Merthyr and RGC 1404 will carry the maximum eight points forward into the second phase of the Principality Premiership after they both rounded off the 14-game first phase with victories
Reigning champions Merthyr saw off Bargoed 33-23 at The Wern to beat Pontypridd by two points in the East Division, while the Gogs came from behind at the Brewery Field to beat Bridgend 27-10 to top the table in the West division by five points from Llandovery.
The second phase of the competition will see the 16 teams come together and play on a home or away basis. The top two teams will meet at Parc Eirias on 5 May in the penultimate round of fixtures. They kick-off with home games this weekend – the Ironmen host Cross Keys and RGC 1404 welcome Bridgend to Colwyn Bay.
The first round of fixtures on Saturday, 30 December, are as follows:
Carmarthen Quins v Swansea
Ebbw Vale v Llanelli
Llandovery v Aberavon
Merthyr v Cross Keys
Neath v Bargoed
Newport v Cardiff
Pontypridd v Bedwas
RGC 1404 v Bridgend
“A lot of hard work has gone into the first half of the Principality Premiership season and we’ve had some quality games already this season. We held workshops for Premiership coaches and conducted a trial with GPS systems to help the clubs improve their training and matchday preparation,” said Geraint John, Head of Rugby Performance at the WRU.
“We are in the midst of a competition review to uncover exactly where the Principality Premiership sits in relation to the professional game. A number of younger players have stepped up to this level and the Wales Under 20 management team are taking a keen interest in the games over the Christmas and New Year period with final selection for the upcoming U20 Six Nations around the corner.”
Llandovery gained revenge on Carmarthen Quins in the Scarlets regional derby with a crushing 29-14 win that moved them up from third to second in the West Division to earn them an extra point to carry forward. They were 22-0 ahead at the break thanks to five penalties from the boot of Jack Maynard and a conversion from the outside half of Geraint Rhys Jones’ try.
Five minutes into the second half the Drovers grabbed a second try from flanker Lewis Ellis-Jones, which Maynard again improved to pass the century mark for the season, before the Quins hit back with two tries. Two minutes later Torin Myhill went over, with Jac Wilson adding the extras, and there was also a penalty try.
The first of full back Dion Jones’ two tries on the stroke of half time hauled RGC back into a tough test at Bridgend, where the home side were leading 10-3 thanks to a try, conversion and penalty from Cai Evans. Jones then added a second five minutes into the second half before centre Tom Hughes ran in a third.
The trusty boot of Jacob Botica added three conversions and two penalties that brought him 12 points to make it 142 for the first half of the season. While Botica, last season’s Premiership Player of the Year, leads the points table, Hughes is the leading try scorer with 12.
Swansea ensured they cannot be overtaken by Neath at the bottom of the table with a crushing 38-7 home win over arch-rivals Llanelli. The All Whites raced into a 24-o interval lead and ended up with five tries, one of which was a penalty try.
Former Ospreys full back Richard Fussell was among the try scorers in the bonus-point triumph and outside half James Davies converted four and added a penalty. The other try scorers were Sam Kiley, Morgan Morris and Rhodri Wells, while the only points for the visitors came from a Ryan Conbeer try and Ioan Hughes converted.
In the East, the 2016 champions Ebbw Vale produced one of their best performances of the season with a 33-17 home win over Bedwas. It was a timely boost for the Steelmen, who will have Greg Woods taking over as head coach in the New Year.
Dorian Jones converted all three home tries and also kicked four penalties for 18 points in an eventful afternoon. He also picked up a yellow card late in the second half when the Steelmen found themselves reduce to 12 men.
Referee Simon Mills sent hooker Rhys Francis to the sin-bin in the 68th minute and then sent Jones and lock Lance Randall to the touchline in the 73rd and 74th minutes. Centre Dai Landgon got two tries and full back Dan Haymond got the other as Ebbw Vale went into the break leading 27-17.
Bedwas replied with tries from Dale Rogers and Adam Williams and Steffan Jones converted both and added a penalty. But the visitors couldn’t muster any more points in the second half, while Jones added two penalties to complete the win.
Tries from full back Llywarch Ap Myrddin and flanker Jim Botham gave Cardiff the satisfaction of outscoring Pontypridd by two tries to one, but they still went down 20-18 at Sardis Road. Pontypridd carry forward seven points for finishing second, while the Blue & Blacks take five into the second phase for finishing fourth.
Alex Webber scored the home try and the rest of their points came from the trusty boots of Diggy Bird and Ceri Sweeney. Ponty kick-off phase two with a home clash against Bedwas, while Cardiff head to Rodney Parade to meet Newport.
Neath will host Aberavon at The Gnoll on Boxing Day to complete the first phase of fixtures.