There may have been regional distractions, with Cardiff facing the Dragons in the east and Scarlets welcoming Ospreys in the west, but there was no turning away from one of Welsh club rugby’s biggest derbies.
For the faithful followers of the Welsh All Blacks – and that included three rugby devotees from New Zealand – it was a day to remember as their biggest Christmas present of all came a day late with the first win off the season in the shape of a 24-19 triumph.
The first Boxing Day clash in five years between the two great rivals was compelling from start to finish. The end result was much deserved and hugely welcomed by the home side.
Rhys Thomas and Rhodri Hughes try to charge down Elis Horgan’s box kick
Having gone desperately close to breaking their duck in the Indigo Premiership in recent games, Neath hit back after conceding a try to Wizards centre Bradley Roderick which James Davies converted.
Outside half Steff Williams got Neath on the scoreboard after half-an-hour with a penalty before a penalty try and yellow card transformed the game. Lock Matthew Davies won line-out ball, the Neath forwards drove on and when Travis Huntley intervened illegally close to his posts he was shown a yellow card, and the Llanelli referee Simon Mills awarded the home side a penalty try that made it 10-7.
Neath quickly made their numerical advantage pay by working wing Ryan Griffiths over in the left corner for a try that Williams improved to extend the lead to 10 points. Griffiths struck again moments later with another corner effort that Williams converted once again off the touchline to make it 24-7 at the break.
That three try salvo was as good as it got for the home side, who failed to add to their score in the second half but the cushion they had built up was big enough to hold off a final 40 revival from the Wizards.
Prop Rowan Jenkins launched the fightback with a charging try and Davies’ conversion cut the gap to 10 points. The collisions simply became bigger, the stakes even higher as each minute passed, and nails were bitten to the quick as the tension rose.
Aberavon wing Jay Baker’s kick ahead slithered over the dead-ball line to deny him the chance of adding a try but there was no stopping replacement flanker Ben Gregory scoring wide out on the left.
NEATH: L Evans; S Gibson, R Evans (captain), K Jones, R Griffiths; S Williams, E Horgan (G Williams); J Powell, S Crocker (C Morris), T Ryan (G Lloyd), M Davies, C Arnold, J Blackmore, M Kneath, B Williams (D Ceredig)
ABERAVON: J Gage (captain); J Baker, F Jones, B Roderick (S Delnevo), C Banfield; J Davies, L Seaward (S Whitelock); R Jenkins (J Walters), C Lewis (S Hurley), G James (C Davies), R Thomas, R Hughes (S Smallman), T Huntley (B Gregory), A Waite, C Loveys
Referee: Simon Mills (Llanelli)
