In a tryless game punctuated by penalty after penalty, it was Llandovery who won the kicking contest between the respective fly halves. James Garland – a replacement for Cerith Rees after 19 minutes – succeeded with six penalties from seven attempts whilst Gareth Davies slotted over four from five for Cardiff.
Cardiff had been walloped 48-22 by the Drovers at the Arms Park on the opening day of the season but made Llandovery fight hard to secure the double.
Awful discipline by Llandovery early on allowed skipper Davies to kick three penalties inside eight minutes and it took some time for the Drovers to regain their composure.
Helped by the yellow carding of Cardiff No. 8 Dan Crimmins, Garland brought them to 9-6 at the interval and it was another yellow card for prop Ryan Harford that was to cost the visitors very dearly.
The home pack, with skipper and lock Bryn Griffiths outstanding, dominated tight and loose and Garland hit two more penalties in Harford’s absence.
It was all Llandovery in the final quarter with full back Matthew Jacobs and scrum half Lee Rees making slashing breaks that all but brought tries. Two more Garland penalties took the home side clear before Davies salvaged a bonus point at the death.
Llandovery head coach Lyndon Lewis commented: “We put in a particularly powerful forward display in the second half and became dominant in the scrum and contact area but were unable to get over the try line.”
