Rumney : 15.K.O'Sullivan 14.L.Fox 13.T.Daly 12.A.Jones 11.L.Plummer 10.L.White  9.C.Milton 1.J.Leadbeatter  2.M.Feneck (Capt)  3.C.Fitzpatrick  4.J.Mills 5.M.Kelly  6.A.Wilson  7.R.Fenton  8.D.Rees  Replacements : M.Catris   M.Way C.Jones  C.Maynard  B.Morris

Newport Saracens : 15.D.Gregg 14.M.Cawley 13.M.Evans (Capt) 12.M.Wheeler 11.W.Cunliffe 10.O.Biddiscombe  9.N.Powell 1.S.Robertson  2.D.Bishop  3.E.Lewis  4.L.Williams 5.S.Morasco  6.L.Williams  7.A.Packer  8.R.Palmer  Replacements : from the squad

Referee : Wayne Davies, Llannon, Llanelli

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Scorers for Rumney : J.Mills 2 tries, C.Fitzpatrick try, penalty try and 2 penalties and 3 conversions

Scorers for Newport Saracens : M.Cawley try, N.Powell try, W.Cunliffe try, O.Biddiscombe conversion, D.Gregg penalty

An exciting all action display from both sides marked the mid point of the 2007-2008 campaign and proved to be excellent seasonal fare for the sizeable crowd that ventured out on this cold and foggy Christmas weekend. A pacey start found Rumney whipping the ball across the threequarters and prop John Leadbeatter, flanker Ryan Fenton and second row Joe Mills linking and carrying play forward. In the sixth minute flanker Anthony Wilson gathered well in a lineout and set up a tight, controlled drive which prop Craig Fitzpatrick guided to the line where Mills grounded the ball for the opening try. The successful conversion gave the home side a 7 - 0 lead and they maintained their strong start by pushing the Saracens pack backwards in the first scrums, but the visitors benefitted from good line kicking by outside half Owen Biddiscombe and full back Darren Gregg and they soon found themselves in the opposition twenty two. The Saracens won a Rumney lineout and a long ball from Biddiscombe found right wing Wesley Cunliffe coming in through the centre, drawing the defence and supplying left wing Martin Cawley with a try scoring pass. Three minutes later Rumney added a penalty and after a period of pressure which saw centre Anthony Jones driving through midfield, a further penalty took the score to 13 - 5 before Gregg pegged it back to 13 - 8. With play swaying back and forth, Rumney applied pressure through Second row Michael Kelly, Wilson, No8 Dyfrig Rees and Captain Michael Feneck, while Newport Saracens replied with powerful play by flanker Larry Williams, second rows Lee Williams and Scott Morasco, and tactical kicking from scrum half Nathan Powell. As half time approached the Saracens set up a controlled rolling maul and from the second phase Powell darted over for a try, but in the fortieth minute another successful home penalty resulted in an interval score of Rumney 16 Newport Saracens 13.

Early in the second period a superb break by home scrum half Chris Milton and intense follow up play by Fenton, Fitzpatrick, Kelly, wing Lincoln Plummer and full back Kieron O'Sullivan, took Rumney to the Saracens' ten metre line, and in a set scrum their forwards drove the remaining distance for Mills to grab his second try. In the fifty ninth minute the domination of the home pack resulted in the visitors attempting to bring down another forward drive and Mr Davies had no hesitation in heading for the sticks to award a penalty try, the successful conversion extending the lead to 28 - 13. At this point Rumney coaches Steve Ford and Mike Peard decided to ring the changes, bringing on fresh, impact players Chris Jones, Mike Catris, Matthew Way, Calvin Maynard and Ben Morris and another vintage passing movement between forwards and backs ended with Fitzpatrick catching a long ball in acres of space and cruising in for a fine try. In the Rumney backs, centre Tom Daley and wing Lewis Fox, along with Jones and Way, impressed with their workload, while the Saracens began to spin the ball more in Cunliffe's direction, but it was from a turnover deep in the visitors' own twenty two that the flying winger was set loose and he sprinted the length of the field, neatly gathering his own kick ahead, for a sensational solo try. The final five minutes were fiercely contested but there was no further scoring and at the halfway point of the season, with this impressive 35 - 20 victory, Rumney deservedly moved into the top half of the First Division.

Mike Peard, Forwards Coach Rumney 1st XV : "This was a huge game for us today because of the teams' respective positions in the league and I am over the moon with the way the boys played, the commitment they showed in the tackle and ruck area was outstanding, the set pieces, the lieouts and scrummages went well and won us the game. To take scrums against the head when you are playing a quality side like Newport Saracens is a great credit to us. We had a good week's training before the match and we put a game plan in place which worked perfectly because the boys had the right attitude going on to the field. This was our first home win of the season and it is a good feeling, full credit to everyone. All the forwards had great games, their togetherness at the set pieces and their commitment was second to none. Everyone played with passion and pride, so everybody is smiling and it makes for a good Christmas."

Ryan Fenton, flanker Rumney 1st XV : "It was an enjoyable game, very hard up front, but it all came together in the scrum. In the second half we got on top and although it was scrappy around the loose ball area and there were some knocks on, this was my last game of the season before I head for Australia, and it was a good one to go out on. Big Joe Mills had an excellent game and Kieron O'Sullivan stepped up well to the First XV."