The Drovers are enjoying their best league start since 2012, when they reeled off six straight wins to lead the table, and were good value for their 36-12 victory. With Cardiff not in action, Euros Evans’ side climbed into second place behind unbeaten leaders, Aberavon.
RGC ran Cardiff close in their last fixture but were run off their feet by the high tempo rugby of the Drovers in the first half. They came back well but had too much leeway to make up in a far tighter second half.
“Church Bank is an extremely hard place to go and it’s even harder when your performance levels aren’t good enough,” said RGC head coach, Ceri Jones.
“We didn’t have the urgency in the kick-chase, or coming off the line, and as result we found ourselves way behind on the scoreboard after 20 minutes. They played to the conditions with a strong wind and pinned us back well with the kicks.
“In the second half we were better and that could be seen in the two tries we scored, but realistically we can’t come here to a top four side and expect anything with those levels. Our standards need to the higher if we want to be anywhere near the top.
It took just two minutes for Llandovery to take the lead when a close-range line out ended with hooker Dafydd Hughes burrowing through for a try converted by full back Jack Maynard.
It soon became 12-0 when scrum half Lee Rees took a pass from centre Rhodri Jones to dive over wide out in a pile of bodies. The swift pace of the game continued and RGC left wing Dafydd Williams looked clear only to be denied by a last gasp ankle tap tackle from Jones.
A break-out of defence by the Drovers, in which Maynard was the key player, eventually ended with prop Jamie Hughes bashing his way through, the full back converting for a 19-0 lead. A behind the back pass from the bubbling Rees put wing Aaron Warren in under the posts for a fourth home try.
Maynard’s conversion made it 26-0 inside the half hour before RGC had a short spell of possession which came to nothing in the face of good home tackling. With the wind in their favour, RGC made a better fist of it after the break and they got their first try when wing Williams flashed over following a strong run from prop Billy McQueeney.
RGC competed hard at the breakdown but they went further behind when lock Joe Powell shrugged off three tackles to barge over wide out. Back came the visitors with a nice try from centre Harri Evans, converted by full–back Dion Jones before Dafydd Hughes finished off a forward surge with his second try.
Scorers: Llandovery: Tries: D Hughes 2, L Rees, J Hughes, A Warren, J Powell; Cons: J Maynard 3. RGC: Tries: D Williams, H Evans; Con: D Jones
