The phrase a game of two halves is a cliché that is overused in sport but this really was the archetypal of that saying.
The Ravens, bolstered by the return of half backs Matthew Morgan and Tom Grabham, were given the jolt in the arm they needed when after an early altercation, Newport duo Dafydd Rosser and Andrew Quick were given ten minutes to cool down.
Bridgend couldn’t fail to use the numerical advantage to good effect and made the Black and Ambers pay with tries from Ashleigh James and Jamie Murphy.
Morgan kicked a conversion and a penalty to put his side 15-0 up after 17 minutes, and the Ravens looked a different outfit with the enigmatic fly half running proceedings.
The Black and Ambers did break their duck when Scott Sneddon found the target, but both James and Murphy crossed for their second before Adam Frampton went over from a driving maul for the visitors. Morgan had time to add one more penalty before the whistle was blown for half time with the hosts 32-8 to the good.
Whatever Sven Cronk said to his men at the interval, it worked! When the sides re-entered the fray, Newport appeared to be a different side, testing the Ravens defence and the hosts were forced into technical offences to keep the opposition at bay, as prop Owen Williams and captain Jonathan Vaughan were both sin binned for their sins.
It was Newport's turn to press home the two man advantage with Frampton crossing from close range and speedster Elliot Frewen crossing for a brace.
The momentum had swung the visitors' way and the Brewery Field faithful could sense it, but this young Ravens side re-galvanised themselves and crucially went over for two scores of their own through Chris Williams and Arthur Ellis.
Newport were to have the final say with Frewen touching down for his hat-trick and Andy Brown crossing in injury time but by then the damage had been done.
Worryingly for Newport fans, the two yellow cards they received today mean they have now received ten in total in seven league matches (8 yellow and 2 red), and surely it is their indiscipline that cost them in this match.
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