By Graham Thomas
Newport Rugby Club have seen plenty of changes in Welsh rugby through their long and distinguished history, so it might be fitting that their 150th anniversary season brings a new direction.
On Saturday, Newport host Bridgend on the first weekend of the inaugural Super Rygbi Cymru tournament.
It’s a new world – of sorts – but there is plenty of familiarity to hand.
There are 10 teams, who are mainly the same group that contested the WRU Premiership last season, with one or two exceptions.
And anyone in doubt that Llandovery, the Premiership champions of last season, will be the team to beat, would have been put right by the Drovers’ hard fought 21-18 victory at Pontypool in the opening fixture on Thursday night.
Newport – runners-up to Llandovery last season – are among the new elite and even though the competition structure may have changed, they are still coached by Ty Morris.
It will be Morris’s ninth season on the coaching ticket, long enough to have seen plenty of tinkering and fiddling about with league sizes and formats in that time.
But Morris insists: “Although I’ve seen lots of changes, this really does feel like the Union want to invest in the competition, it feels like the sponsors want to invest in it, and it has got a different feel to it.
“I really hope that we do get a lot of development through it.
“And I hope teams buy into it and play these kids. The end goal is for those players to move on into age-grade and into regional rugby.”
For young players to thrive, though, Morris is wise enough to know he needs some grey-beards – those who have been this way before and can lead by example.
One such player is Newport outside-half Matt O’Brien, who also happens to be the Dragons’ backs coach and before that was the region’s academy head coach..
O’Brien has been the man who pulls the strings for the Black and Ambers for over a decade and at 32, his influence shows no signs of lessening.
The only question for Newport and for Morris, is how many games will O’Brien be available for, given his regional commitments.
“Matt has been the best player in the league for a long time. I’ve never seen anyone with a skill set like his,” says Morris.
“He may not be as fit as the rest of the guys these days, but he reads a game, he understands the game better than anyone.
“He’’s always swivelling, making decisions.
“I think he’ll be around for about 50% of the games. He was expected to play around that number last year, but with a few games rescheduled, it ended up at around 80%.”
Unlike Newport, Bridgend have revamped their coaching set-up and now have former Wales hooker Scott Baldwin in charge.
Baldwin has cut his teeth as defence coach at Newcastle Falcons, but was keen to return to Wales and so has taken charge at The Brewery Field, where former Wales second row Bradley Davies is forwards coach.
Another introduction for Super Rygbi Cymru is a number of double-header fixtures where their matches are to be paired with some Welsh regional matches in the URC.
For Newport, it will mean doubling up with the Dragons, a prospect Morris is excited by.
“It will be amazing,” he says.
“I think that’s a great advert and there should be more of them.
“There is a real opportunity now with this Super Rygbi Cymru. There’s a lot of change, a lot of people are talking about it, so why not put it in the limelight?
“Let’s get it on the billboards and put it in lights and get people excited about it.”
Super Rygbi Cymru Trophy
Thursday, Sept 12
Pontypool 18, Llandovery 21
Saturday, Sept 14
Carmarthen v Swansea (2.30)
Ebbw Vale v Aberavon (2.30)
Newport v Bridgend (2.30)
RGC v Cardiff (2.30)
