Having seen holders Cardiff, 2018 champions Merthyr and Aberavon win earlier in the day, the Quins were stretched to the limit by the Championship leaders before emerging with a 21-17 victory.
Pontypool blew their big chance to stay on course for a first Cup triumph since 1983 as they missed two penalties in the final 10 minutes and then lost to a sucker punch try at the death.
It was a cruel end to a game in which the Championship leaders distinguished themselves for so long. They could, and should, have won, but Jake Newman’s 77th minute score shattered their dreams of glory and inflicted the first defeat of the season on the home team.
“Pontypool are a fantastic outfit and their captain Scott Matthews is a great player. They are going to do well when they come up into the Premiership,” said a mightily relieved Quins skipper, Haydn Pugh.
Two years earlier Pugh was in charge of a Carmarthen side that had been beaten out of sight, 23-8, in another cup tie at Pontypool Park. He was determined it wouldn’t happen again.
“That was all about character and we showed what we’ve got in the west. We’ve had some big games on TV recently and we’ve really delivered, so that is positive,” added Pugh.
The rain and the mist turned the game into a bit of a lottery at times and the home side played the conditions much better than their visitors in the first half. Seeking an 18th successive win of the season, Pooler got off to the dream start as they scored the first of three first-half tries within two minutes. Geraint Walsh hit the line from full back, Lloyd Lewis went within two metres and then passed inside for Pat Lewis to score.
Four minutes later the Quins failed to deal with an up and under from Walsh and Jordan Thomas jumped to regain the ball and send Kieron Meek racing to the corner. Steff Marshall hauled Quins back into it with two penalties, but was then guilty of taking too much time with a clearance kick and Rhys Clarke charged in to score.
Meek converted off the touchline to make it 17-6 to the home side at the break. Quins dominated the third quarter and cut the gap to a single point as No 8 Lewys Millin scored six minutes after the re-start.
Marshall converted and added a penalty before Meek crucially missed two penalties in the final 10 minutes. Then came Newman’s cruel last gasp winner.
Jonny Phillips scored the vital try to put the Wizards back in front 26-20 near the death after the Drovers had twice threatened to steal the spoils at Aberavon.
Llandovery outside half Jack Maynard dropped a goal and then kicked a penalty to edge his side into the lead after the teams changed ends with the scores tied at 14-14. It took Llandovery six minutes to stamp their mark on proceedings when wing Tomi Lewis crossed for a try that Maynard converted.
Aberavon were quick to reply with a try five minutes later from hooker Ieuan Davies and they quickly added a second through scrum half Rhodri Cole. Aled Thomas added a second conversion.
Drovers’ full back Gavin Thomas levelled things up in the 25th minute with a try that Maynard again improved and it was 14-14 at the break.
Maynard’s drop goal seven minutes after the re-start pushed his side back in front, but Cole’s second try of a highly competitive cup tie then made in 19-17 to the Wizards just on the hour mark. Four minutes from the end of normal time, Maynard’s boot pushed Llandovery past their hosts for a third time.
Aberavon refused to panic and they used their powerful pack to win the possession that allowed the back line to spread the ball wide to Phillips, who finished with a flourish in the 79th minute. Aled Thomas’ touchline conversion was the final seal on a deserved victory.
It took some choice words from head coach Dale McIntosh at half time to inspire a five-star second half display as Merthyr moved into the semi-finals for the fourth year in a row.
The Ironmen took their time to get going after a close first half that saw them take a narrow 9-6 lead into the interval against their National Championship visitors. With ‘Chief’s’ words ringing in their ears, they came storming out of the traps after the interval with five converted tries to keep their bid to regain the cup they surrendered to Cardiff last year on track.
“I can’t really repeat what I said to the boys at half time, but it was just really about going back to fundamentals and being honest with ourselves,” said McIntosh. We knew it was going to be an arm wrestle. We expected it to be tight but we didn’t play well in the first half and didn’t take our opportunities.
“We weren’t respectful of Neath in the first half and I told the boys that if we didn’t respect them as a side then we’d be going out of the cup.”
It was expected be one-way traffic from the off, but Merthyr struggled to get a foothold on the game. The first half saw Matthew Jarvis kick three penalties and Jordan Rees reply with two for the visitors.
The Ironmen then opened up after the break and debutant Garrick Legge was the first of their five try scorers. Rhys Davies, Rhys Downes and Adam Hoskins (2) followed suit and Jarvis converted them all.
To their credit, Neath scored two tries of their own through Tomi Antozzi and Gareth Wyn Lloyd. Callum Hall converted the latter.
