Now head coach Jason Williams is hoping he can honour the heroes of the past by going one step further and reach the Bowl final. Their 13-7 home win over reigning champions Brecon last weekend made that possible and now they can look forward to a semi-final showdown with Glynneath on 21 March.
The other semi-final will see two-time former champions Penallta take on Rhydyfelin, who were beaten 20-19 in the 2013 final by Heol y Cyw. Three of the four teams used to play against each other in the Championship – Glynneath were relegated in 2018 and both Newbridge and Rhydyfelin came down last season.
“We played for nine and a half minutes with 13 men last weekend against Brecon, but still managed to find a way to win. We went into the game as underdogs, yet somehow got through,” said Williams.
“We prepared and planned well, but it was all down to the players. They were superb and it was a great day for the club.
“When I first turned up to help out with the defence last season they had become used to losing. Even the fans were saying to each other, ‘are you here to see Newbridge lose again?’
“Relegation was a bitter pill to swallow for everyone connected to the club. I got offered the job as head coach when Scott Williams opted to move on to Cwmbran and, to be honest, it was the one job in rugby I really wanted.
“I played at the club between 1996-2004 and used to come and watch them in their heyday. I wanted to try to get them back to winning ways and to halt what could have been a slippery slide into oblivion.
“Now we are one step away from a cup final and we’re going well in the league. More importantly, the players are enjoying their rugby and so are the fans.
“The Welfare Ground is now a good place to come to watch some decent rugby again and I like to think we are honouring the traditions of the old Newbridge style that was put in place by Keith Westwood, Paul Evans and Paul Turner.
“This is a hugely historic club and it is our job to show it has a bright future. We won’t get ahead of ourselves, and we’ve got four very tough league matches coming up before the semi-final, but it would be fantastic if we could do what no Newbridge team has done before and go all the way to the final.”
Glynneath head coach Grant Bignell will also have a number of good reasons for hoping his side can halt the Newbridge march after their 35-19 win at Birchgrove in the quarter-finals. He was the hooker in the 2011 final when Glynneath were beaten 35-13 by Ammanford.
Bignell’s team were forced to hit back from a 16-10 interval deficit before going on to win. They have only been beaten once to date this season in the league and Plate.
“There was a really strong wind and we were against it first half. We gave a few silly penalties away and they had a very good kicker who had us under the pump against the elements,” said Bignell, who saw his side fall 26-17 at home to Penallta in the quarter-finals last season.
“I felt the wind was worth more than six points. I told the players at half time that we just had to stick to what we were doing.
“We needed to play in their 22 and try and pin them back, as we knew it was hard to get out of your own half in those elements. “Our driving maul was used to really good effect and we scored three tries off it.”
Specsavers National Plate
Matches to be played on the weekend of 21 March
Penallta v Rhydyfelin
Glynneath v Newbridge
