The clash between Newport - the defending SRC league champions - and Llandovery - the SRC Cup winners - provided a thrilling and fitting opening to the much-anticipated 2025-2026 season, writes Huw S Thomas.

In front of the S4C cameras, the Drovers served notice that they are as good and well-coached as ever with an impressive four-try bonus point win, but realise full well that Tyron Morris’s men will be a major danger to their ambitions.

Newport, Llandovery, Cardiff and Ebbw Vale will again be front runners in SRC’s second year with the WRU desperate to see standards improve at all 10 clubs if the competition is to be a realistic pathway to professionalism.

Llandovery had a number of new faces in their line up - notably ex-Aberavon and Wales U20 hooker Cameron Lewis - but also included former Scarlets, Dragons and Exeter Chiefs wing Corey Baldwin, who first played for the Drovers when a 17-year-old schoolboy at Llandovery College.

Last year the West Walians did the double over Newport in the regular season and this five-point win gets the season off to a great start.

“We had a poor start to the season a year ago, losing three of our first four games, and are determined to do better this campaign,” said coach Euros Evans.

“To win, away, at the home of the SRC champions, with a bonus point is a huge fill up for the squad but we must follow it up against Swansea this Saturday.”

Evans was delighted to see the younger members of the squad confirm their progress and promise.

“Prop Josh Morse and No. 8 Dom Kossuth were outstanding and fitted in well with all the old heads around them,” he said.

Llandovery’s strength over the years has been in the way they mix the young and the experienced, and in Morse and Kossuth have two potential stars of the future.

After Newport had taken an early lead when a clever grubber from fly-half Carwyn Penny had fashioned a try for wing Finn Baker, Stuart Worrall brought the scores level after a clever close-range line-out had driven the flanker home.

The SRC champions then had their best patch of the game when their big forwards, under skipper and No 8. Ben Roach, had the edge in most phases.

Lock Josh Skinner went over from a line-out and Penny added the conversion and penalty for a 15-5 lead.

Just before the break, fly-half Ioan Hughes kept his side in touch when he squeezed over wide out after his forwards had pounded the home line.

It was young Morse that lit up the second half when he made two charging runs towards the Newport posts before having the positional nous to bullock through for the try.

Skinner was yellow carded in the movement and Hughes kicked the conversion to take the Drovers into the lead - 17-15 - for the first time.

The fly-half’s kicking in both attack and defence was to earn him the Man of the Match award and he soon added a conversion to a close-range try by busy new hooker Lewis.

With Worrall causing Newport all sorts of problems in the contact area and the scrum dominant, even the loss of Aaron Warren to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on did not stop Llandovery momentum.

The immaculate Hughes popped over a penalty for a 27-15 lead before Newport saved some kind of face in the bizarre dying moments.

Two more deliberate knock-ons by centre Adam Warren and lock Joe Powell earned yellow cards from referee Adam Jones and it was enough to let replacement back Barney Nightingale grab a very late try and losing bonus point for the shaken Black and Ambers.

Tries: F Baker, J Skinner, B Nightingale

Con: C Penny

Pen: C Penny

Tries: S Worrall I Hughes, J Morse, C Lewis,

Cons: I Hughes (2)

Pen: I Hughes

Llandovery: K Abraham; C Baldwin, Adam Warren, R Jones, Aaron Warren; I Hughes, L Rees (capt); J Morse, C Lewis, B Watkins, C Long, J Powell, O Davies, D Kossuth, S Worrall

Replacements: J Hughes, F Thomas, J Pritchard, D Alford, D Gemine, G MacDonald, J Maynard, L Morgan,

Newport: M Williams; L Lewis, J Morris, C Foster-Smith;F Baker; C Penny, D Buckland; T Devine Morris, H Palmer, O Drake, J Skinner, C Bradbury, J Reid, B Roach (capt) I Davies

Replacements: T Workman, W Langley, G Harris, C Smith, L Welch, M O’Brien, B Nightingale