The Welsh clubs managed to come out on top 5-4 against teams ranging from National 1 to Division 3 South West. There will be more warm-up fixtures on Saturday before the Premiership clubs meet in the Foster’s National Sevens at the BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park on Sunday.
The Premiership season starts on Friday, 2 September when Cardiff host Newport and the rest of the teams begin the next day. Ebbw Vale will be looking to defend their title, while Merthyr, Swansea, Bargoed and RGC1404 will be joining from the Championship.
CARDIFF 42-12 TAUNTON
Cardiff ran in six tries to give new head coach Duane Goodfield plenty to smile about ahead of their Principality Premiership start at home against arch-rivals Newport on Friday, 2 September.
Wing Ceri Young sped 30 metres to score the opening try after last season’s Wales Under 20 full back Rhun Williams had put him clear. Gareth Thompson converted that one and also added the extras to a try by hooker Joe Tomlinson from a driving line-out.
The Blues & Blacks scored their third try five minutes before the break when Thompson made the running for James Beale to score to make it 21-12 at half-time. Tomlinson scored again in the second half and Liam Free made the most of a two man advantage after Taunton had been struck by yellow fever to bag try number five.
Olli Smyth rounded off proceedings nicely against the English League 2 South outfit with a kick and chase try which this time David Bird converted to complete the scoring.
EXMOUTH 12-50 BARGOED
Bargoed got two games for the price of one trip on their visit to Devon as they picked up 40 minutes against Weston Hornets and then a full 80 against host club Exmouth.
The newly promoted side won both encounters and ran in eight tries in their victory over English League 2 South side Exmouth. The 2015 WRU Championship winners welcomed back prop Anthony Lott into their squad after his return from Cross Keys.
“The competition in the squad is really encouraging, the players have been working hard in training all summer, and the benefits were there to see at Exmouth. There are some difficult selection decisions to make in the next couple of weeks,” said coach Dai Lynch.
MOSELEY 31-14 NEATH
Neath suffered an early yellow card and conceded three tries while prop Ryan Thomas was in the cooler. That saw them fall behind 24-0 and never really recover.
The Welsh side suffered a serious knee injury to wing Tom Rees just before the break, but they steadied the ship at the start of the second half when they were awarded a penalty try. Keiran Williams and Gareth Morris almost added to the tally before Morris finally rounded off some great approach work.
Iwan Evans had converted the first score, but this time Rory Morgan-Williams added the extras to cut the gap to 10 points at 24-14. There was a cruel ending for the visitors as Mark Harrison intercepted an Aaron Grabham pass to run the length of the field for a try which James Williams converted.
BEDWAS 31-5 BEDLINOG
Bedwas were grateful for three late tries to put a shine on their final score against battling Bedlinog in their latest pre-season warm-up.
The Foxes arrived at The Bridge Field having won promotion to the WRU Championship this season by winning the Division 1 East title as well as the SWALEC Plate competition. Conditions made life even more difficult for the Principality Premiership outfit and there was only a Geraint Edmunds try separating the two teams at the break.
Bedlinog levelled he scores at 5-5 with a try of their own at the start of the second half before one of their old boys, Robson Blake, reclaimed the lead for the home side. A yellow cad to the visitors gave Bedwas the chance to pounce and props Dan Preece and Matthew Pettit both crossed for tries.
James Dixon converted the latter and then improved Pat Lewis’ corner try to complete the scoring. the scoring. Bedwas continue the build up to the new season with a final friendly fixture at home against Glamorgan Wanderers on Saturday, 27 August (2.30pm kick off).
AMPTHILL 43-15 BRIDGEND RAVENS
Bridgend old boy Ma’ama Molitika was among the try scorers for English National 1 side Ampthill as they ran in seven tries against Bridgend Ravens.
The former Tonga, Celtic Warriors and Cardiff Blues back row man has joined Paul Turner on the coaching staff at the English club and was joined in the pack by his brother, Loti. The Ravens battled hard, but this was a big step up from their opening pre-season game at Beddau, when they won 50-8.
Morgan Jones and Huw Wilkes provided second half tries for the Ravens and Joe Scrivens kicked a conversion and penalty. Matthew Silva’s side complete their pres-season with a game against Treorchy.
COVENTRY 56-40 NEWPORT
Newport suffered their second successive pre-season defeat to an English National 1 side as they conceded eight tries a week after going down to a 26-24 defeat at Rosslyn Park.
Wing Dan Rundle gave the home side a flying start with a try in the opening minute which outside half Tony Fenner converted. Back row man Lloyd Phillips was quick to respond with the first try from the visitors only a few minutes later.
Centre Rob Knox was next to score for the home team, Fenner again adding the extras, and the outside half improved a third try when Max Trimble ran in to make it 21-5. Henry Palmer responded with a second Newport try which Matt O’Brien converted, and the game had seen 33 points in only 17 minutes.
The gap was further reduced when Reuben Tucker finished off a very good team try and O’Brien’s conversion made it 21-19. But Coventry moved into a 35-19 interval lead thanks to two yellow cards for Newport and two further tries.
Flanker Eoghan Grace scooped the ball up and crashed over for the first and then scrum half Sam Grasso grabbed the second. Fenner converted them both to leave Newport counting the cost of those cards to Tucker and Tom Piper.
A try from the outstanding No 8 Darrell Dyer, once again improved by Fenner, gave Coventry a great start to the second half and then Olly Povoas and Corey Hircock crossed as the scoreline moved up to 56-19 in the third quarter.
There was time for Newport to mount a rearguard action to and some respectability and Elliot Frewen, Chay Smith and Geraint O’Driscoll claimed tries, all of which O’Driscoll converted. That late flurry of 21 points cut the gap to 16 in the end.
Newport end their pre-season campaign on Tuesday, 23 August when they face Hartridge RFC at Llanwern High School (7.00pm kick-off). They open their Principality Premiership season at Cardiff on Friday, 2 September.
PONTYPOOL 6 – 7 ABERAVON
Pontypool gave Aberavon a tough work out at a wet and windy Pontypool Park where they pushed the Principality Premiership side to the limit before going down 7-6.
The Wizards had to rely on their outstanding defence to keep the WRU Championship team at bay, but had the satisfaction of scoring the only try of the game. Back row man David Griggs grabbed the try after good approach work from Ieuan Davies.
The conversion was added by Steff Williams and hat allowed the visitors, who had beaten Cornish Pirates at home the previous weekend, to lead 7-3 at the break. A second penalty from full back Kieran Meek enabled Pooler to cut the gap to a single point in the second half, but they couldn’t fund enough to complete the victory.
CINDERFORD 13-29 LLANDOVERY
Wales Under 20 Grand Slam hooker Dafydd Hughes grabbed the first of five tries at Cinderford as the Drovers picked up the pace ahead of their Principality Premiership opener at Aberavon.
Having gone down to a 37-27 defeat at Tata Steel in their opening pre-season friendly this was a better performance from last season’s SWALEC Cup winners. Two tries from Owain Davies and another from Jack Maynard, who also kicked two conversions, gave the Premiership side a 24-3 interval lead.
There were plenty of changes in the second half and only one more try from Llandovery, from Jack Parkinson.
SWANSEA 41-17 REDRUTH
The newly promoted All Whites made it three from three in their pre-season campaign with a big win over the Cornishmen. They turned on the style in the second half after leading 7-5 at the break in a game played at Dunvant’s Broadacre.
Swansea will meet Llanelli at Morriston RFC on Wednesday, 24 August (7.00pm kick-off).
DUNVANT 10-43 LLANELLI
Llanelli got caught out by two early interception tries by the WRU Championship side, but eventually got their timing right and ended up running in seven tries of their own. Johnny Lewis picked up two of them and the others came from Paul Davies, Trystan Lloyd, Ed Curtis, Matthew Owen and Dion Jones, who also kicked four conversions.
BLACKHEATH 33-12 CARMARTHEN QUINS
The Quins conceded five tries against the English League 1 side, but could feel happy with the way their set-piece worked two weeks out from the start of the Principality Premiership campaign at Swansea on Saturday, 3 September.
Blackheath sped into a 19-7 interval lead, while the Quins managed tries from centre Rhys Williams and No 8 Josh Middleton. Outside half Steff Marshall converted one of them.
OLD REDCLIFFIANS 14-28 CROSS KEYS
Scott Matthews got his first chance to lead Cross Keys after being named as club captain for the new season and the Gwent club added to their 40-21 pre-season win at Glamorgan Wanderers against the English League 3 South West side.
YSTRAD RHONDDA 0-38 PONTYPRIDD
Having lost 66-14 to Bedford Blues in their opening pre-season friendly this was a handy work-out for last season’s Foster’s Challenge Cup winners before they travel to face Mike Rayer’s side once again at Goldington Road on Saturday in their final warm-up match.
Ponty scored three tries in each half with No 8 Dan Godfrey leading the way with the first try after only three minutes. It took more than half-an-hour before wing Alex Webber crossed for the second and then Lewis Williams ran in another before the break to make it 17-0 at half-time.
Prop Jack Dunning, lock Hemi Barnes and centre Declan Williams completed the scoring with outside half Callum Hall supplying four conversions.
