Bridgend 33 Llandovery 14

Wales on Sunday

BRIDGEND deservedly and in the end decisively won their first game of the season by beating an error-prone Llandovery at the Brewery Field.

Although the Drovers had a huge edge in the scrum – nullified late on by the introduction of passive scrums after injuries to both Bridgend props – their general play was full of mistakes.

Bridgend looked sharper and livelier in the loose and shook off the disappointment of conceding a fourth minute penalty try at the scrum to go into the interval with a 10-point lead.

Llandovery could have been 13-0 up if fly-half Steffan Rees had kicked two easy penalties, but tries from wing Richard Radford and fly-half Gareth Knoxput Bridgend in control.

Full-back Gareth David’s two conversions and a penalty made it 17-7 at the break which soon became 20-7 with another David penalty.

Llandovery clawed their way back with a second penalty try – again at the scrum – to make it 20-14 but when referee David Williams called for passive scrums the Drovers’ main weapon was cancelled out.

With centre Gareth Howells a constant threat and the driving maul at the line-out working well Bridgend wrapped it up with a try by replacement forward Jonathan Jones, a conversion and penalty by skipper David, plus a late dropped goal by fly-half Chris Anderson.

This hard-fought win takes Bridgend level with Llandovery on six points although the Drovers still remain ahead of them because of a better try count.

Llanelli 13 Pontypridd 13

By www.PontypriddRFC.co.uk - Rygbi Pontypridd - Official Website / Y Wefan Swyddogol - The Valleys' Premier Team.

Pontypridd began a difficult series of games with this visit to Stradey Park to play third placed Llanelli. With home games to come against second placed Ebbw Vale and top-of-the-table Neath, Pontypridd’s ability to challenge for the Principality Championship could be decided over their next few matches. 

Stradey Park has never been a good place to visit for Ponty, and they had not won there since 17^th January 2004. However, on a damp, dark afternoon, Pontypridd dominated proceedings for much of the game and were unlucky to come away only with a 13-13 draw. They outscored Llanelli by two tries to one, but for once the trusty boot of Dai Flanagan failed to convert either of the tries and only managed one successful penalty kick. 

Scoring chances were few and far between in the first period, and Pontypridd was playing against a brisk breeze. Nevertheless they were able to put the home defence under pressure on a number of occasions, and Dai Flanagan put the first points on the board with an early penalty. The next score came from skipper Nathan Strong, who was driven over from a lineout, and the visitors were 0-8 up as the second quarter began. 

The game was about half an hour old before Llanelli managed to get into the Pontypridd 22. Then, in one of home side’s few forays into the Pontypridd half, centre Jon Davies got over for a try, assisted by some weak tackling in the middle of the park. It was converted by Dan Evans, and so the teams went in at half time with the score at 7-8. 

There were even fewer scoring opportunities in the second half, but with the breeze behind them and the team playing well, the large contingent of visiting supporters was confident of success. Pontypridd wing Chris Clayton scored the only try of the half early on, but the boot of Evans kept Llanelli in the game, kicking a penalty after 56 minutes to bring the score to 10-13. 

There was no change in the scoreline as the game went into its final minutes, with Ponty hanging on to their narrow lead. However, the deserved win was taken away from them when Evans kicked his second penalty with two minutes to go. Although the visiting supporters probably would have settled for a draw before the game, they went away feeling disappointed as victory was stolen from their grasp.

The Pontypridd pack was under some pressure in the early scrums, but gradually improved to come out on top in this phase of the game. Although the home side shaded the lineout battle, Ponty obtained enough good ball to win the game. The back row of Evans, Shellard and Strong went well, Andrew Jenkins had a good game at the base of the scrum, and all the backs put in solid performances. 

However, they did not always use their possession well in the second half. The conditions and scoreline suggested that a kicking game, putting the ball into the Llanelli corner and making them play from deep, was the best strategy. Instead Pontypridd chose to keep on playing their running game, often from their own half, and eventually conceded the two penalties that robbed them of their victory. 

The result puts Pontypridd in sixth place in the Premiership, with 19 points. Neath (29 points) and Ebbw Vale (25) continue to dominate the table, and Ponty need to beat both these sides if they are to stay in touch in the league.

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