Relegation rivals Cross Keys and Llanelli are next on the agenda at the Bridge Field and skipper Alun Rees knows that carrying on where they left off against Neath could determine whether or not they stay up.
“It is not a nice place to be, but we’ve just got to keep turning up and working hard in training and putting in a shift on a Saturday,” said Rees.
“We will keep plugging away and we hope that by the end of the season our results will speak for themselves and we will have done enough to stay up. It is a massive dog fight down the bottom of the league.
“We know we’ve got to beat the teams around us. That’s why the game against Neath was so important – we had to get a win.
“It’s great to still be in the WRU National Cup, but our focus is very much on the league at the moment.”
Bedwas ran in five tries to earn a vital bonus-point victory over the gutsy Welsh All Blacks, who kept in touch with three scores of their own. The five-point triumph lifted the Bridge Field side out of the bottom four by two clear points on a weekend when crucially both Llanelli and Cross Keys emerged pointless.
Man of the match Joe Scrivens ended the game with a 16-point haul. He notched his first three to level early on after Jordan Rees opened the scoring for Neath with a penalty.
The Bedwas skipper and hooker, Rees, powered over from close range for a converted try, before No8 Dale Rogers touched down to make it 17-6. Bedwas were threatening to run away with it before half-time when Adam Williams raced down the wing to score, but Neath scrum-half Nicky Griffiths snuck over to narrow the gap to 11 points at half-time with a try against his former club.
Ospreys and former Wales Under 20 centre Keiran Williams cut through after half-time to give the visitors hope of a comeback and another Rees penalty moved them to within three. But Scrivens scored a try of his own before converting Sion Parry’s close range effort to take them clear again.
Phil Jones put the boot into Cross Keys’ hopes of Premiership survival as he snatched what would have been a priceless losing bonus-point away from them with an 85th minute penalty at St Helen’s.
That extended Swansea’s lead to 13-5 and meant the relegation-threatened Gwent side left with nothing to show for their efforts. Keys led for 26 minutes thanks to a Leon Andrews try just before half-time, but then paid a heavy price for losing a second player to a yellow card at the death.
Steff Williams gave the Whites a 10th minute lead with a penalty before Owain Leonard was the first of the visiting players to take a 10 minute break. Andrews then gave Keys the lead with a well worked try out wide after two driving line-outs had been held short.
Swansea hit the front once again at the start of the final quarter when Jones made the break and centre Joe Thomas stole the glory with a try at the posts. Jones kicked the conversion and then added the coupe de gras at the death with Keys lock Tom Lampard in the bin.
Swansea now look safe with a 22 points cushion between themselves and the four automatic relegation places. Keys are still very much in the dog-fight, three off the bottom.
After back-to-back bonus-point wins over Carmarthen Quins and Bargoed, Llanelli lost their way after a great start at Newport and left with nothing in a 31-10 defeat.
“We’ve got Cardiff at home this weekend and then have to go to Bedwas. It is going to be very, very tight coming into the last few fixtures,” said Llanelli’s head of rugby, Paul Fisher.
“We were disappointed with our display against Newport. We scored straight off the bat, didn’t take some clear cut chances and then let them in for some cheap tries.
“They brought huge intensity to their attack and two tries just before half-time were crucial as it took them from a four point lead to a 16 point advantage at the break.”
Llanelli drew first blood with a third minute try from Kalum Evans, after centre Ryan Davies had made the initial burst before passing to the full-back. Wing Tom Prydie added the conversion.
Home full-back Hadyn Simons replied for Newport moments later, converted by fly-half Matt O’Brien, before a Prydie penalty edged Llanelli back in front following a deliberate knock on. Inside centre Tom Pascoe then put the hosts ahead for the first time on 20 minutes, crashing over for a try under the posts after quick ball from a line-out with O’Brien converting.
Simons touched down for a stylish third try – and second for him – after O’Brien’s grubber kick on 32 minutes, superbly keeping the ball in play and touching down in the corner.
Newport then wrapped up for Newport five minutes before the break by right wing Andrew Evans, finishing off after being sent clear by outside centre Chay Smith. O’Brien added the extras for a 26-10 lead at the turnaround.
That was the way it stayed until Josh Reid touched down for a fifth Newport try in the dying moments of the second period after good work from fellow replacement Geraint Watkins. It was again converted O’Brien.
The win took Newport up to fifth in the table, while Llanelli now sit just above the automatic relegation spots.
