FORTRESS Sardis Road comes under renewed assault tomorrow afternoon, this time by a Black and Ambers force confident of breaking down its walls.

No away side has won at the infamous ‘House of Pain’ for nearly two years when Cardiff lowered Pontypridd’s colours on December 29, 2007.

Having beaten Ponty 13–6 at Rodney Parade last month and having put together a run of form, Newport arrive in town feeling upbeat about the task in hand.

After all records are there to be broken but Newport will have to break their duck of not having won on the road all season.

During last season’s race for the Premiership title, Newport came close to taking Ponty’s ground record.

They were winning 26–21 with just minutes to go in April before being finally undone by a spectacular Kris Baller converted try.

Newport head coach Sven Cronk, a former Pontypridd prop, said: “It’s a very difficult place to go and they are a very good outfit who like to play good football.

“We should have won at Sardis Road last season and we are looking forward to playing there. We go there pretty upbeat.”

Cronk did not want to comment on the ugly scenes off the ball during Newport’s 53–14 win over fierce Gwent rivals Pontypool last weekend.

A mass brawl erupted in the 16th minute which saw Pooler prop Neil Giles sent off and teammate Morgan Allen as well as Newport’s Sam Waldron and Mike Poole sin binned.

Further violence marred the game with both sides awaiting news of possible sanctions from the Welsh Rugby Union’s disciplinary committee.

Cronk said he was happy with the way his side had played: “I thought we played some good rugby at a high tempo. We kept going through the phases and caused them problems.”

Newport Gwent Dragons centre Rhodri Gomer Davies, who played for the region in their 22–14 Heineken Cup win over Glasgow last Friday, starts as does fellow Dragon Alex Walker at scrum-half.

Newport: G Wyatt, M Poole, R Davies, S Williams, A Awcock, C Wannell, A Walker, D Pattison, A Brown, L Hunter, D Rosser, A Jones, R Dale, P Williams, A Coombs (captain). Replacements: I Evans, M Leaman, M Workman, S Waldron, D Walsh, S Connor, N Williams.