They will be joined in the last four by Carmarthen Quins, Merthyr and Bridgend after they emerged triumphant in Round 6 to finish at the top of their respective pools. It means there are three teams from the Top Tier of the Principality Premiership in the mix, with Bridgend the only team outside the top eight to have made it.
Newport took the lead with a penalty from Matt O’Brien after Bedwas prop Matthew Pettit was sent to the sin-bin after 25 minutes, but there was a swift response from the visitors as Rory Budina raced over for a try that Richard Powell converted. That made it 7-3 to Bedwas at the break, but a second O’Brien penalty on the hour cut the gap to a single point.
Powell and O’Brien swapped penalties before the result was put beyond doubt four minutes from time when Adam Williams ran in from 30 metres for a try that Powell once again improved.
Nerves seemed to have got the better of the Bridgend at the start of their must-win home game against Neath in Pool 4 and they quickly found themselves trailing by 13 points. Geraint Llewellyn scored all of the visitors’ in their opening blitz with two penalties and a well worked try that he also converted.
Tight head prop Garyn Daniel sparked the revival as he crossed for a try that Joe Scrivens converted. The Neath lead was cut to a single point by the interval when Dan Howells rounded off a Mike Powell break to make it two home tries in as many minutes.
Daniel grabbed a second try seven minutes into the second half to give Bridgend the lead for the first time and Scrivens again added the extras. But no sooner had they hit the front that the Ravens hit the panic button and they lost three players to the sin-bin, Tom Morgan, Gareth Beer and Connor Tantum.
Neath failed to make the most of the 30 minutes in which they had an extra-man and the only other points they managed in the second half was a third penalty from Llewellyn. A bonus-point try from Matthew Edwards then completed a 24-16 triumph for Bridgend, who beat Aberavon to the top spot.
The Wizards had a hat-trick of tries from Tata Steel back row man David Griggs to thanks for their 26-17 home win over Cardiff. Jon Phillips added a fourth and the visitors picked up three of their own from Ben Thomas, Cameron Gibbon and Ceri Young.
Merthyr had already wrapped up Pool 3 before heading to Sardis Road to face Pontypridd and they ended on a high with another bonus-point victory, 36-26, to carry forward into the semi-finals. There were two tries each from
Alex Howman and Dean Gunter, a fifth from Adam Hoskins and Matthew Jarvis kicked 11 points.
Bargoed had to switch their final home game in Pool 3 to Eugene Cross Park because of problems with their lights, but that didn’t stop them from running out 30-15 victors thanks to five tries, two of which came from Lewys Lippiett.
Carmarthen Quins were semi-finalists last year and they made sure they went through as Pool 2 winners with a 33-5 home win over Llanelli. That result meant that Llandovery’s 36-31 triumph at St Helen’s over Swansea wasn’t enough to get them higher than second place.
Foster’s Challenge Cup – Round 6
Pool 1: Newport 9 – 20 Bedwas; Pool Winners – Bedwas
Pool 2: Carmarthen Quins 33 – 5 Llanelli; Swansea 31 -36 Llandovery: Pool Winners – Carmarthen Quins
Pool 3: Bargoed 30 – 15 Ebbw Vale; Pontypridd 26 – 36 Merthyr: Pool Winners – Merthyr
Pool 4: Aberavon 26 – 17 Cardiff; Bridgend 24 – 16 Neath: Pool Winners – Bridgend
