The friendly match between Newport and Newfoundland Rock against Snow’s former team will give the top players from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Prince Edward Island the opportunity to show their mettle in the run-up to the province’s IRB Americas Cup campaign.
“I’ll be very interested to see how Frank Walsh who has just got his first Canadian cap fares in the front row and Ciaran Hearn who will be playing in our back division,” said Snow. “Dean Blanks and Morgan Lovell are also ex-Newport boys who will certainly have a point to prove as will the non-Newfoundland players representing us for the first time.
“I can’t wait to take to the field. It’s been a few years since I last played at Rodney Parade, although I was over in Cardiff for the World Cup back in 2007. I have nothing but great memories of Rodney Parade and the people I met here.
“Newport will certainly give us an opportunity to test ourselves today and greatly assist us in preparing the team to face international competition should we make the final.
“There’s a lot of nostalgia for me about this match but at the same time I am looking forward to getting my hands dirty and knocking up against a few old faces!”
