Newport set for invasion

Newport Rugby Club are preparing a cross-border Shropshire invasion on Saturday as they gear up for the biggest game in their history.The Forton Road men travel to Chester for the semi-finals on the EDF Energy Intermediate Cup, with a trip to Twickenham the enticing prize on offer for the winners.

That match has caught the imagination of the Newport public, with upwards of 200 supporters expected to travel to Cheshire to see if the fairytale cup run can take them all the way to the most famous ground in the world.

Ray Price, Newport's director of rugby, said: "When you look at what is at stake, a place at Twickenham, then you would have to say that this is the biggest match in our history.

"It's created a massive amount of interest in the town. We are a pretty well-supported club anyway, but this has really captured the imagination.

"We've filled one coach and we're well on the way to filling another. The Honeysuckle pub is also taking a coach, and the Wheatsheaf is taking a small coach.

"With people going by car as well, it's going to be quite a big support and we're looking at 200 plus. I went to watch Chester a couple of weeks ago and, if what I saw is anything to go by, we could well out-number them."

Newport will go to Chester, leaders of North Two West, buoyed with confidence having completed a double over Midlands One champions Loughborough Students last Saturday.

"The league is our priority and although we are not quite mathematically certain of being safe we are just about there," Price said.

"That would allow us to concentrate on the cup and beating Loughborough last Saturday will have given the players a real lift for the semi-final."