The big-sending Ironmen are chasing a place among the Welsh club elite next season and added the scalp of Llanelli to the one they secured against Swansea in the SSE Swalec Championship the previous weekend.
But before they can start thinking about getting their hands on the most famous piece of Welsh club rugby silverware they have to face up to the mouth-watering quarter-final clash that lies in store against local rivals Pontypridd.
“Just beautiful! We only went down west and beat them. It is a great win that sets up the match of the season in the quarter finals. I’m really excited about going to Sardis Road,” said Merthyr coach Lee Jarvis.
The Championship leaders must have feared it was not going to be their day at when they trailed 6-3 and full back Matthew Jarvis had twice missed straight-forward kicks. But their rugby did the talking in the end with two tries in the space of five minutes before half-time.
Alex Howman came in off his wing looking for work and picked a great angle to slice through the heart of Llanelli’s defence to score at the posts. Moments later the former Wales Under 20 scrum-half Rhys Downes scrambled over in the corner after a series of drives from the pack.
It proved to be the knock-out blow despite the Scarlets mustering a response in the second half. Josh Lewis kicked a third penalty before Nathan Edwards powered over for a try on 64 minutes.
But Lewis missed the conversion to make it a one-point game and left Llanelli chasing a try. The home side had to turn down a late shot at goal from in front of the posts as a draw would have seen Merthyr go through on try-count.
So the hosts threw everything at Merthyr, but the Ironmen, led by ex-Scarlet Andy Powell, proved their worth with some resilient defence as they stayed on course for a possible league and cup double.
Neath booked their place in the next round with a comfortable 34-16 win over Cardiff Metropolitan University. Despite missing influential young duo Keiran Williams and Reuben Morgan-Williams duo to international duty with Wales U20, Neath controlled much of the contest.
Wing Josh Jones scored in each half as the home side ran-in five tries in an impressive display. Iwan Evans touched down for an unconverted try early in the first-half for the Welsh All Blacks before two penalties from Cardiff Met outside half Alex Sears edged the students in front.
But three quick tries from Josh Jones, Chris Morgans and Alec Jenkins before half-time gave the home side a deserved 22-9 lead at the interval. A try from wing James Beale shortly after the half-time break gave Cardiff Met hope of a second half comeback but it proved to be short lived.
Neath’s fourth score of the game, this time from prop Geraint James, gave them an 11-point advantage going into the final quarter. Jones’ second try, successfully converted by Luke Price, made sure of the victory for Gareth Llewellyn’s side and they will be hoping a good cup run can inspire a turn of fortunes in the Principality Premiership.
Ebbw Vale ran in nine tries as they easily moved into the quarter-finals with a 61-7 win at the home of Championship side Newcastle Emlyn. There were two tries for back row man Luke Crocker as the Steelmen turned on the power.
A typical driving maul try from No 8 Ethan Doyle after only eight minutes gave the brave underdogs a taste of what was to come and by half-time the visitors had cruised into a 26-0 lead. Centre Adam Jones and scrum half Rob Jones grabbed further tries before Crocker got his first to end the try scoring action in the opening period.
Both sides lost a player to the sin-bin in the first-half – Joel James for the home side and Rob Sevenoaks for the visitors – and the gap grew after the break. Five more tries flowed from the Steelmen, although Emlyn did cross for one of their own from scrum half Mike Jones.
Crocker got his second score and Sevenoaks, Dan Haymond, David Williams and replacement Chris Thomas also joined the Ebbw Vale try-fest. Iain Smerdon landed eight conversions to rub further salt into the home wounds as the 1998 finalists’ set-up a quarter-final clash with Premiership rivals Llandovery.
The Drovers, who famously beat Cardiff 20-18 at the Millennium Stadium to win the cup in 2007, also ran in nine tries as they put another Championship club to the sword. Newbridge fell 59-12 at Church Bank, although they did manage to cross the home line twice with tries from full back Ryan Lee and prop Luke Leddington.
But it was one-way traffic for much of the game as the home side raced into a 40-0 interval lead with two tries from scrum half Rhodri Davies and others from wing Matthew Jacobs, the first of a hat-trick from full back Lee Rees and prop Scott Jenkins.
It didn’t help the visitors’ cause that home outside half James Davies enjoyed himself all afternoon, scoring a second half try and kicking seven out of nine conversions for a match tally of 19 points. Other second half tries came from Rees (2) and No 8 Richard Rees.
Carmarthen Quins headed to North Wales for an early kick-off at Colwyn Bay RFC and just managed to come through against giant-killers RGC 1404. Having beaten Premiership leaders Aberavon in the previous round, RGC were hoping to add another notable scalp to their collection and progress to the semi-finals for the first-time.
But the Quins, finalists in 2010, managed to weather the storm and twice come from behind to win 25-19 to secure their ticket into the last four. A try by former Wales U20 full back Afon Bagshaw and James Lang conversion put RGC 19-15 ahead late in the second half.
The Quins led 12-5 at half-time after the home side’s South African win Tiaan Loots had given RGC the perfect start with the first try of the game. But tries from hooker Iolo Wyn Evans and wing Lee Williams, one of them converted by the ever-reliable Craig Evans, edged Quins clear in the first half.
A try by Evan Yardley after an offload by Sean Lonsdale then hauled RGC back on level terms with Lang’s conversion. Lang then hit the post with a penalty that would have given his side the lead and RGC crossed the Quins line only to be called back.
Quins then hit the front with a penalty by Evans from half-way for not releasing before the Bagshaw try gave the north Walians every hope of adding another Premiership scalp to their collection and continuing their great cup run.
But the Quins came on strong in the end to land a third try, and a second for Williams, and wrapped things up with a further five points from the boot of Evans.
SSE Swalec Cup Quarter Final Draw
Pontypridd v Merthyr
Ebbw Vale v Llandovery
Cross Keys v Neath
* Already through to semi-finals, Carmarthen Quins
