Jenkins facing challenges from new order after emotional return to Pontypridd
Pontypridd 21 Newport 16
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Your support makes all the difference.The prodigal son returned to Pontypridd on Saturday and the locals were able to cheer rather than boo him. After three long years in the wilderness, or at least down the road in Cardiff, Neil Jenkins finally made Sardis Road his home again.
There was nothing glorious about his homecoming, replacing the new starlet at No 10 Ceri Sweeney after 56 minutes, but it was very reassuring for the Ponty faithful to know that their most famous son is one of theirs again.
Not that things are the same as they used to be. Jenkins may only be 57 points short of 3,000 for the club, but the world record points holder knows he is going to have to fight hard to reach another milestone. Now 30, and with a year of injury misery compounded by a broken bone in his foot in pre-season training, Jenkins knows he can take nothing for granted in his second spell at his hometown club.
"With Brett Davey kicking so well, and Ceri Sweeney looking so comfortable at outside half, I know I've got a big challenge to break into the team," Jenkins said.
"It was great to get 25 minutes and I hope that I will be able to push for a start in the next few weeks. It is very much like the good old days when we were challenging in the Heineken Cup and winning trophies in Wales. There is a buzz about the place.
"I got a great reception when I came on – certainly better than the last two times I played here for Cardiff. Sardis Road is very much a home from home for me and I just hope I can get my chance to show the fans what I can do."
Davey kicked 11 points, missing only with an angled penalty that hit an upright, while Sweeney, who was a youth team player at the club when Jenkins was last at Sardis Road, dictated operations superbly while he was on and also scored a vital try.
Pontypridd's blitz-style defence caused no end of problems for Newport, who have yet to win a game under new coaches Leigh Jones and Richard Hill.
Pontypridd: Tries C Sweeney, J Bryant; Conversion B Davey; Penalties B Davey 3.
Newport: Try N Palmer; Conversion J Strange; Penalty J Strange; Drop Goal J Strange.
Pontypridd: B Davey; G Wyatt, S Parker, J Bryant, M Nuttall; C Sweeney (N Jenkins, 56), P John; G Jenkins, M Davies (capt), D Bell, B Cockbain, R Sidoli, M Owen (N Kelly, 70), R Parks, G Lewis.
Newport: S Howarth; N Palmer (S Williams, 67), H Luscombe, A Marinos, A Wagstaff; J Strange, D Burn (O Tonu'u, 46); C Jones, J Richards (P Young, 46), A Garvey (C Anthony, 46), M Voyle, S Raiwalui (capt), S Ojomoh, J Forster, A Powell.
Referee: C White (RFU).
* After leading 32-3 at half-time, Ireland laboured to a 39-8 victory over Romania in a World Cup warm-up match Limerick on Saturday as they prepared for a trip to Siberia in two weeks to face Russia and then Georgia a week later in Dublin. Ireland's Lions centre Brian O'Driscoll should be fit for the trip despite limping out just before half-time on Saturday with a slight quadricep strain.
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