Steve Law’s side scored five tries in total courtesy of Tom Habberfield (2), Barney Nightingale, Adam Beard and Morgan Allen, while Gareth Thompson contributed eight points from the kicking tee. All Llanelli could muster were two first-half tries from speedster Tom Rodgers and all action flanker Nathan Hart.
After a scoreless first quarter of the game Cardiff centre Nightingale broke the deadlock as he broke through the Llanelli defence to run in unopposed from 20 metres out with Thompson converting.But the hosts ground their way back into the game and Wales sevens star Rodgers showed tremendous pace to beat three defenders for Llanelli’s first try.
Llanelli now had their tails up and after some nice interplay between backs and forwards openside flanker Hart touched down underneath the crossbar to give the hosts a 10-7 lead at the interval.
Cardiff’s pack began to gain the ascendancy and after a period of sustained pressure former Dragons and Edinburgh centre Beard crashed over from short range with Thompson adding the extras.
Law’s side extended their lead when scrum-half Habberfield dummied at the base of the ruck before sniping through the middle to touch down for a converted try. Cardiff were in the ascendancy in all aspects of play with Llanelli struggling to cope with their physicality.
Despite some valiant defence from the hosts powerful No 8 Allen smashed his way over the try line to secure the bonus point try with Thompson yet again successful with the conversion. But Cardiff weren’t finished yet as they spread the ball through the hands with former Ospreys man Habberfield touched down to rub salt into Llanelli’s wounds.
Lee Rees raced away for two tries to steer the Drovers to an impressive opening Premiership victory as they beat RGC 1404 29-20.
The RGC defence simply couldn’t find a way to shackle to home No 9 as he used his pace and evasive qualities to turn the Gogs inside out. Even so, the visitors’ stayed in touch to the end and it was a relieved home coach, Euros Evans, at the final whistle.
“It was a great game of rugby and you always know that RGC will play for the full 80 minutes. I never felt safe until Jack Maynard kicked that late penalty to put us nine points clear,” said Evans, “Lee was outstanding for us and, as well as scoring his two tries, he ran the show. It is a great start for us.”
Rees’ half-back partner Maynard denied the visitors a losing bonus-point with a penalty at the death. It was a cruel end to a gutsy display from Matt Silva’s side, who had beaten the reigning champions, Merthyr, on the opening day of the season
The visitors moved the ball whenever possible, but were caught out when Rees broke clear on half-way and scampered all the way to the line for a try that Maynard converted.
RGC hit back with a Billy McBryde penalty, but were caught out again by a great break out from their own half by Llandovery. Three offloads later and lock Jack Jones claimed the second try.
RGC hit back with a good run from Afon Baghsaw that earned his side another penalty, which McBryde duly goaled. Rees then beat three men to notch his second try of the day and Maynard’s kick made it 19-6 at the break.
If RGC had been a yard off the pace they raised their tempo in the second half and hit back with a try from McBryde that the outside half also converted. Home prop Dino Dallavalle then bagged the bonus-point for the Drovers with his side’s fourth try
Seven minutes later RGC conjured up another try to stay in the fight, Hughes diving over and McBryde adding the extras to cut the gap to six points once more, but Maynard’s final penalty kill off the Gogs.
Pontypridd finally got their season up and running as they bagged their first win of the season with a 20-17 victory over Carmarthen Quins, but it was a close run thing at Sardis Road.
Having been pipped with the last kick of the match in the Premiership opener at Cardiff they were knocked out of the cup at Merthyr last weekend. On home soil for the first time they found their feet, even though it wasn’t always perfect.
“It was good to get our first win of the season, especially against a tough Carmarthen team. It wasn’t pretty from us at times, but we just kept going and ground out the victory,” said Ponty skipper Dafydd Lockyer.
“I felt we got what we deserved in the end. We committed errors, but we can work on that and we can only get better going forward from here.”
The Quins edged the forward battle early on and it was from a line-out drive where they finally made pressure count. Lock Lee Taylor was driven over the home line for the opening try and outside half Steff Marshall added the extras.
Having been unable to impose themselves early on, Ponty finally stepped up a gear before the break as centre Gary Williams cut through and off-loaded for scrum half Tom Rowlands to dart over. Diggy Bird converted and it was all-square at 7-7 as the teams headed for the oranges.
The hosts carried on that late momentum into the second half with wing Dale Stuckey sprinting in to score a try which Bird again converted to give Ponty the lead for the first time. It didn’t last long, though.
The visitors responded with two tries in quick succession, as first centre Nic Reynolds sliced through a static home defence and then hooker Torin Myhill pounced on a loose throw to ground from close range. That gave them a three point lead and every chance of building on their cup success at Newport in their opening game.
The contest was balanced on a knife edge going into its final quarter, a real dogfight for possession, and when Ponty won a penalty up stepped full back Ben Jones to level the scores. The home team then moved up a gear, pounding the gain line and were eventually rewarded when Jones added a second penalty to bag the victory five minutes from time.
Rhys Jones put the boot into his former Ebbw Vale team mates as he converted five of the six tries run in by the reigning champions as they got back to winning ways at The Wern with a 42-21 triumph.
Having been beaten at Colwyn Bay in their opening Premiership outing, the Ironmen were in no mood for a second slip-up and with new outside half Jones orchestrating things they powered their way to a bonus-point win.
Ebbw Vale drew first blood with a 40 metre Dan Haymond penalty after 10 minutes, but it was the home side who seemed the hungrier. Merthyr duly notched the first try of the day three minutes later when hooker Rhys Williams went over from a driving maul.
Haymond’s second successful kick brought the Steelmen back to within a point before a strong burst from lock Damian Welch enabled Merthyr to increase their lead with a second try. Jones’ second conversion made it 14-6 on the half hour.
On the stroke of half-time Ebbw lost Dai Jones to the sin-bin and that provided Merthyr with the chance to kick to the corner to allow the home pack to drive Williams over for his second try. A third Jones penalty made it 21-6 at the break.
Haymond’s third penalty five minutes into the second half gave the visitors a lift, but the champions soon bagged the bonus-point when centre Adam Thomas ran in the fourth try. A fourth Jones conversion extended the lead to 22 points and it looked all over as a contest.
Battling Ebbw had other ideas, though, and tries in quick succession from Dan Hill and Ewan Rosser, the latter converted by Haymond, cut the home lead to 10 points with 15 minutes to go. It was a great revival, but Merthyr were in no mood to capitulate
Replacement scrum half Rhys Downes was sent in at the posts for a fifth try after good approach work from Thomas and then he put the icing on the cake when he sped away for a second.
Aled Thomas may be getting on a bit these days, but the former Wales World Cup Sevens winner is more than proving his worth at new club Aberavon.
The 34-year-old outside half kept his cool to kick the match winning penalty at Bridgend on the opening day of the season and he was once again the mastermind behind another impressive performance from the Wizards as they beat Swansea 24-14. He created one of the three home tries, converted two of them and also kicked a penalty to keep his latest club on the winning track.
Aberavon got off the mark with a penalty try after referee Shota Tevzadze was given no option other than to run to the posts after a power scrum from the home side. That made it 7-0 at the break in an absorbing contest and when the home eight flexed their muscles at another scrum to earn a penalty, Thomas stepped up to kick the goal that gave the Wizards a 10 point lead.
Swansea galvanised themselves and, after former Wales back row man Rob McCusker collected a short range line-out, skipper Tom Sloane powered over for their opening try. The conversion from James Davies cut the gap to three points, but the Wizards were quick to strike back
A superb line break by Thomas confused the Swansea defence and the outside half was able to gift-wrap a try from Garyn Payne with a perfect pass. Thomas then added the extras.
There was still time for Aberavon to grab a third try, as their dominant pack drove to the line to enable Andy Waite to score in the corner. Once again Thomas added the conversion before the Whites picked up a consolation try at the death through Gareth Rees.
