we can still have a big say in who does get promoted.
“A lot of the Luctonians players were in the bar after the game last week asking us to do them a favour by beating Newport.
“The players certainly don’t need any extra motivation. The reason we get up for these games so much is because Newport are such a fantastic club.
“We’ve had some great battles with them down the years and there is a real healthy rivalry between us. For our players it is also a chance to put in a performance before the cup final.”
Newport could welcome back both back row Rhys Morgan and full-back Liam Holder for the match. Bridgnorth will give blindside flanker Charley Wright a late fitness test.
