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PREM REVIEW: Trevett double gives champions flying start

PREM REVIEW: Trevett double gives champions flying start

Nathan Trevett rounded off reigning champions Merthyr’s bonus-point opening to the second half of the Principality Premiership season with a two-try flourish that made it a magnificent seven for the Ironmen.

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The champions had struggled to beat Cross Keys in their first game of the season, and found their visitors in similarly stubborn and resilient mood in the first-half at The Wern as they stayed hit back after conceded three tries in the opening quarter to change ends only 19-10 behind.

But that was as good as it got for Keys and their new coach Ian Evans as the home side went on the rampage after the break, with former Cardiff Blues and London Welsh prop Trevett leading the way with his late burst of tries.

No 8 Phil Rees launched the offensive with a brace of tries and then Kristian Phillips followed suit to make it 19-3. Josh Prosser kicked an early penalty for the visitors and then converted a good try from scrum half Owain Leonard to keep his side very much in the hunt at half-time.

But four second half tries from the champions amply demonstrated their power as they sped to a 43-10 triumph. Phillips got a second try, Richard Wilkes added another and then Trevett came off the bench to provide two more in his cameo role.
 

PRINCIPALITY PREMIERSHIP RESULTS – 30 December
Carmarthen Quins 24, Swansea 23
Ebbw Vale 43, Llanelli 15
Llandovery 30, Aberavon 7
Merthyr 43, Cross Keys 10
Neath 17, Bargoed 40
Newport 29, Cardiff 17
Pontypridd 29, Bedwas 20
RGC 1404 47, Bridgend 14

While Merthyr, who carried over eight points as winners of the East Division in the first half of the campaign, West Division winners RGC 1404 were flexing their muscles at home against Bridgend. Having beaten them twice already this season, although only by a point the last time they met at Parc Eirias, they completed the hat-trick with a burst of six tries in a 47-14 win.

The Ravens, who were beaten 27-10 at home by the same opponents a week earlier, were highly competitive and scored two tries of their own through the outstanding Gareth Harvey and Joe Gatt, both of which Ryan Evans converted.

The boot of Jacob Botica contributed 17 points to the RGC cause and a brace of tries by full back Dion Jones at the death completed the scoring. Tiaan Loots, Efan Jones and Robin Williams, with an interception try to bring up the bonus point, also got in on the act and there was a driving maul try as well.

Carmarthen Quins had two penalty tries to thank for their 24-23 home win over much improved Swansea. The Quins used their powerful scrum to good effect throughout the game and their first penalty try allowed them to build a 10 point lead. But the All Whites soon hit back with a try from centre Rhys Williams that James Davies converted.

A second home try from centre Josh Batcup restored the 10 point gap before Davies knocked over a penalty to make it 17-10 at the break. Two more successful kicks from the Swansea No 10 then cut the gap to a single point as the visitors began to convert their pressure into points.

Wing Andrew Claypole, who had been denied a try in the first half for crossing, then ran in the try that, with a Davies conversion, edged Swansea into a 23-17 lead. The home side pressed for the winner and, against 14 men, came up trumps four minutes from time with another mighty shunt at a scrum near the posts that ended in a second penalty try.

Newport finally got one over their arch-rivals Cardiff as they won at the third attempt this season in what was the 462nd meeting between the two clubs. The home side’s 29-17 triumph contained four tries to clinch a bonus-point, with centre Tom Pascoe grabbing the vital fourth try seven minutes from time.

Jonathan Morris and Ryan James scored first half tries and Elliot Frewen opened the second half with a third. Matt O’Brien converted three and kicked a penalty, while the Blue & Blacks replied with tries from Will Rees-Hole and Sion Bennett and seven points from the boot of Gareth Thompson.

Dorian Jones put the boot into Llanelli as he kicked 21 points in Ebbw Vale’s 43-15 win at Eugene Cross Park. The Dragons outside half kicked five penalties and converted three tries.

In a classic ‘game of two halves’, Llanelli lead 10-6 at the break thanks to a try from Ryan Davies and a conversion and penalty from Lewis Williams. The first two of Jones’s five penalties were all the Steelmen could muster in a highly competitive opening 40 minutes, but it was a different story in the second half.

The home side scored 33 unanswered points to take complete control. Dan Haymond sent Stefan Thomas racing in for the first try, Ronny Kynes completed a classic driving maul for a second and then Cameron Regan crossed for a third.

Jones converted them all and a try by No8 Jack Condy was only a consolation for the visitors. The bonus-point try for the home side came via a penalty try awarded by referee Ben Breakspare for a dominant scrum that was denied a score through an illegal collapse.

Aberavon took the lead at Church Bank with a try from Will Price that skipper James Garland converted, but they couldn’t add to that and eventually went down 30-7 to Llandovery. The Drovers replied with tries from Aaron Warren and Lee Rees, both of which Jack Maynard improved, to make it 14-7 at the break.

The second half saw Maynard land three successive penalties to stretch the lead to 16 points before Emyr Price sealed things at the death with an injury time try that Maynard once again converted for a match tally of 15 points.

Pontypridd gained revenge over Bedwas for their defeat on the opening day of the season as they ran out 29-20 winners at Sardis Road. Cardiff Blues prop Corey Domachowski crossed for the bonus-point try five minutes into the second half to extended the home side’s lead to 16 points, but Bedwas never gave up.

They ended up with three tries themselves thanks to efforts from wing Adam Williams, centre Connor Edwards and outside half Steff Jones deep into injury time. Jones had earlier kicked a penalty, while Lewis Evans landed a conversion.

Left wing Lewis Williams crossed twice in the first-half for Ponty and Ceri Sweeney and Alex Webber scored either side of Domachowski’s try. Sweeney knocked over two conversions to complete the scoring.

Bargoed ended 2017 on a high as they halted a run of eight defeats to notch their first win since 1 October with a six try triumph over Neath at The Gnoll. Having raced into an 18-3 interval lead, the Bulls had to withstand a second half fightback from Gareth Llewellyn’s side before sprinting clear with three tries.

Ieuan Jones crossed for the first try and Matthew Lewis added a conversion and two penalties to make it 13-0 to the visitors. Ed Howley responded with a home penalty, but Jon Armitage grabbed a second try for Bargoed before the break.

Prop Keelan Bale was next over the home line, with Lewis adding the extras, before Neath’s mini revival put the game back in the melting pot. Chris Morgans and Sion O’Brien scored tries, both converted by Howley, and suddenly the gap was only eight points at 25-17.

But two tries from Julian Mogg, with another from Ashley Norton squeezed in between, made it a notable 40-17 victory for the visitors. The bonus point win moved them up to mid-table respectability having started at the bottom alongside Neath following their last place finish in the East Division.

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