Prem Review - 29th Apr

By Zippy
May 1 2006

Review of the action from the Principality Welsh Premiership this weekend. Bridgend bowed out with a defeat at Aberavon and Ponty warmed up for the cup final on Sat with a win at Glamorgan Wanderers.

Bridgend 24 Aberavon 35

From IC Wales

BRIDGEND'S excellent season ended with two losses and conceding a double to the Wizards, but they finished deservedly in runners-up spot, writes Howard Evans.

It was a match for the impartial spectator as Aberavon looked dead and buried at 24-7 down after 40 minutes and with two players already off injured. Then came a turnaround as Bridgend were pushed back and back and conceded 28 points without scoring themselves.

"We couldn't put two phases together and they punished us severely in the first half," said Aberavon coach Kevin Hopkins. "They deserve their runners-up place, but we felt that if we kept the ball we could score tries, and so it proved."

Bridgend showed all their skill and pace in that first spell with Chris Tossell and Nathan Trowbridge bagging two tries each. They looked a class outfit and there was not one hint of what was to come.

Stern words from former Wales No 8 Mark Jones as forwards coach, meant that the Wizards changed their attitude. From the second-half whistle onwards they took it to Bridgend up front and at last found a chink in the visitors' armour.

Prop Lloyd Howell had scored the first-half try and when wing Mark Fender, on permit from Taibach, went over, Aberavon were on the road back. Prop Anthony Edwards, fly-half Jamie Davies and lock Paul Morgan added further tries and Davies, the leading Premier scorer, kicked five immaculate conversions.

Just before the finish, flanker Matthew Hillman, son of former Barbarian hooker Colin Hillman, came on to make his senior Bridgend debut at the age of 18.

Bridgend	24 - 35 (24 - 7)	Aberavon
Tries: C Tossell 2, N Trowbridge 2		Tries: L Howell, M Fender, A Edwards.., J Davies, P Morgan
Cons: R Davies 2		Cons: J Davies 5

Glamorgan Wanderers 34 Pontypridd 37

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

The home side made advances into the Pontypridd half, taking advantage of the valley team’s unforced errors. Making one mistake too many in midfield, Ponty allowed Wanderers’ centre Gareth McCarthy to burst through for a try which he also converted. Ponty managed to make cautious advances into home territory, but lacking the confidence to strike for a score, and the Wanderers once more putting points on the board through a Gareth McCarthy penalty. Ponty were awarded a penalty straight from the restart, but Dai Flanagan’s attempt rebounding off a post, summing up his team’s frustrations so far.

The visitors now tried hard to up the tempo of their game, taking a quick tap penalty, followed by a well placed cross kick from Dai Flanagan which winger Chris Clayton gathered to sidestep over for a try,  converted  from the touchline by Flanagan. The game’s error count was high, but played at pace on a firm surface, providing plenty of thrills for the crowd to enjoy. It was the home team who managed to increase their lead, centre Gareth McCarthy once more on target with a penalty kick. Ponty responded with a fluid phase of attack, moving the ball effectively through many pairs of safe hands,  a sweet dummy sold by Dai Flanagan before giving a scoring pass to centre Gavin Dacey who crossed in the corner.

The Wanderers instigated another surge upfield, working an overlap for winger Jamie Henthorn to cross for a try,  and converted by McCarthy. It was all action as Ponty set off on a fluent offensive but their chances undone by a wild pass straight into touch. Ponty were grafting hard in attack, but still lacking the confidence to dominate. It was an opportunist charge by Nathan Strong off the back of a line out which saw the Ponty no 8 galloping away a full forty-five metres to claim a try, a wide angle conversion to follow from Dai Flanagan. Still putting in the effort in attack, Ponty set up another back line move, centre Gavin Dacey splitting the home defence to claim a try, once more converted by Flanagan. The game continued at a frenetic pace right up to the interval, the Wanderers striking back with a try scored by outside half Mark Roper and converted by McCarthy, registering a home lead of 27pts to 26 at half time.

The high scoring rate continued as play resumed, the Wanderers continuing in the ascendancy, and sending winger Jeff Hobbs over for a try, converted by McCarthy. The home team were applying considerable pressure, but Ponty claiming precious points as Dai Flanagan struck over a penalty against the general run of play. With Morgan Stoddart on in place of Jason Pocock, Ponty were pegged back in their own half by the long range touch finders of home full back Stuart Lawrence. Further substitutions saw Gareth Jones coming on for Tom Dickens and Ben Phillips for Leighton Davies, as Ponty just kept in touch with another Dai Flanagan penalty successfully converted.

Ponty now began to look more menacing with  ball in hand, their efforts typified by a forceful break from full back Stoddart. With Ryan Harford and Wayne O’Connor coming off the bench in place of Ian Poley and Lee Evans, followed by Ben Rose in place of Chris Dicomidis, a revitalised Pontypridd were just edging the contest. The flow of the game was impaired by a series of injury delays, but Ponty maintaining a period of pressure, and ultimately working an overlap for winger Matthew Nuthall to cross for a try out wide. A high scoring encounter was now in the balance going into its last five minutes, with Daniel Hitchings on for Chris Clayton, and Ponty holding the upper hand to preserve a narrow lead.

Another delay ensued as home full back Stuart Lawrence was stretchered off, before the Wanderers threw everything into a late offensive, but held out by a committed Ponty defence. It was Pontypridd who finished on a high, both Daniel Hitchings and Matthew Nuthall going close to scoring in injury time, before a somewhat surreal contest came to an end, Ponty emerging as victors by 34 pts to 37.

Glamorgan Wanderers	34 - 37 (27 - 26)	Pontypridd
Tries: G McCarthy., J Henthorne, M Roper, J Hobbs		Tries: C Clayton, G Dacey 2, N Strong, M Nuthall
Pens: G McCarthy. 2		Pens: D Flanagan 2
Cons: G McCarthy. 4		Cons: D Flanagan 3