IT was not the sort of homecoming that Jon Callard would have wished for, but he refused to be critical of his players after a committed performance.

Bath's head coach began his career at Newport and he was hoping to mark his return with a rare victory for his team on Welsh soil.

His charges played well, keeping the ball better than they have done all season, but beating Newport in front of their own fans is no easy task these days.

Bath could justifiably contend that the rub of the green went against them although Callard admitted that the home side's three first-half tries all stemmed from preventable defensive lapses.

Callard said: "Underneath it all, I thought we played a lot of good rugby.

"But we made three silly errors for their tries. The third one on the stroke of half-time was the killer, and it was always going to be difficult to come back.

"Credit to the fellas, though. They redeemed themselves in the second half and they tried right to the end. We just lacked a bit of composure. We kept the ball for long periods, and it's something we can put right."

Bath's efforts to fight back were undermined by injuries.

Fly-half and goal-kicker Jon Preston had to come off after just 22 minutes and centre Mike Tindall was also forced to withdraw.

Both men could have continued, but Callard was loath to risk them with so many big games coming up, especially when he had ready-made replacements in Shaun Berne and Kevin Maggs.

Callard was keen to praise his sometimes-maligned Australian fly-half.

He said: "Credit to Shaun Berne. He had his best game of the season. His confidence and his wit are back. He did very well, sniping and making things happen."

He felt that his team could go forward and win in Munster, a feat beyond any side in the five-year history of the Heineken Cup.

"We have to refocus and regroup," he said. "We went to Toulouse and won there and there is nothing like a wounded animal to bring the best out of us."

Callard was also impressed with Bath's scrum, saying: "They came up against a very good pack, and there was talk about how we were going to be decimated.

"They made life difficult for us, but we were not obliterated as people were saying."

Prop John Mallett was less upbeat.

He said: "We just about held or own up front. But we want more than that as a pack, and we are certainly capable of more.

"Everyone was very disappointed in the dressing room. We played quite well, but unfortunately, that is not quite good enough. We came here to win.

"We need to take lessons from this and move on. We kept the ball well, and there were good bits and pieces. We have to put them together for 80 minutes.

"All credit to Newport, though. They were very sharp and they took their opportunities."

Substitute Shaun Berne came into the game in difficult circumstances, with Bath trailing 12-3, but made a significant impact, scoring a try and making several telling breaks.

He said: "There was not a lot to lose when I came on. The boys were down and the only way to go was forward.

"The guys are all disappointed. But you learn more when you lose, and we will move forward.

"With my try, Kevin Maggs did really well to get the ball back after a great tackle. Our forwards made a bit of space, and I just picked my spot and went for it."