The Welsh Al Blacks have managed only one win to date this season, in the Foster’s Challenge Cup, and this six try hammering was the final straw for Horgan. While Neath are foundering, Newport have shown what can be achieved by lifting themselves off the bottom last season to second place this winter.
The home side were dominant from the first whistle and John Lavender opened the scoring in the ninth minute after persistent pressure. Neath lost Ieuan Dobbs to the sin bin and Newport struck with two tries in three minutes.
The first was a penalty try following a strong scrum and then Julian Mogg found Evan Whitson with a clever pass to allow the hooker to slide over at the posts. It was another chastening afternoon for Neath and hooker Dobbs was fortunate not to be shown a second yellow after appearing to punch Brendan Lampitt in the back of the head.
The second-half remained scrappy until Newport secured the crucial bonus point in the 55th minute when Elliott Frewen’s burst of pace set up Paul King for a simple try. Newport added two more before the end, with Henry Parlour and outside-half Mogg both touching down.
Mogg kicked three conversions to secure a resounding victory, which enabled the Black and Ambers to leapfrog Llandovery into second place after the Drovers lost at Cross Keys. The top two sides now have three meetings in a row coming up to assess their capabilities.
Second half tries from Matthew Powell and Adam Powell helped Cross Keys hold on to the top spot in the Principality Premiership with a 20-18 win. Llandovery’s Jack Maynard and Keys’ outside half Owen Howe traded two penalties each in the opening stages, before Will Thomas’ try put the visitors ahead.
Keys took the initiative after the restart after a well-constructed scrum allowed No 8 Adam Powell to touch down at the base. The conversion from Howe, who kicked eight points in all, gave Keys a precious lead.
Keys continued to dominate at the breakdown and a surge from second-row Dan Hodge played in Matthew Powell, who wriggled over in the corner. The Llandovery backs looked much sharper than their counterparts and may have prevailed in better conditions, after making numerous line breaks.
They were finally rewarded when Rhodri Jones glided through to score with five minutes to play. Maynard drop-kicked the conversion to bring the Drovers within two points and set up a grandstand finish, but Keys weathered the storm and were good value for a tenacious two-point victory that made up for their defeat against the same opposition on the opening day of the season.
A barnstorming performance from Ebbw Vale No 8 Ethan Doyle helped the Steelmen secure a 40-30 home victory over Bridgend. The highlight of the game was a powerful run by the back-rower to play in teammate Jordan Howells.
Vale ran in six tries in all as their innovative build-up play proved too much for the Ravens’ defence. Ronny Kynes opened the scoring after 20 minutes for the hosts, but Dale Rogers hit back instantly for the visitors.
Nathan Preece then benefitted from a superb kick from Dan Haymond to put Vale ahead, before Gethin Robinson’s try extended the advantage. Bridgend got back in touch before the break courtesy of a Nicky Boyce try which Joseph Scrivens improved.
Haymond and Doyle continued to wreak havoc after the interval, the former touching down to make it 26-14 with Dai Langdon adding the extras. Bridgend’s Boyce was yellow-carded, which allowed Vale to stretch the lead to 34-14 when Doyle forcefully opened a gap for Howells to exploit.
There was a revival-of-sorts from the visitors when Ryan Evans and Owen Watkins scored in quick succession – both tries were converted by Scrivens to leave the score 34-30. But Vale deserved the win and scrum half Chris Thomas made sure they got it after a fine catch and drive.
A relentless performance from Aberavon was enough to condemn Cardiff to a third straight defeat as the Wizards made it a Premiership double over their hosts with a 24-8 win at the BT Sport Arms Park.
The win keeps the Wizards in touch with the division’s high-flyers, as James Garland led the way with the boot.
The Blue and Blacks grabbed an early lead thanks to winger Richard Smith, with Gareth Davies converting.
Aberavon battled back to level before the break, as Sam Williams finally broke through the home defence after swathes of Wizards’ pressure. And the visitors continued to dominate after the resumption as they avenged their recent narrow defeat in the Challenge Cup at the same venue.
Scrum half David Pritchard scored to put Aberavon in front and Garland was unerringly accurate with his conversion attempt. The home side reversed the momentum for a while, pressing hard against the Aberavon defence, but the Blue and Blacks were wasteful up front.
It was down to Garland to extend the Wizards’ lead with a penalty 15 minutes from time and from there, it was plain sailing for Jason Hyatt’s troops. Centre Matthew Jenkins ensured a comfortable victory after a long passage of play inside the Blue and Blacks’ 22metre line.
Once again, Garland booted the extras to put Aberavon beyond reach. The victory breaks the Wizards’ losing streak, after defeats to Ebbw Vale and Bedwas in their last two games.
A 70-point turnaround saw Bedwas storm back to claim an astonishing 40-30 victory over Carmarthen Quins. It was a Jekyll and Hyde performance from the hosts, who were shocked by two Gavin Thomas tries early on.
But they delighted the Bridge Field crowd with a rousing second-half display, as centre Adam Williams completed the comeback in the final minute. Thomas scored his eighth and ninth tries of the season to power Quins to a 16-0 lead within 12 minutes.
It was 30-0 after a front row shove brought a score in the corner and Quins’ 21-year-old scrum half Connor Lloyd skipped through to add a fourth try inside 30 minutes. Dan Jones also kicked six first-half points.
The Bedwas revival began before the break, although Matthew John’s try initially seemed like a mere consolation effort to begin with. A penalty try followed on 52 minutes to make it 30-16 and Bedwas started to believe.
Back-rower Geraint Edmunds then muscled over and Richard Powell kicked the extras to bring Bedwas within range. Hooker Alun Rees crashed through a number of tackles to score on 72 minutes before another Powell kick gave Bedwas the lead and Williams then sealed the unlikely victory at the death.
Reigning champions Pontypridd ended a run of three defeats as they beat Llanelli 38-6 at Sardis Road. Alex Webber and Jake Thomas both helped themselves to two tries as the home side emerged with a bonus point.
Dan Godfrey crossed for the other home try and Lewis K Williams kicked four conversions. Llanelli’s only points came in the first half with a try from Josh Lewis.
