Second row Curtis Gregory, captain Rhys Francis, tight head prop Harry Drane and replacement Jon Evans were all on the scoresheet for the Steelmen, who were also awarded a penalty try.
Kieran Meek kicked two conversions and a penalty while Evan Lloyd off the bench also added a conversion. Morgan Rees got the sole Swansea try which Rhys Jones converted.
That result takes Ebbw above Newport as well as Pontypool – who themselves were on the wrong end of a 27-23 defeat against Bridgend at the Brewery Field. It’s now three wins on the bounce for Bridgend and a second in succession on their own patch.
All three of Bridgend’s tries were scored in the first half, courtesy of skipper Zac O’Driscoll, centre Tommy Morgan and scrum-half Chris Williams. Luke Price converted all three tries for a 21-20 half time lead while his two second half penalties secured victory.
Matthew Jarvis kicked Pontypool’s only points of the second half. In the first their tries were scored by Morgan Lloyd and Marcus Jones with Jarvis adding the extras to both as well as kicking two penalties. It’s now two defeats in their last three for Pooler.
Meanwhile, it’s now four wins on the bounce for Merthyr, in fifth, who returned home from north Wales with four more valuable points having defeated RGC 20-13.
Tries in each half from wing Lloyd Rowlands and second row Paddy McBride secured another welcome win from behind on the road for the Ironmen. Both tries were converted by outside half Gareth Thompson who also kicked two penalties.
All of RGC’s points came in the first half with hooker Jordon Liney getting their try. Sam Earl-Jones converted and also kicked a penalty.
“I don’t normally say it or have to say it, but they were better. They won the breakdown, they were more physical, we conceded 33 per cent of ball to turnover – and we won’t win games with that,” admitted RGC head coach Ceri Jones.
Rejuvenated Cardiff racked up double figures in a crushing 64-26 defeat of Aberavon at the Arms Park. Steve Law’s men were in free-flowing form as they ran in 10 tries in total, seven of which came in the second half as they ran riot.
Skipper Joey Tomlinson, the scorer of a try brace at Swansea the week before, was once again at the double, getting the Blue & Blacks on their way after eight minutes.
Morgan Allen and Arwel Robson were also over in the first half as Cardiff led 19-14 at the break. But they cut loose in the second half with Tomlinson and Allen both grabbing their second tries, while Joe Goodchild, Nathan Hudd, Shaun O’Rourke, Dewi Cross and Jacob Lloyd all got in on the act.
Robson kicked four conversions and Harrison James three. Late tries from Frankie Jones and Rhys Thomas, with the latter converted by Stef Andrews, meant Aberavon at least left with a try bonus point.
Andrews and Cameron Lewis scored in the first half, both converted by James Davies, to pull them back to 14-14 having been 14-0 down early on, but that was as good as it got for Aberavon – who have now lost their last four.
It was a tale of contrasting halves for Pontypridd, but in the end they got the job done by beating Carmarthen Quins 29-20 at Sardis Road to make it three wins on the bounce.
First half tries from hooker Curtis Greenslade and wing Liam Lloyd, both converted by full-back Josh Phillips, helped steer the Valley Commandos into a 20-6 half time lead, with Phillips also sending over two penalties.
The Quins improved after the break and outscored their hosts in the second half with tries of their own through centre Iestyn Gwilliam and Rhodri Davies. Jac Wilson added the extras to both adding to his two penalties in the first half.
But three more second half penalties from Phillips took his personal match tally to 19 points and consigned the Quins to a seventh straight reverse.
Pontypridd back rower Aled Ward said: “I suppose we were left a bit frustrated after the first half, we felt comfortable. I think if we’d have had an 80-minute performance to emulate that first half, we would’ve been happier than we were.
“But we’d talked about not being complacent after two wins on the bounce and we’ve ground out another win.”
