It was a second win in a row for the Gwent side, who were hit by an early score from the Gogs when outside half Jacob Botica sliced through the home defence to score a try which he also improved. By half-time, though, Keys had hit back and led 17-7.
Josh Prosser, following up his man of the match performance against former club Bargoed last weekend with another match clinching effort, kicked a penalty and then converted two tries. Flanker Adam Powell crossed for the first and then Tom Lampard raced clear to the RGC posts on an interception run.
Botica cut the gap with a penalty early on in the second half after Powell picked up a yellow card, but the back row man had returned to the field by the time Aaron Evans cut through to score. Botica’s conversion levelled the scores at 17-17 to set-up a grandstand finish.Then came Nightingale’s late try to win the game, with Prosser adding the extras to complete a good night for the home side.
Newport picked up their first home win of the season as they built on their victory at Neath the previous round with a 21-16 triumph over Llandovery.
The Drovers, seeking a fourth win in a row, took the lead with a try from a close range line out from prop Dean Howells which Jack Maynard improved. Aaron Warren then lost the ball as he seemed certain to score, but a Maynard penalty gave the visitors a 10 point advantage.
Matt O’Brien’s trusty boot hauled back three points for the Black & Ambers before Geraint O’Driscoll sped over for a superb home try. O’Brien then gave Newport an 11-10 interval lead with a second penalty.
Maynard and O’Brien then swapped penalties before the home outside half weaved his way to the line for a try which he also converted to make it 21-13. There was one more strike from Maynard’s boot to come to set up a frantic finish, but Newport were able to hang on for a morale boosting victory.
Cardiff had to rely on an assured goal-kicking performance from outside-half Diggy Bird as they secured their third successive league win after they beat Premiership stragglers Bargoed, 30-22 at the BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park.
Bird bagged 17 points with Olly Smith and Harri Griffiths helping themselves to a try each as Cardiff continue their charge up the league table. The home team opened their account with two early penalties, before finding the games’ first try via a kick to the corner to bamboozled the Bargoed defence and gave Smith a try.
However, poor line-out defence from Cardiff gifted Bargoed a way back into the match after James Pizey’s charging run. Minutes after half-time, a Bargoed rolling maul overpowered the Cardiff defence for a try, with the conversion bringing the visitors to within seven points.
But Cardiff hit back to extend their lead with a well-worked try out wide for Griffiths. The match opened up as the minutes wore on, with Bargoed desperate to give themselves a chance of victory.
A Lewis Boden try ramped up the pressure on Cardiff, but the visitors were unable to score again which gave Cardiff a well-earned win against a Bargoed team who were unlucky not to come away with a losing bonus-point.
Llanelli survived a late, second-half fightback from Bridgend to secure a 14-13 win at the Brwery Field – their first in six games. Dion Jones and Kalum Evans scored the tries for the West Walians who edged their way over the line after last weeks’ dramatic 23-23 draw with RGC 1404.
The Ravens were on a fine run of form having won their previous five games, and took the lead with an early penalty from Joe Scrivens. But they found themselves behind 10 minutes later.
Jones showed excellent hands to set up Kalum Evans, who powered through three tackles from 22 metres out to cross the line, with the full-back also adding the extras.
The classy Jones then scored a try of his own on 26 minutes, collecting a brilliant offload from centre Nathan Edwards for a walk in at the posts. The Llanelli man could have had a hat-trick in the first half after being denied on two separate occasions by his opposite number Marc Bennett, keeping the score down to 14-3 at half-time.
Scrivens kicked an early penalty in the second half, but it was not until Llanelli lost prop Simon Gardiner to the sin bin 10 minutes from the end that they scored their try, Ryan Griffiths touching down after receiving Scrivens’ clever cross field kick. But despite the late scare, Llanelli held on for their third win of the season to remain in 12th place, two below the Ravens.
Premiership champions Ebbw Vale made it two bonus-point wins in a row as they beat Carmarthen Quins 40-20. The Steelmen have had an inconsistent start to the season, but were rampant in a second half performance that saw them score four tries, including a Craig Duncan brace, to climb into fourth place in the table.
The first half was a tight affair, with Josh Lewis scoring two penalties and a drop goal for the Gwent side. Craig Evans responded with a Quins penalty to reduce the gap to 9-3 at half-time.
Evans added again shortly after the break, but a try from Chris Thomas on his 100th appearance for Ebbw Vale after a wonderful break by Lewis took the Steelmen 10 points clear. The gap stretched with another Lewis penalty, but Quins threatened to strike back when a try from a catch and drive reduced the gap to six.
But tries from Liam Jones, with his first touch, and Duncan on 60 and 70 minutes put Ebbw Vale out of sight with a lead of 33-13. Chris Banfield added a classy second try for Quins, but the reigning champions secured their bonus point when a drive from deep saw Nathan Preece set up Ben Papp to cross the line.
A week after losing their unbeaten record, Premiership leaders Aberavon almost blew another game as they fell 14 points behind at Bedwas. IN the end, though, it took a last-gasp penalty from Richard Powell to earn the home side a share of the spoils at the Bridge Field with a 17-17 draw.
Pat Lewis added to his growing reputation on the wing as he added a brace of tries for Bedwas, who remain 6th in the table after a stuttering few weeks. It was the home side who came out of the blocks firing as they powered into an early 14-0 lead after a two quick-fire Lewis scores.
But, there was no further points in the first-half with the home-side surprisingly dominant over the table-topping Wizards. The visitors’ did not have to wait long after the break, though, for their own score, with Will Price touching down and James Garland adding the extras along with a penalty a few minutes later to bring them back into the match.
A yellow card for Nicky Griffiths gave Aberavon succour as they chased a result and the visitors soon took the advantage. A penalty try gave them the lead for the first time in the match to set up a nail biting finish.
As the clock went into the red it fell to the leg of Powell to kick a penalty for Bedwas, salvaging them a draw at home to an Aberavon side who are still trying to recover from their shock 22-15 loss to Cardiff in the last round of matches.
Dafydd Lockyer scored a blistering hat-trick as Pontypridd brushed aside a struggling Swansea 29-13 at Sardis Road to continue their season rebuild. Chris Dicomidis scored Ponty’s other try in the second-half with Lewis Williams adding the remaining nine points from the boot.
Captain Lockyer opened his account for the afternoon seven minutes in after collecting a pop-pass to cross at the posts. And the centre soon had another after touching down in the corner. Jack Wilson replied for the All Whites with a penalty before Williams added three points for the hosts minutes shy of the interval.
A punch-up after the break led to sin-bins for Ponty prop Joe Popple and Swansea hooker Ricky Guest. The visitors soon had a sniff of a comeback when Ryan Evans intercepted a loose pass and charged fifty yards to cross over, but were left to rue Jonathan Vaughan’s yellow card midway through the half.
Dicomidis benefited from the man advantage to crash over after a catch and drive from the lineout. And soon after Lockyer secured both his three-try feat and a bonus-point to put the game out of reach of Swansea. Wing Will Lewis did score a consolation for the lowly visitors who remain bottom.
There was to be no shock this week as Merthyr got back to winning ways courtesy of a commanding second-half performance to beat Neath, 45-18. The high-flying Premiership new-boys were humiliated 40-10 away at Bridgend last week and had to recover from a 15-10 half-time deficit to overcome the Welsh All Blacks.
But five tries in a blistering second-half, including Tom Daley’s brace, saved their blushes as they secured a bonus-point win to close the gap on Aberavon at the top of the Premiership. Neath’s Edward Howley opened the scoring with a penalty before Matthew Jarvis struck back minutes later.
Alex Jenkins and prop James Howe exchanged tries as the two sides locked horns in the opening period. But Howley’s try before the interval gifted Neath the half-time advantage.
It didn’t last long, however, as Merthyr emerged a different side and eventually ran riot. Kyle Evans scored the first to nudge them ahead before a Howley penalty briefly put Neath back in front.
Then came the onslaught as Rhys Downes crossed after new signing Harley Thompson’s dazzling break in the midfield. A penalty-try sealed the bonus-point, before Daley added a quick-fire double at the death to cap off a clinical second-half performance that got them over the line.
