An Ospreys enhanced Swansea side pushed their visitors all the way and hit back from an early eight point deficit to lead 13-8 in the first-half. The visitors got off to a flying start with the first of their required four tries coming from Wales U20 full back Cameron Winnett.
Luke Scully couldn’t add the extras, but then landed a penalty to make it 8-0. Then came the Whites’ purple patch with an Evans penalty and conversion of a clever try from flanker Callum Bowden.
Harri Millard ran in a try before the break for the Blue & Blacks and Scully’s conversion gave them a 15-13 interval lead. They needed two more tries after the break and got them via hooker Alun Rees and back row man Nathan Hudd, the latter converted by Dan Fish.
Swansea grabbed a consolation try at the death from Tom Florence, which Evans converted, but it was too little, too late.
Aaron Warren grabbed a hat-trick of tries for Llandovery to earn them a 29-28 win at the Talbot Athletic Ground to extract perfect revenge for their one-point defeat to Aberavon in the WRU Premiership Cup semi-final two weeks earlier.
The Drovers left it late, though, with replacement Jordan Evans squeezing home for the bonus point win in a five tries to four thriller. Playing with gay abandon, Llandovery raced into a 19 point lead thanks to two well taken tries by Warren and a classy finish from Rhodri Jones.
Flanker Lloyd Evans then scored an opportunist try after following up his own kick and No 8 Andrew Waite followed him over the Llandovery line. Dan Edwards converted both and it was 19-14 at the break.
Warren struck again to complete his hat-trick before Luke Davies and Waite again scored for the Wizards to help them go ahead 28-24. It looked all over until effervescent scrum half Lee Rees inspired another Drvoers attack that ended with a try for Evans.
Andrew Williams brought the curtain down on his 200+, decade long career with RGC by taking the final conversion of a game that ended 40-10 to the home side against Pontypridd.
The second row was give the chance to get on the scoresheet after Christian Hone had run in the Gogs’ sixth try of what was, in the end, a runaway victory. RGC moved up into third place as they ended Ponty’s five match winning run.
Jacob Lloyd had the chance to put the visitors, who had won 30-25 on their last trip to Parc Eirias in the Premiership Cup, but then made no mistake with the conversion of his half-back partner Lucas Welch’s try after Joe Miles had picked up at the base of scrum and sent him over.
The prolific Dion Jones then replied from close range and added the extras before Rhys Tudor winged in for the first of his two tries. That gave RGC a 12-10 interval advantage.
The second half then became one-way traffic and the home side put the pedal to the metal and added four more tries. They started confidently with a break by Danny Cross and a close shave involving Tudor.
The pressure eventually told and Wales U20 cap Ethan Frackrell came off the bench to race over for a try that Jones improved. Scrum half Efan Jones bagged the bonus-point with his try and then Tudor got his second.
Dion Jones converted both of them, but the final kick of the game went to Williams – and it was over and out from him!
In the other game, Carmarthen Quins were good value for their 28-16 win at Ebbw Vale that enabled the west Walians to move up to fourth. They were far too good for a home side who looked severely underpowered.
Jack Wilson kicked Carmarthen into an early lead before Dave Whiting showed tremendous footwork to score the opening try of the game for Ebbw Vale. Evan Lloyd converted and kicked three further penalties to send the hosts into a 16-6 lead at the interval. But Carmarthen’s forwards turned the screw in the second half with Torin Myhill touching down off the back off a well-worked driving lineout.
Electric Carmarthen scrum half Rhodri Davies levelled the scores when the ran in unopposed from 45 metres out. As the game moved into the final quarter Carmarthen were in complete control, and former Wales under 20s wing Dale Ford claimed their third try as he crossed at the far left-hand corner. Carmarthen held the ascendancy in the set piece, with Ebbw Vale’s scrum getting shoved backwards at a rate of knots.
The Steelmen couldn’t cope with the pressure they were under in the scrums, and as a result, conceded a penalty try which ensured Carmarthen returned to west Wales with all five match points in the bag.
