Newport’s impressive start to the season is encapsulated in the latest statistics update with a number of Black & Amber players leading the way in a number of categories after four rounds of Super Rygbi Cymru.
Young centre Brogan Leary has taken to the league like a duck to water – he carries a muscular frame in the heart of Newport’s defence and he is no slouch with the ball in hand, the fact he has played on the wing for Richard Whiffin’s Wales U20s side testifies to that.
Playing alongside experienced Chay Foster-Smith, Leary has the perfect foil to show off his own qualities. The pair have shared 19 contact off-loads between them, with Leary’s haul of 11 edging him ahead of his teammate and another young player coming through, Swansea’s Jack Hoskins who has made eight off-loads.
In attack, only Cardiff’s Dewi Cross and Newport’s Fin Baker have registered more line breaks (eight apiece) than Leary who is right behind the pair of seven.
Ty Morris’s engine room hasn’t let him down so far this season with a couple of players standing out already. Second row Ethan Phillips has been going about his business in an understated but invaluable way for the Black & Ambers.
He has been a presence in the close quarters while also standing out well with the ball in hand. He has attacked more rucks (87) than any other player in the competition and has beaten an impressive 14 players to have only Ebbw Vale’s Dafydd Thomas (15) and Cardiff full back Matty Young (19) ahead of him in the queue for beating the most defenders.
Back row Hunter Ward has also started the season with a bang – he features in the top rankings of five different categories which suggests any team is going to have to be on top of their game to topple the current pace setters.
Super Rygbi Cymru statistics update: Round 4
| Points Scored (Kick Success %) | Player | Club |
| 53 (91%) | Billy McBryde | RGC |
| 36 (75%) | Will Ford | Newport |
| 33 (74%) | Ben Coomer | Cardiff RFC |
| 30 (-) | Frankie Jones | Aberavon |
| 26 (81%) | Kai Kinsey | Ebbw Vale |
| Tries Scored | Player | Club |
| 6 | Frankie Jones | Aberavon |
| 5 | Sam Williams | RGC |
| 4 | Dafydd Thomas/Morgan Rees | Ebbw Vale |
| 4 | Dewi Cross/Matteus Young | Cardiff RFC |
| 4 | Hunter Ward | Newport |
| 4 | Llien Morgan | Llandovery |
| Match Starts/ Apps (Mins) | Player | Club |
| 4/4 (353m) | Lewys Millin | Carmarthen Quins |
| 4/4 (350m) | Billy McBryde | RGC |
| 4/4 (349m) | Joseff Powell | Llandovery |
| 4/4 (347m) | Curtis Gregory | Ebbw Vale |
| 4/4 (345m) | Ethan Phillips | Newport |
| Attacking Rucks Involved In | Player | Club |
| 87 | Ethan Phillips | Newport |
| 83 | Joseff Powell | Llandovery |
| 80 | Sean Moore | Cardiff RFC |
| 75 | Ben Williams | Pontypool |
| 71 | Morgan Jones | Llandovery |
| Contact Offloads | Player | Club |
| 11 | Brogan Leary | Newport |
| 8 | Chay Foster-Smith | Newport |
| 8 | Jack Hoskins | Swansea |
| 7 | Multiple Players (4) | – |
| 6 | Multiple Players (4) | – |
| Carries (Collision Dom %) | Player | Club |
| 68 (57%) | Ryan Jenkins | Ebbw Vale |
| 47 (70%) | Sam Williams | RGC |
| 46 (41%) | Ben Williams | Pontypool |
| 44 (61%) | Hunter Ward | Newport |
| 44 (55%) | Jacob Hopkins | Swansea |
| Line-breaks | Player | Club |
| 8 | Dewi Cross | Cardiff RFC |
| 8 | Fin Baker | Newport |
| 7 | Brogan Leary | Newport |
| 6 | Matty Young | Cardiff RFC |
| 5 | Multiple Players (4) | – |
| Defenders Beaten | Player | Club |
| 19 | Matty Young | Cardiff RFC |
| 15 | Dafydd Thomas | Ebbw Vale |
| 14 | Ethan Phillips + Ryan Jenkins | Ebbw Vale |
| 13 | Delwyn Jones | RGC |
| 12 | Hunter Ward | Newport |
| Dominant Tackles | Player | Club |
| 7 | Joseph Rees-Weldon | Ebbw Vale |
| 6 | McKenzie Scales | Bridgend |
| 5 | Ben Main | Ebbw Vale |
| 5 | Celt Roberts + Dafydd Thirsk | RGC |
| 4 | Multiple Players (8) | – |
| Tackles (Collision Dom %) | Player | Club |
| 46 (54%) | Lewys Millin | Carmarthen Quins |
| 38 (82%) | Tom Jevons | Bridgend |
| 38 (45%) | Thomas Curry | Llandovery |
| 37 (81%) | Lewis Morgan | Carmarthen Quins |
| 36 (69%) | Dafydd Thirsk | RGC |
| Turnovers Won | Player | Club |
| 9 | Ieuan Morris | Ebbw Vale |
| 8 | Dafydd Thirsk | RGC |
| 8 | Hunter Ward | Newport |
| 7 | Jack Hoskins | Swansea |
| 6 | Multiple Players (3) | – |
| “Post Tackle” | Player | Club |
| 38 | Sam Williams | RGC |
| 29 | Dafydd Thirsk | RGC |
| 28 | Lewys Millin | Carmarthen Quins |
| 25 | Hunter Ward | Newport |
| 23 | Multiple Players (3) | – |
| Passes / Offloads (Accuracy %) | Player | Club |
| 248/2 (89%) | Tudur Jones | RGC |
| 225/2 (92%) | Matthew Aubrey | Swansea |
| 212/2 (95%) | Lucca Setaro | LLandovery |
| 186/0 (95%) | Ellis Lewis | Pontypool |
| 183/4 (97%) | Jonathan Evans | Ebbw Vale |
| “Work + Tackle” (Total %) | Player | Club |
| 12 (33%) | Hunter Ward | Newport |
| 11 (34%) | Alfie Prygodzicz | Cardiff RFC |
| 7 (29%) | Jack Hoskins | Swansea |
| 7 (26%) | Sean Moore | Cardiff RFC |
| 6 (55%) | Afon Bagshaw | RGC |