NEWENT head coach Ross McMillan says his side’s never-say-die attitude helped them turnaround a 13-0 deficit to win 17-13 at local rivals Drybrook.

The Bristol hooker was proud to see the Green Army overcome a stuttering start to a game of fine margins and felt the fixture was a superb advert for Forest rugby.

“It was a slow start – we do that in big games,” he said.

“We often like to feel our way through them but that can often cost us.

“Half-time couldn’t come quick enough for us but the response was really good and what we know with this group of players is they listen and put into action what’s said.

“At half-time we talked about keeping the ball alive. What Drybrook are good with is their rolling maul. Their second row, Will Greenway, is a great player and I can’t speak highly enough about their set-piece work.

“So for us it was a case of making sure we shift the ball.

“Instead of taking it into contact, we were looking at off-loading and working on multi-dimensional play.

“That meant both forwards and backs moving the ball around to keep it alive at all costs.

“That helped us create a couple of breaks through our wingers and that’s what decided it in the end.

“If I were a neutral I would have said it was a wonderful day for the season opener. It was a great show for what local ruby is all about.

“If I’m a Drybrook supporter, player or coach I would probably feel hard done by because the game is often settled by the bounce of a ball. We are fortunate that the bounce is falling our way at the moment.

“This group never know when to die. Although we take a while to figure out how to cut open teams, when we find that and apply that pressure we never let it up."