The Ravens made a strong start with former Wales cap Matthew Jones kicking them into an early 6-0 lead, but the power of the Ironmen’s pack came through in the end as the visitors notched five tries.
No 8 Tom Daley launched the scoring as he powered his way over the line in the 34th minute and then outside-half Gareth Thompson squeezed in at the far right-hand corner.
Jones kicked his third penalty to cut the gap to a mere three pints at the break, but Merthyr seized the initiative early in the second half as Thompson added a penalty.
Thompson then touched down for his second try, which he also converted, before replacement second row Masalosalo Tutaia secured the try bonus point with Merthyr’s fourth. Adam Hopkins ran in unopposed from 35 metres for the fifth and there was a consolation score for David Pritchard at the death for Bridgend.
Swansea picked up their first Premiership win of the season when they picked up a 26-21 bonus-point win at Carmarthen Park.
Everything went their way from the moment Callum Carson intercepted a Jac Wilson midfield pass and raced 60 metres to the posts for the opening try. Cai Evans added the extras and also improved two more tries. Worse was to come for Carmarthen Quins when they lost prop Ben Leung to a yellow card for a deliberate tap down. No sooner had he left the pitch than Jay Williams sped over for Swansea’s second try.
Home centre Josh Batcup crashed over in the last move of the first half ball to cut the deficit, but Swansea grabbed the first points of the second period when Carson crossed in the corner for his second try at the posts.
The Quins hit back through a close range try from back row man Ed Siggery try before Owen Thomas went over in the corner to bag the bonus-point for the Whites. Scrum half Matt Aubrey and Thomas then picked up yellow cards in quick succession to reduce the visitors to 13 men.
That gave the Quins a chance to mount a last ditch revival and Leung went over from a quick tap penalty move to cut the gap to five points. They got close to a fourth try, but Swansea just held on.
Theo Cabango made it four tries in his last three games as he helped to steer Cardiff to a 22-5 bonus-point win at Parc Y Scarlets.
All five tries in the game started with close range set-pieces and it was Cabango’s early brace that allowed the Blue & Blacks to take a 10-5 interval lead. The first came after Llanelli halted a rolling maul from a line-out, but couldn’t stop the wing racing over after the ball was spread wide.
His second score came from a scrum five metres out, but once again Jack Maynard failed to add the extras. The home side replied with a try of their own before the break when wing Amir Jiwa-Walji crossed after three successive corner line-outs.
It was still anyone’s game in the second half, but Cardiff used their forward power to add two more tries from driving line-outs. Both went to hookers – Alun Rees getting the first and then his replacement, Evan Daniel, the second.
Pontypridd are still seeking their first win of the year after back-to-back defeats to Newport and Aberavon and have to go back as far as 11 December for their only victory ahead of their trip to Llandovery today (Sunday).
