 Nevertheless, Phillips was one of four new players in the team to 'make an impact', alongside George Boots, Jehoida Hodges and Reg Skrimshire.The 1897–8 season at Newport saw the beginning of a 'historic' partnership at half-back between Phillips and Llewellyn Lloyd that lasted till 1901.Phillips and Lloyd were thought of as a pair, both playing along similar lines and sharing the work of scrum-half and outside-half.