October 10, 2026 - 225 views
RGC produced one of their most impressive performances of the season as they swept aside unbeaten league leaders Newport 65-28 at Stadiwm Eirias.
The Gogs ran in nine tries in front of 921 supporters on Saturday, combining attacking ambition with a strong defensive effort to secure a statement victory and get their campaign back on track after a series of tight results.
Newport struck first through Joel Westwood, with Will Ford adding the conversion, but RGC responded through a Billy McBryde penalty before taking the lead when scrum-half Tudur Jones created the opening for Danny Cross to power over.
The home side continued to build momentum, with a driving maul providing the platform for Osian Burt to score before Sam Williams crossed for another try to extend the advantage.
Newport's Finn Baker reduced the deficit with a try converted by Ford, but RGC had the final word of the first half when Ieuan Cornelius dived over to give the hosts a 27-12 lead at the break.
RGC maintained their intensity after the restart. Gareth Parry broke through the Newport defence before linking with Jones, who finished the move for the bonus-point try.
The Gogs then increased their advantage further when Jones won a turnover near his own line and kicked ahead. Sam Jones showed outstanding pace to chase down the ball and score, with McBryde's conversion taking RGC into a commanding 43-14 lead.
Newport attempted to respond, with Ed Thompson crossing for a converted try, but RGC continued to dominate key areas of the contest. Jac Petch-Jones produced an important turnover to halt another Newport attack, while Cornelius also showed his defensive awareness to deal with a dangerous kick into the home side's half.
Thompson was shown a yellow card as Newport struggled to contain the hosts, although the visitors managed another try through Chay Foster-Smith, converted by Ford.
RGC had plenty left in reserve, however, and Niall Povall added another try before the forwards powered towards the line to create the opportunity for Daf Thirsk to score.
McBryde converted Thirsk's effort to take RGC beyond 60 points, before adding a late penalty to complete a memorable afternoon for the home side.
The performance was particularly encouraging for RGC after recent narrow defeats, with their work at the breakdown helping to provide the platform for a free-flowing attacking display.
Parry said the squad had focused heavily on improving their breakdown work in recent weeks.
“We’ve worked a lot on our breakdown over the last few weeks, and today was about putting that into practice. We wanted to be strong on the ball, compete at the breakdown and use the speed and attacking rugby we know we’re capable of playing.
“To score 65 points against the league leaders is a big statement for us. We’ve had some tight results in recent weeks that haven’t gone our way, so it was great to put in a performance like that and show what we can do.”
Despite the scale of the victory, Parry stressed that the team must now build on the result, with a trip to Carmarthen Quins next Saturday.
“We’ve got to back it up now next week away at Carmarthen Quins and build on this over the coming weeks. We really enjoyed that one, but the focus now turns to next Saturday.”
The 65-28 win gives RGC a significant boost and sends an early-season message to their rivals, with the Gogs demonstrating the attacking threat they can pose when their forward work and backline creativity come together.
