Ponty skipper Dayfdd Lockyer reckoned before the game that if his side had been able to extend their winning run over the Blue & Blacks to 21 games that it would have knocked them out of the title race. But their bonus point victory brought them to within a point of Lockyer’s second placed side and nine points of table-topping Merthyr.
They were on course to extend their winning streak in the first-half, but then made too many errors after the break as Cardiff increased the tempo and played with much more urgency. It meant bragging rights for Cardiff, and also for their new defence coach Gethin Jenkins over his former Wales, Lions and Blues front row colleague Matthew Rees, who was in the Ponty coaching stable.
All the passion and purpose came from the visitors in a nervy first half that only really came to life in the final five minutes when both sides scored a try. Up until that point there was only a penalty a piece to show for 36 minutes of effort.
Gareth Thompson gave the home side the lead midway through the opening period with a 30 metre penalty and Ben Jones replied eight minutes later. “Come on somebody”, shouted a wag in the very healthy Arms Park crowd after half-an-hour of both sides sounding the other out and the urgency the fans were seeking was injected by Ponty when they kicked deep into the home 22 for a line-out.
There was a perfect set-up from the throw and an irresistible drive eventually put Chris Dicomidis over in the left corner. Alex Knott almost conjured up a second try moments later before the momentum turned just before the break.
Ponty kept on playing, rather than count down to the interval, and that allowed man of the match Thompson to pick off a Jones pass near half-way and sprint to the posts for a try he also converted. The Cardiff No 10 ended the game with 19 points.
That gave Cardiff what seemed an unlikely half-time lead and they quickly built on that. Thompson kicked a penalty two minutes in the second half and then converted a brilliant back line try by Joe Gatt.
Knott replied with a 25 metre run to the line after two defenders had dived over the top of him as he swooped to pick up a loose pass to put the game back into the melting pot, gut scrum half replacement Lewis Jones thundered over in the left corner after another brilliant back line move that released Edd Howley on a 20 metre touchline run.
Thompson converted and then also added the extras to the bonus-point try at the posts scored by prop Rhys Carre as Cardiff capitalised on another Ponty error. There was no way back for the visitors, even though Cardiff were reduced to 12 men in the final few minutes after losing Shane Lewis-Hughes, Keiron Brown and Morgan Allen to yellow cards.
