By Zippy
April 10 2006

Review of the Welsh Premiership action from Saturday 8th April 2006. Both Bridgend and Ponty won to keep on course for high finishing places in the league, for details read on.

Bridgend 27 Llandovery 24

The Western Mail

ROGER DAVIES' 80th-minute try helped Bridgend secure a dramatic win which should ensure they finish as Premiership runners-up behind champions-elect Neath.

But by their own admission the Ravens made life desperately difficult for themselves against a Llandovery outfit who are battling for survival at the other end of the table.

On another day the Drovers may well have claimed victory and had they done so, there would have been few complaints from their hosts.

The visitors were well organised, enjoyed a marked advantage at the set-pieces and took nearly every scoring chance that came their way.

That they returned to Carmarthenshire with nothing will have been the cause of great disappointment, more so given the nature of Bridgend's triumph.

Llandovery's one consolation was that relegation-haunted rivals Maesteg, Ebbw Vale and Pontypool lost, the latter to fellow strugglers Cardiff who moved out of the bottom three in the process. Bridgend are now level on points with Neath, but having played four games more and with an inferior points difference it would take an extraordinary collapse by the champions for the title not to return to the Gnoll.

Gareth Bennett's try gave the visitors a 10th-minute lead, but Bridgend struck back with two tries by Williams and Mark David.

Matt Hutchings converted one and added a penalty, only for Tom Walker to claim the Drovers' second try a minute before half-time. Tomos Marks added the extras and landed a 46th-minute penalty to tie the scores up at 15-15.

Hutchings' well-taken try put the home side back in front, but three Marks penalties looked to have claimed the points for the Church Bank outfit before Davies made sure he had the final word.

Bridgend	27 - 24 (15 - 12)	Llandovery
Tries: A Williams, M David, M Hutchings, R Davies		Tries: J Bennett, T Walker
Pens: M Hutchings		Pens: T Marks 4
Cons: M Hutchings 2		Cons: T Marks

Pontypridd 32 Ebbw Vale 8

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

Ponty were pinned back in their own half for a long period, but at least attempting to be creative by running from deep positions. Ebbw Vale maintained their territorial advantage, failing to reap any points reward as scrum half Brian Shelbourne failed with two early penalty attempts. The visitors were using regional player Sione Tuipolotu as an effective gain line breaker, getting the better of exchanges if not reflected on the scoreboard. An interception from deep by Pontypridd saw winger Matthew Nuthall cruising away to touch down, but the score bizarrely disallowed, and play called back for an Ebbw Vale penalty which Brian Shelbourne gratefully converted.

Ponty’s immediate repost was spearheaded by industrious hooker Ben Phillips, and rewarded as full back Jason Pocock struck over a penalty to level the scores. The game was still evenly balanced with twenty minutes gone, still mostly played out in the home half. Ponty were struggling to breach the gain line, but often impeded by Ebbw’s off side tendencies, and at least able to take advantage as Pocock hoisted over another penalty. The home team now maintained a good period of pressure, setting up a series of attacking line outs and drives, but settling for a speculative Richard Langmead drop goal to put points on the board. It was the long range line clearances of Matthew Nuthall which kept Ponty on the front foot, rarely threatening with ball in hand.

Ebbw Vale’s continued infringing saw lock Gareth Jones sin binned, but the visitors then setting off on a snap offensive and guilty of wasting a good overlap opportunity. Into injury time, Ponty surged forwards towards their opponents’ line, winger Daniel Hitchings going close to scoring, but unable to add to Ponty’s interval  lead of 9 pts to 3.

During the first exchange of the second half, Ponty saw centre Matthew Nuthall take a simple midfield interception to cruise in for a try, the centre then cooly drop kicking the conversion for a seven point haul. The home team seemed to be fired up from the restart, being far more tenacious in their efforts to secure possession, and again rewarded as full back Pocock struck over a well taken penalty. A sniping dart by scrum half Gareth Jones kept Ponty in forward gear, now dominant in all aspects of play. With Chris Martenko on in place of Dale McIntosh, Ponty grappled a turnover to cut free with a flowing passing move, but play called back for a fracas amongst the forwards.

An element of niggle now became apparent in the game, another bout of fisticuffs resulting in a double yellow card, one each for the two combatants, Wayne O’Connor of Pontypridd and Lee Davies of Ebbw Vale. A strong run up the touch line by winger Daniel Hitchings kept  Ponty in the ascendancy, but as yet unable to threaten a score. Against the run of play, Ebbw  set off on a counter offensive, creating an overlap for winger Simon Hunt to claim a try wide out. Tom Dickens now came off the bench for Gareth Jones as Ponty continued to press forward, good work achieved by Matthew Nuthall in hounding down the Ebbw Vale ball carriers, and gaining a penalty opportunity which Pocock converted from twenty-four metres out.

The story of the game by now was of Ponty applying increasing pressure and Ebbw Vale impeding to keep them at bay, the home team once more harvesting points courtesy of another Pocock penalty. A spate of substitutions followed, with Chris Dicomidis coming on for Grant Harrington, Gerald Cox for the injured Ryan Harford, and Leighton Davies for Ben Phillips. Ponty were by now back tracking into their own twenty-two, soaking up a significant amount of pressure, as Paul Matthews came off the bench in place of Dafydd Lockyer. Keeping a good hold of possession, Ponty set up a position for Matthews to cut through in midfield for a well taken try, the conversion to follow from Jason Pocock. Well into injury time, Ebbw attempted a late surge, but held up by a committed Ponty defence, the home team looking good for a final scoreline of 32 pts to 8 in their advantage.

Pontypridd	32 - 8 (9 - 3)	Ebbw Vale
Tries: M Nuthall, P Matthews		Tries: S Hunt
Pens: J Pocock 5		Pens: B Shelbourne
Drops: R Langmead
Cons: M Nuthall, J Pocock

	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	PTS
1	Neath	23	22	0	1	778	315	66
2	Bridgend	27	22	0	5	629	476	66
3	Aberavon	26	18	0	8	681	483	54
4	Pontypridd	24	17	0	7	641	437	51
5	Llanelli	25	15	0	10	474	495	45
6	Newport	23	13	0	10	465	462	39
7	Cross Keys	26	12	0	14	460	501	36
8	Bedwas	24	11	2	11	431	449	35
9	Swansea	23	11	0	12	583	547	33
10	Glamorgan Wanderers	26	9	2	15	514	609	29
11	Carmarthen	25	8	1	16	446	654	25
12	Cardiff	25	8	0	17	493	629	24
13	Maesteg	23	7	1	15	414	576	22
14	Llandovery	25	7	0	18	478	571	21
15	Pontypool	25	6	3	16	367	483	21
16	Ebbw Vale	24	6	1	17	402	569	19