Prop Mitch Auger was given a straight red card by referee Leighton Hodges for stamping on the stroke of half-time and Ponty must have been pleased to reach the interval with a 14-8 lead against one of the teams breathing down their neck in the race for play-off places.
The home side took the lead through a try from flanker Jake Thomas which Ceri Sweeney converted. The skipper Dafydd Lockyer crossed wide out on the right to stretch the lead after some good passing down the home back line.
Keys hauled themselves back into contention with a try before the interval from wing Polu Uhi, Geraint Rhys-Jones converted, but it was Ponty who struck first in the second half. Centre Gary Williams touched down for his side’s third try to hoist the advantage to 20-8 and the intensity ramped up after the break.
Acting Keys captain Adam Powell crossed for a second score just after the hour and Jones’ conversion set-up a fascinating final 18 minutes with a mere four points separating the two teams.
Ebbw Vale, who reached the Premiership final in their first season back in the top flight, moved into second place in the table with a convincing, five try home victory over Llanelli, 36-8. The Steelmen last tasted defeat in the league against Newport on 7 November and made it seven wins on the spin at Eugene Cross Park.
Captain Damien Hudd led from the front with an imperious display in the Vale engine room and mid-table Llanelli were simply overrun. Hudd’s second row partner Ashley Sweet opened the scoring for Ebbw Vale in the 10th minute with a neat finish and Dan Haymond converted.
Llanelli hit straight back when back-rower Tristan Lloyd crashed over and Josh Lewis’ conversion made it 8-8. But Vale were back in front before the break, and deservedly so as wing David Williams skipped through to score in the corner to make it 14-8 at the interval.
And the Steelmen, coached by former Scarlets, Gloucester and Wales coach Nigel Davies, added gloss to the scoreline with three second-half tries. Flanker Ronnie Kynes profited from a high kick to cling on and scorch over, before scrum-half Chris Thomas got on the scoresheet to secure the bonus point, while Iain Smerdon added the extras.
Replacement wing Chris Levesley then ran in a final try before the whistle sounded and Smerdon converted to seal a simple victory for the hosts and send the Vale faithful home happy. This weekend they host the league leaders, Pontypridd, in a re-match of last season’s play-off final.
Llandovery had an 84th minute penalty from Jack Maynard to thank for their 16-14 home win over Aberavon that moved them ahead of the Wizards and into third place in the table. The outside half had missed a similar penalty shot moments earlier, but kept this nerve at the death to claim the victory for the Drovers.
Aberavon wing Jay Baker broke the deadlock after 22 minutes with the first score of the game as he crossed for a smart try and James Garland converted. Rival locks Matthew Harbutt and Ian Moore were given a 10 minute break after some niggles between the two packs and the first-half ended with home scrum half Lee Rees scampering over in the last play.
Maynard couldn’t improve that try, leaving the scoreline at the beak with a two point advantage to the visitors at 8-6, but 10 minutes into the second period home wing Aaron Warren crossed for a second try and this time Maynard converted to make it 14-8 to the Drovers.
Joe Gage struck with a second try for the Wizards to level the scores six minutes later, but the visitors lost Andrew Clatworthy to a yellow card six minutes from the end of normal time. Llandovery went in for the kill and eventually made their extra-man advantage count with Maynard’s winning penalty.
Despite being second-best for much of the game, Cardiff managed to avenge their earlier defeat at Bedwas by grabbing a 20-18 victory at the BT Sport Arms Park. American Eagles back row man Cam Dolan was the home hero as the Blue & Blacks withheld a late onslaught from their visitors.
Cardiff made the better start and flanker Nick White crossed after only four minutes, with Dave Bird adding the extras. It was all Cardiff in the opening quarter of an hour, but they were pegged back by a try from Welsh international wing Aled Brew after 17 minutes.
It was the visitors’ only foray into the Cardiff 22, but the try helped them to get on level terms before the home side once again asserted their dominance with Dolan claiming a scintillating score. The American pounced as his teammates turned over a Bedwas scrum five metres out and he crossed the whitewash with a blindside peel.
White then got his second of the afternoon to stretch the hosts’ lead to 24-8 before the break with Bird’s conversion. Bird extended the lead with a penalty at the start of the second half, but that kick proved to be his side’s only points of the half as they took their foot off the gas and allowed the Bedwas back into the game.
A second try from Brew and a third from Tom Rowlands brought the visitors back to within two points, but they couldn’t find another score to complete the double and left the capital empty-handed.
Bridgend snatched victory at the death with a try from Ashton Evans to deny bottom of the table Neath their first win of the season in the Premiership. The visitors looked like finally cracking their duck when they went into the 80th minute of the game with a 14-10 lead.
Two second half tries from full back Ed Howley, one of which Luke Price converted, had hauled Neath back into the contest after they trailed 8-0 at the break. A Joe Scrivens penalty cut the gap to two points before No 8 Evans stole the glory with his try.
