Newark Rugby Club director Tim Barker praises side for RFU Intermediate Cup performance and stunning Midlands Two league winning run

Despite dropping out of the RFU Intermediate Cup on Saturday, Newark Rugby Club’s director of rugby is confident success can follow.

The Kelham Road side made the two and a half hour trip to Leighton Buzzard in the Midlands semi-final and fell short in a 24-10 loss.

“It is a cliché, but it really was a game of two halves,” said Tim Barker, director of rugby.

Newark suffered an injury blow in the warm-up and were forced to re-shuffle as a consequence.

He said the last-minute changes may have contributed to his team’s slow start, but praised them for weathering the storm to take the cup clash back within one score in the second half.

“There was a lot of positives to take,” Barker said. “The pack stood up really well again and they didn’t dominate up front. The front row stood up just as well.”

Newark went in to the fixture off the back of four league wins.

“It took a little while to adapt to the new coaches, but we are seeing the results of the changes now, especially because we have had a much more settled side over the last two months.”