The Wizards pushed their hosts so hard they had them reduced to 13 men in the second half with two yellow cards in the space of two minutes. James Thomas was the first to go, for driving in dangerously at a ruck, and then Joe Gatt followed for killing the ball on half-way.
The visitors’ went in for the kill and came up with a try from left wing Steff Andrews to edge their noses back in front at 12-10. But Cardiff hit back to win by a point and hold onto their unbeaten tag.
“I’m heartbroken for the players, who put in a huge effort into the whole performance. It was two well coached sides playing against each other and it came down to fine margins and the yellow card hurt us in the first-half and they scored during that period,” said Aberavon coach Jason Hyatt.
A tight first half ended all-square at 7-7, with the Wizards conceding a try with outside half Aled Thomas in the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on within 10 metres of a quickly taken free-kick. It was a crucial blow and two minutes later Cardiff worked Max Llewellyn over in the left corner for a try that Gareth Thompson converted.
Still down to 14 men, Aberavon burst up the middle with the outstanding David Pritchard acting as the link between wing Garyn Payne and full back Jon Phillips before the latter crossed at the posts for a try which Payne improved.
Thompson hoisted the league leaders back into the lead with a penalty two minutes into the second half and then won the game with another penalty in the 70th minute.
Dan Haymond kicked 16 points to guide the Steelmen to a fourth successive victory over RGC 1404 and ease his side’s relegation worries
The stunning away win, their first of the season in the Premiership, made it back-to-back triumphs in Colwyn Bay for Greg Woods’ side as they came from behind to stun the home side.To make it an even better result for Ebbw, bottom of the table Bridgend were beaten at Carmarthen Quins and so the Steelmen are now six points clear of the sole relegation spot this season.
Dan Babos grabbed the opening try as he won a long kick and chase in the opening minutes. Haymond converted .
Prop Morgan Davies then saw yellow as he hauled down an RGC line-out and from the ensuing scrum Tim Grey drove over for a try that Billy McBryde improved.
The first of Haymond’s penalties edged the visitors back in front before RGC constructed as skipper Tom Hughes sent Rhys Tudor over for a try that McBryde again converted.
The home outside half added a penalty to extend the lead, but Ewan Rosser hauled the Steelmen right back into things as he raced onto a kick ahead and scored. Another McBryde penalty made it 20-15 at the break.
McBryde missed one and then hit the mark with another to make it 23-15 at the start of the second half, but from there on in it was Ebbw who dominated. The outstanding Francis went over from the tail of a line-out for Haymond to add the extras and then Haymond added three penalties to make victory safe.
A late Berian Watkins try kept up Llandovery’s hoodoo over Swansea as they made it 18 wins in a row against the St Helen’s side. With two games in hand on the top teams, the Drovers are still very much in the title race, especially as they host second placed Pontypridd and unbeaten leaders Cardiff in their next three matches.
James Davies kicked Swansea into an early lead with two penalties before Jack Maynard replied with one for the visitors. The Drovers then lost Richard Brooks to a yellow card for overzealous use of the boot before further indiscipline saw them concede a third penalty to Davies’ boot.
Maynard cut the gap to three points with his second penalty before the game welcomed its first try on 69 minutes. Swansea centre Callum Carson’s half break started the move and then a superb cross kick by Davies was hacked forward on the volley by Max Nagy, who chased his own kick to score.
Maynard handed his side a life-line with another penalty and with minutes remaining he found touch deep inside the Swansea 22. A mistake at the lineout gave Drovers possession metres from the line and a patient build up by the pack saw Watkins crash over for a try which Maynard converted to seal an unlikely victory.
Diggy Bird’s masterful display guided Pontypridd to an impressive 31-7 win over Merthyr. The outside half kicked 16 points at Sardis Road as tries from Mason Grady, Morgan Richards and Nathan Huish consigned Ironmen head coach Dale McIntosh to a heavy defeat.
All Merthyr could manage was a try from Jack Perkins and a Matthew Jarvis kick as they lost ground on Cardiff at the top. The only downside for Pontypridd was the lack of a four-try bonus point. Pontypridd dominated the first half to go to the break in total command.
Bird kicked a pair of penalties before Grady pounced on a loose ball to score after Alex Webber’s kick ahead. A sensational break from flanker Morgan Sieniawski then led to Richards’ second and Bird converted both efforts and added another penalty to make it 23-0.
Merthyr were all at sea as they made mistake after mistake in an unusually poor display. In the second half the Ironmen went close on a series of occasions, but were repelled and at the other end their prop Jack Gilding was yellow carded for foul play on his own line.
It allowed hooker Huish to be driven over from a rolling maul. Bird missed the conversion but then added a penalty and Merthyr were never going to come back. They did grab a consolation through Perkins who crashed over, but it was Pontypridd’s night.
Jonathan Evans staked a claim for a Scarlets return with a two-try display as Carmarthen Quins piled more pressure on bottom-of-the-table Bridgend with a 38-8 home win. The west Walians notched half-a-dozen tries as scrum-half Evans and replacement Torin Myhill both crossed twice and Steff Marshall added four conversions.
Bridgend were only four points adrift at half-time, 12-8, but they capitulated after the break and failed to score in the second period. Evans sniped over for his first from close range and was joined in the first-half scoring by hooker Shaun Evans as Quins had plenty of success with their rolling maul.
Marshall added a conversion and while Bridgend grabbed a penalty through Jacob Chilcott and a Dewi Cross try, they were well beaten. The Ravens had James Little yellow carded in the opening 40 for illegally trying to stop Quins’ expert maul and Cai Lewis also went to the bin in the second half.
After the break Carmarthen were dominant and Jonathan Evans – who has only made one appearance for the Scarlets this season – grabbed his second in similar fashion to his first. Myhill appeared off the bench to grab a brace of his own with the Quins pack utterly dominant and Bridgend stuck in reverse.
No 8 Lewys Millin also added to the Ravens’ misery as he finished off a free-flowing move in the corner after some impressive phase play.
Two tries from skipper Jonny Lewis paved the way for Llanelli to notch their third win in a row as they overcame Newport 23-17 at Parc Y Scarlets. It was a win that moved the home side up to ninth place and eight points clear of the relegation zone.
With their game in hand to come against basement boys Bridgend at home on Friday they could climb even higher if they can keep their run going.
Lewis opened the scoring with his first try, converted by Ioan Hughes, who then went on to swap penalties with Geraint O’Driscoll to make it 10-3 at the break. Lewis’ second score, once again improved by Hughes, increased the home side’s lead before Elliot Frewen snatched a try back for the Black & Ambers.
A second try for the visitors, from Joe Bartlett, was converted by O’Driscoll to cut the gap to two points and make it anyone’s game on the hour mark. Hughes steadied the ship for the home side with another penalty and then killed off Newport with another just before the end to make the game safe.
