See Latest News section for programme notes.

The two feeder clubs for the Scarlets region were well matched at Church Bank but it was the Drovers who edged the battle thanks to a stronger last quarter.

Both sides face difficult opening games next Saturday with Llandovery travelling to play Aberavon in the Premiership and Narberth at home to newly promoted Builth in Division One. On the evidence of this game the Otters look to have brighter prospects of a high finish as they gave the Drovers a searching test up front and outscored their old opponents by two tries to one.

Both Rob Phillips and Jonathan Dodd were also more than pleased with the way their new signings fitted into the Narberth pattern. “We lost some important players in the summer but some of our new and young recruits showed up very well and we are hopeful of starting the season off with a bang against Builth at the Lewis Lloyd Ground.” said Dodd. Ex Cardigan scrum half Gareth Mason, ex Llanelli prop Nathan Williams and former Haverfordwest No 8 Lewis Wood all looked valuable acquisitions whilst the experience of forwards Emori Katelau, Jason Jennings and Dai Ebsworth ensured a tight contest.

Llandovery coach Iestyn Thomas was not entirely satisfied with the closeness of the score but had a number of players missing from next Saturday’s starting line up. “We always have close encounters with Narberth regardless of who is in what division and Saturday was no different.” said Thomas. “We missed some gilt edged chances early on and it took us a while to get control before we finished better.”

Skipper and flanker Ceri Davies, centres Tracy Lewis and Barrie Thomas, back row Eifion Gwynne and wing Jamie Roberts were all unavailable for the Drovers but there was a very promising first appearance from ex Llanelli flanker Matthew Jefferies. New prop Aled Williams from Bedwas also showed up well and will bring strength in depth to the front row.

The place kicking of ex Welsh Schools fly half Gareth Morgan will be important to the Drovers this year and the Llandeilo product kicked four penalties in all, the last two the most important to take Llandovery from 13-14 down to 19-14 winners.

Morgan had opened the scoring with two penalties before the alertness and quick reactions of the Otters brought them two tries. Fly half Gareth James got a skilful chip and chase try which he convened and he then added the points to a smart try by centre Elgan Vittle.

Down 6-14, Llandovery responded with a driving try, accredited to Slovenia’s Luka Plesko, converted by replacement and ex Builth fly half James Brown. Then in a strong finale Llandovery forced increasing errors in the Narberth defence to allow young Morgan to seal the win that was crucial to Llandovery confidence and prospects for the long 32 game season that lies ahead.

Try: Luka Plesko; Con: Jamie Brown; Pens: Gareth Morgan (4)

“Ecstatic”, was how Llandovery hooker Jonathan Owen described his feelings after this tense, close fought game at the Talbot Athletic Ground. Playing his first game for the Drovers against an Aberavon side captained by his bother, second row Dafydd, the former Llandovery College Captain and Wizards player continued, “We stuck at our task and I’m sure this team can move up a couple of gears”. 

The defensive play of both sides was excellent throughout and neither set of backs appeared to have the flair to beat the tacklers and this, combined with a lack of continuity in phases, meant that attacking opportunities were limited. 

The Llandovery forwards, however, were in fine form and the experienced front row gave Aberavon a torrid time in the scrums, with props Andrew Jones and Dorian Williams making life very difficult for their opposite numbers. Locks Tom Walker and Arwel Davies made excellent contributions in the lines out whilst the back row of Captain Ceri Davies, Luka Plesko and new Scarlets signing Number eight Jonathan Mills were prominent in shutting down the Wizards’ attack. 

With attacking options limited the goal kickers of both sides were to play a vital role in the encounter and after only two minutes play Aberavon took the lead when former Maesteg player, outside half Liam Gadd struck with a well converted penalty. He followed up with two more, whilst his opposite number 10, Gareth Morgan contributed two to open the Drovers’ account. 

The opening try of the game came in the 30^th minute scored by the visitors’ Ioan Davies. The full back, standing in at outside half, moved the ball right where it reached wing Owain Rowlands who, with a beautifully timed pass, found Ioan looping round in support. Taking the ball at full speed the Llandovery player outstripped the home defence to touch down under the posts. Gareth Morgan added the extra points and the Drovers were able to take a 16-9 advantage into the half time break. 

Within a minute of the re-start the home side were back on equal terms. A Llandovery attack broke down and the ball was turned over in midfield and hacked down deep into the 22 where a lucky bounce eluded the defenders and landed in the arms of the chasing Liam Gadd. He touched down and then kicked the conversion. 

Two further penalty attempts failed to add to the score and the game moved towards a tense and exciting finish. A flurry of late penalties awarded by referee Huw David was to test the nerve of both kickers. With four minutes remaining a mix up with the Drovers’ half backs resulted in a penalty for offside from only 30m, but the angled shot hit the post and fell into in-goal where it was minored for a 22 drop out. 

It then fell to Gareth Morgan to attempt to win the match but a penalty taken from his own 10m line fell just short, until in the first minute of extra time he had a second chance. Poor discipline from a home player gave Llandovery the extra ten metres and the outside half coolly converted to give the Drovers the lead. 

The drama was not over when only a minute later another penalty 35m out was awarded to the home team. The relief felt by the Drovers’ players and supporters was most evident as the ball sailed wide of the posts and the referee’s whistle sounded the end of the game. 

This was the first victory to be enjoyed by Llandovery on the opening day of the league season for six years and they are now looking to consolidate this position when they entertain Bedwas at Church Bank next Saturday. 

Ioan Davies, Owain Rowlands, Tracy Lewis, Emrys Evans, Rhodri Davies, Gareth Morgan, Rob Walters (Iwan Mainwaring 62), Dorian Williams, Jon Owen ( Hywel James 62), Andrew Jones, Tom Walker, Arwel Davies, Ceri Davies, Luka Plesko (Matthew Jefferies 72), Jon Mills.

John Kendrick reports:

After the euphoria of winning in Aberavon on the opening day of the season the Drovers' first home game at Church Bank was a very different affair as they crashed to a far superior Bedwas side who ran in 5 tries to nil against a very lack lustre Drovers. 

In a scrappy stop, start game punctuated by errors what little constructive open play  there was to be seen came from the visitors. An unsympathetic referee with little empathy with the players added to the lack of continuity and the home side in particular incurred the wrath of Mr Davies. 

The Porth official penalised them twenty times, frequently marched them 10 metres and issued two first half yellow cards to hooker Hywel James and flanker Luka Plesko. However, by not learning to keep quiet, the Llandovery players added to their own downfall. They need to realise officials do not change their decisions even when they appear to be incorrect. 

Whilst the tight scrums were evenly contested it was  a very different story in the lines out where Bedwas stole over half of the home sides throws. In the loose the visitors showed much more drive and  aggression, out-rucking and mauling the home eight. 

With the limited possession they had the Drovers found breaking the gain line, other than by kicking for territory, very difficult and the few attacks mounted tended to move sideways. Even the kicking game had limitations and was often ill directed, offering Bedwas further counter attacking options. 

Playing with a strong wind in the first half the writing was on the wall for the Drovers when Bedwas scored the opening try by Rob Phillips  after 8 minutes. The scrum half later got a second, both converted by Andrew James, who also kicked a penalty. The home team’s reply of a dropped goal and two penalties left the visitors with a deserved half time lead of 17 points to 9. 

In the second half against the wind there was some improvement from the home pack but it was to prove an impossible task as further tries from Andrew Harrison and Steve Gardner put the game beyond reach and the only reply was a third Gareth Morgan penalty. 

The final act of the game came in bizarre fashion after Llandovery centre Emrys Evans minored a loose ball in the in-goal area. Bedwas outside half Andrew James optimistically following up dived onto the ball for the referee to award a fifth ‘try’. James converted and along with 2 other second half  penalties and a conversion reached a personal points tally of 22 points.

See Latest News section for programme notes.

Drop goal: Gareth Morgan; Pens: Gareth Morgan (3)

The first half in Carmarthen was a disaster with the faster thinking and moving Quins taking every opportunity to strike. We found it very difficult to get out of our own half and conceded five tries before the break.

In the second half we made much more of a fight of the game, prevented the Quins from scoring further tries and even managed one ourselves through prop forward Jack Bennett. To be fair Carmarthen have built a very good blend of youth and experience into their team and should finish very close to, if not top, of the league. 

John Kendrick reports:

From the kick off Pontypridd gained a foothold in the Drovers’ territory, and apart from the final few minutes, spent the majority of the first half there. 

Whilst there was lots of endeavour and honest effort from both sides there was little fluency to the play. Neither set of backs looked to have the ability to unlock the defences and many of the attacks came through the back rows. Here Llandovery were well served with Jon Mills, Andy Powell and the outstanding Eifion Gwynne all having excellent games. 

However an indication of the stop-start nature of the match and lack of continuity can be seen from the match statistics where there were 34 scrums and 40 lines out. When over 30 penalties and numerous stoppages for injuries and substitutions are added it is not difficult to see why there was very little re-cycled ball and build up of attacking moves. 

It was therefore not surprising when half time arrived and neither side had scored. One sensed that any scores that might come would be by the boot or a forward drive. Indeed the opening points came from Llandovery full back Gareth Morgan who kicked a penalty 5 minutes into the second half. 

Two minutes later Pontypridd opened their account with a try. Following a 5m lineout the home forwards drove over the line and when all the bodies were peeled away underneath was scrum half Carl Thomas with the ball. 

A second Pontypridd try was scored by their number eight Dan Godfrey when he stole away from the back of a ruck and, finding the blind side undefended, was able to run in unopposed from 20m. Full back Jason Pocock added the conversion and followed up with a penalty to end the scoring and give Pontypridd a most welcome second victory. 

After their bright start to the season with victory over Aberavon in the first game the Drovers have rather lost their way. With only two tries scored in these first four games they need to rediscover the ways by which they scored over 80 tries last season.

Gareth Morgan, Jamie Roberts (D James), B Thomas, Emrys Evans, Tracy Lewis, J Brown (E Davies), Rob Walters (Iwan Mainwaring), Jack Bennett,  Jon Owen (A Davies), Andrew Jones (capt) (A Williams), Tom Walker, G Davies (S James), Jon Mills, Eifion Gwynne, Andy Powell (Luka Plesko) 

John Kendrick reports:

Playing in front of invited guests Mr. David Moffet of the WRU and Mr. Mark Davies Chief Executive of Carmarthenshire County Council the Drovers crashed to their fourth consecutive defeat. 

In doing so they leaked five tries for the third time this season whilst scoring only their third try in five league games. The Llanelli backs were more inventive and faster in thought and movement than the home side. With the outstanding player on the pitch Chris MacDonald directing events from scrum half the visitors created problems for the Drovers throughout the match. 

Only for a period in the second half were Llandovery in with a chance of winning the match. With the score at 21-10 and Llanelli down to 13 men with two yellow cards the Drovers hammered away at the line. Neglecting penalty kicks at goal and instead  choosing a series of scrums and lines out home forwards tried time after time to force their way over. When this plan failed to produce points there appeared to be no other answer and Llanelli weathered the storm as flanker Matthew Evans and hooker Justin Hughes returned to the fray after their time in the bin. 

Within ten minutes of the start the pattern of the game was established and Llanelli had scored 14 points without reply. First on the score sheet was a try from  winger Darren Daniel followed by a second by outside half Ceiron Thomas. The outside half converted both. 

The third try awarded by referee Hayden Davies came when Drovers winger Tracy Lewis went for an interception and knocked the ball forward. In the  two to one attacking situation there was no hesitation in the award of a penalty try converted by Ceiron Thomas. The home sides' only first half reply was a penalty kicked by Gareth Morgan. 

Llandovery began the second half on a much brighter note and when Gareth Morgan crossed for a try  which he converted there was some degree of optimism amongst the home supporters. However with little on offer from the Drovers' backs it was left to the forwards to try and crash their way over. 

When this failed Llanelli, realising the game was won, returned to the attack for the final quarter. They were rewarded with two more tries in the final minutes when firstly wing David Gravell crossed wide on the left and then Darren Daniel found his way to the right hand corner. Ceiron Thomas converted the first and the visitors ran out worthy winners by 33 points to 10. 

The committee of Llandovery RFC would like to express their grateful thanks to Lloyd Thomas of the Castle Hotel and George Parker of Parker Plant who have generously sponsored playing  kit for the teams. They were also present at the pre-match lunch with the other guests.  

Photos of the game, from Ian Williams of Riley Sports Photography, uploaded here

See Latest News section for programme notes.

Try: Gareth Morgan; Con: Gareth Morgan; Pen: Gareth Morgan

Centre Andrew Bishop, younger brother of Ospreys centre David, controlled the midfield and made opposite number, Llanelli Scarlets wing Aisea Havili, look distinctly ordinary. Bishop was the architect of two of his side's five tries, giving further proof that Neath's youth policy is paying handsome dividends.

The Drovers proved durable opponents, especially during a stop-start first half, when the refereeing of James Jones threatened to overshadow the game. His 44th-minute sin-binning of UWIC wing Dafydd James - for momentarily holding up the ball - seemed to be harsh in the extreme.

Neath took an eighth-minute lead via a James Hook penalty, but it was then trumped by successful kicks from full-back Gareth Morgan in the 22nd and 27th minutes. Llandovery held the 6-3 lead until the 39th minute when Bishop made the cut, and try-sniffing full-back Neil Clapham was on hand to finish things off and touch down. Fly-half Hook converted, and in the final act of the half he kicked a penalty, making it 13-6 at the interlude.

Impressive flanker Tom Smith then set up a 42nd-minute try for centre Aled Bevan, who excelled along with wings Aled Brew and Carter. That proved the breaking point for the Drovers, who were then blown apart by another Bishop break, leading to centre Bevan getting his second try. Andrew Littlehales had replaced Wales hooker Mefin Davies (calf strain) just before half time, and in the 63rd minute he finished off Brew's dynamic touchline run. And to round off a productive second half display, the All Blacks signed off with another sizzling try. Clapham broke from around halfway in the 72nd minute, and outwitted his former team-mates to collect a sixth league try of the campaign. Hook converted all five tries for a 16-point match haul to move him onto 53 league points for the season.

Gareth Morgan, Ioan Davies, Aisea Havili, Tracy Lewis, Dafydd James, Gareth Jones, Iwan Mainwaring, Jack Bennett, Jon Owen, Aled Williams, Iwan Davies, Glyn Davies, Ian Boobyer, Luka Plesko, Jon Mills, Replacaments: Andrew Jones, Gareth Thomas, Tom Walker, Eifion Gwynne, Dorian Williams, Rob Walters, Simon Daniel

But visitors Llandovery at least showed the enthusiasm and teamwork to earn them their win, whereas Ebbw are already looking down the barrel and will have to plug deficiencies in certain areas if they are to avoid being one of three clubs taking the drop at the end of the season. Selecting a wing threequarter to play scrum-half was the start of their problems and lack of communication on the field robbed them of likely scoring chances.

The Drovers, on the other hand, took what came their way, conceded only one score in the second half and became stronger as the game wore on. Their forwards were on top when Tom Walker forced his way over and the Ebbw Vale defence were twice in a tangle for Rob Walters to score an interception try and for referee Neil Ballard to award a penalty try that killed them off. Full-back Gareth Morgan had a fine day with the boot. The longer the match wore on, the longer his kicking game and he finished with 12 useful points.

"We had a chat about indiscipline at half-time and reduced the penalty count," said coach Iestyn Thomas. "Overall we looked hungrier than they did."

G Morgan, D Augustus, I Davies, E Evans, D James, G Jones, Rob Walters, Jack Bennett, Jon Owen, Andrew Jones (capt), Tom Walker, Arwel Davies, Eifion Gwynne, Gareth Thomas, G Davies

John Kendrick reports:

An immense second half effort by the Llandovery pack playing into the strong wind ensured a vital three league points for the Drovers as they climbed from sixteenth to tenth in the Premier Division. 

Director of Rugby at Church bank, Handel Davies, singled out lock Arwel Davies for particular praise, “He had an outstanding game, destroyed the Newbridge line out and was definitely the man of the match”. 

Playing with the strong wind in the first half the Drovers ran in three tries, one of which was converted by prolific goal kicker Gareth Morgan. The home side, however, never looked convincing and were often pinned back in their own half by a livelier Newbridge side. The Llandovery first time tackles also left a lot to be desired and with the visitors scoring a converted try and a penalty they looked as if they would have  the game wrapped up when they had the use of the wind in the second half. 

The opening Llandovery try fell to Ioan Davies after some excellent inter-passing between forwards and backs. The full back came in on the angle and sliced through the defence to score under the posts with Gareth Morgan adding the conversion. 

Two further first half tries for the Drovers, identical in their execution were  scored by 18 year old youth winger Dafydd James. The student from Tregaron finding himself boxed in chipped over the defence, chased the kicks and grabbed the ball from under the noses of the flat footed defenders to touch down in the corner. This left the home side hanging on by 17-10 at the interval. 

After the break the Llandovery forwards began to wake up and to impose their will on the Newbridge eight. The front row of Andrew Jones, Jon Owen and Dorian Williams gave their opposite numbers a hard time in the scrums and despite the visitors changing their props they could do little to prevent their scrum being badly disrupted. 

With locks Tom Walker and Arwel Davies now dominating the lines out Newbridge found it difficult to build any cohesive attacks and try scoring looked beyond them as the home defence also tightened up considerably. 

However despite these valiant efforts the home side were unable to prevent ace kicker Jon Williams adding to his penalty count. Using the strong wind he put over his second immediately after the start of the second half. This was soon followed by a third to bring the score to 17-16 with fifteen minutes left. 

With six minutes left outside half Gareth Morgan was successful with his third attempt at a drop goal and Newbridge were left needing to score a try in the remaining minutes to snatch the game. With their pack under pressure this looked less and less likely and when Llandovery brought on fresh legs to the pack with Ian Boobyer being particularly prominent there was only one side likely to win. 

This was put beyond any doubt in the fifth minute of injury time when full back Ioan Davies made a neat break through midfield and found Aisea Havili up in support. The Tongan winger used his speed to cruise through the defence and touch down under the posts. Gareth Morgan added the conversion to complete the scoring. 

There remained only time for the referee to red card number eight and Newbridge try scorer Steve Evans for illegal use of the boot before he blew the full time whistle and left the small home crowd delighted with the outcome.

See Latest News section for programme notes.

Tries: Dafydd James (2), Ioan Davies, Aisea Havili; Cons: Gareth Morgan (2); Drop Goal: Gareth Morgan

Thankfully for Cardiff coaches Howard Stone and Mike Rayer there was an upturn in fortunes on this occasion as Llandovery were sent spinning to their sixth defeat in nine league games this term.

However, it was 26 minutes before either side had anything to shout about - Cardiff, who had knocked on the door for fully five minutes in the Llandovery 22, managed to keep the ball in hand long enough to ease in left-wing Nick Gill for a try that Chris Anderson converted from the touchline.

After almost half an hour of huff and puff, Cardiff had finally discovered themselves and as the Drovers struggled to stem the tide in midfield, Cardiff full-back Leon Andrews popped up on the shoulder of Liam Roberts to nip in for his side's second try.

Anderson once again converted, from a little closer this time, and that, despite a concerted effort from Llandovery in the remaining minutes of the half, was a lead they were never to relinquish.

A penalty from Anderson five minutes after the restart extended Cardiff's lead to 17 points and the home side rubbed salt into the already gaping wound when right-wing Elgan Jones took the outside line to score a try that Anderson, just for good measure, converted once again from the touchline.

The introduction of a fourth Scarlets player, prop Phil John, and two converted tries from Arwel Davies, gave Llandovery renewed heart in the final quarter, but by then it was all too little too late. The points belonged to Cardiff.

With the two permit players Barry Davies and Arwel Thomas both very influential it meant Llandovery were able to score 24 unanswered points either side of half-time. But their dominance stalled halfway through the second half.

Swansea had seemed well on the road to victory after scoring three converted tries in the first half an hour. The home side had to thank much of their early dominance to the contribution of Swansea's skilful half-backs, Luke Richards and Richie Rees. Richards was the architect of tries for centre Chris Shelmerdine and wing Rhys Jones, while Rees ran in from 40 yards following a blindside break down the left. All Llandovery could manage at that stage was two Gareth Morgan penalties.

Swansea's big problem is that they turn off too readily, and it happened again on Saturday as Llandovery turned the match on its head. Davies was on hand to provide wing Dafydd James with a try five minutes before half-time and the revival continued when they scored 17 points in the space of eight minutes after the break. First flanker Eifion Gwynne cruised over, making the most of some elusive Swansea tackling and he was followed over the line six minutes later by Davies. The Scarlets full-back was on the end of a genuine candidate for try of the season, a score which involved a typically elusive break from Thomas.

Though Llandovery enjoyed a nine-point cushion it was soon eaten up as Swansea launched their own recovery, which took the form of three Richards penalties and a converted try from replacement centre Matthew Brayley, which in the end proved the difference between the sides.

Photos of the game, from Ian Williams of Riley Sports Photography, uploaded here

John Kendrick reports:

Continuous heavy rain and an increasingly muddy pitch ensured that any open play would be kept to a minimum and that the side which gained dominance in the forward play would be in the driving seat.

In the event the Llandovery pack was in outstanding form in both the tight and loose phases of the game and as the game continued they denied the visitors any worthwhile possession and forced them to live off scraps when the inevitable handling mistakes occurred.

To single out any of the pack would perhaps be unfair but the skill and work rate of backrow players Jon Mills, Eifion Gwynne and his half time replacement Ian Boobyer were responsible for large slices of territorial gain. Locks Tom Walker and Arwel Davies were once again in good form in the lines out whilst the work of the front row ensured that by the end of the game the Caerphilly scrum was in total disarray.

Behind the scrum the home side player to catch the eye was debutant full back Justin Lewis. The Ammanford youngster caught the greasy ball every time, kicked well in return and showed that he has the running skills to trouble defences on a drier pitch. Coach Iestyn Thomas, praising Lewis said, " Full back has been a difficult position for us since Ricky Williams left for Newport and I was very encouraged by the display of Justin today. I believe he could have a future in the game at Premier level."

It was therefore rather surprising that it took well into the second half before Llandovery had a large enough points differential to feel secure that the three league points were in the bag. The fact that, totally against the run of play, with the home side dominating both territory and possession, the score at half time stood tied at 15 -15 was largely down to the home side midfield players having a poor day.

A dropped pass and a charged down kick gave the Cheesemen the opportunity to record twelve points when first centre Roddy Boobyer booted the ball down field to score a try and then outside half Justin Thomas repeated the process. Thomas converted one of the tries and also kicked a penalty.

In contrast Llandovery scored two well worked tries both by the outstanding Eifion Gwynne. Both tries came as the result of well organised forward drives, the first following a line out and the second a scrum. Gareth Morgan converted one and also kicked a penalty to give identical scores to the sides at the break.

In the second half the dominance of the home pack was even more marked and Caerphilly were rarely able to break out of their own 22. However poor options outside and handling errors both aided a tenacious visitors' defence and a dropped goal from Gareth Jones and a second penalty from Gareth Morgan was scant reward for all the good work of the pack.

The single exciting piece of back play in the game came when Scarlets Mark Jones was given a run from half way. The International winger, starting to re-build his career after a long lay off through injury, outpaced the defenders but was tackled into touch on the line in a brilliant piece of covering by Mike Silcox who raced across the field from the opposite wing. No doubt Gareth Jenkins and everyone will be pleased that Mark came through his first competitive match unscathed after such a serious injury.

With the match entering its final minutes and the Drovers, despite all their efforts, only leading by six points there was the fear that a breakaway converted try could undo all the good work. In the event the issue was settled after 77 minutes when, following prolonged pressure by the pack, the ball popped out to centre Emrys Evans who dived over from close range. Gareth Morgan converted the try and the final minutes were played out with the knowledge that three essential points had been gained to help ease the Drovers up the Premier table to tenth position.

Huw S Thomas reports:

Caerphilly slipped into even deeper trouble at the bottom of the Premiership after being totally outplayed by the Drovers at a soaking wet Church Bank. Main interest however was the return to action after an absence of almost a year of the Scarlets wing Mark Jones and to the relief of Gareth Jenkins and Mike Ruddock the 16 times capped wing came through the test unscathed. 

Jones did have one exciting run up the touchline only to be foiled by a quite magnificent cover tackle by the other left wing Mike Silcox but he was delighted with his day out at Church Bank. “It was great to be back at Church Bank where I had such happy times before going professional” said Jones “- and relieved to walk off the pitch with the knee in good shape after all the twisting and turning on the greasy surface. Everyone kept telling me what a shame it was that I did not get enough ball to attack with but I really enjoyed the physicality and competitiveness of the game - and scrapping for the loose ball like a good flanker! It had to be a day for the forwards and the Drovers pack was tremendous in the way they completely outplayed the Caerphilly eight.” 

Jones now hopes that another game for the Drovers next weekend against Newport at Rodney Parade will put him in the frame for one of the Scarlets’ two Heineken Cup games against Glasgow before Christmas. 

“The Llandovery forwards had a complete stranglehold on the game” admitted stand in Caerphilly coach Richie Collins who took over from sacked Mark Ring in mid week. “They pinned us into the corner all second half and we could do nothing about it.” 

That Caerphilly were level 15-15 at half time was down to two breakaway tries completely against the run of play. One was by centre Roddy Boobyer after a hack down field from fly half Justin Thomas, the other from a charged down kick that was booted up field for Thomas to get the touchdown. 

Llandovery who had the best players on the field in No 8 Jonathan Mills and lock Tom Walker had created two tries for flanker Eifion Gwynne after patient, grinding build ups by the forwards. After the break, Llandovery were close to tries on countless occasions only for poor option taking, a slippery ball and imprecise finishing to let the Cheesemen off the hook. 

Fly half Gareth Jones popped over a close range drop goal and although Caerphilly defended doggedly for long periods, it only represented a stay of execution. Centre Gareth Morgan kicked his second penalty and a second conversion, this time to a close range effort by centre Emrys Evans, to record his 110^th league point in 11 games to round off a decisive home win.

See Latest News section for programme notes.

Tries: Eifion Gwynne (2), Emrys Evans; Cons: Gareth Morgan (2); Pens:  Gareth Morgan (2); Drop Goal: Gareth Jones

John Kendrick reports:

Llandovery managed to hold onto their lead for a nail-biting final ten minutes as a desperate Pontypool  hammered away at their line. The three points gained moved the Drovers two places up the Premier Division and a little further from the relegation battle. 

In truth this was a game the home side should have won easily. The Llandovery pack with Tom Walker, ably supported by Arwel Davies, was in excellent form in the lines out. The once mighty ‘Pooler’ pack were also shoved off the ball in the tight scrums on more than one occasion.  

The stream of possession coming from the forwards enabled the Drovers to establish territorial domination, after a brief period of pressure from the Gwent side in the few first few minutes after the kick off. 

Unfortunately the forward effort was not turned into points as behind the scrum the Drovers' backs were having a nightmare half. There was a complete lack of fluency with misdirected passes, handling errors and poor kicking.  Twice Pontypool were able to advantage from this as attacking moves broke down, and combined with some weak defence, were able to score two tries totally against the run of play. 

The first fell to Pontypool Captain Cae Treharne with centre Andrew Sliczney running in the second. Jon Williams converted one of these to add to an earlier penalty he had goaled. 

To add to the Drovers' woes the usually reliable Gareth Morgan missed with two penalty shots and a drop goal, whilst Under 21 International Ifan Evans, returning after a long injury lay off, managed to knock-on whilst attempting to touch down for a try. 

Consequently as half time approached the Drovers found themselves trailing by 15 points in a game they were dominating in terms of both possession and territory. 

In the fortieth minute Gareth Morgan at last found his range and kicked a penalty to open the Drovers' account. Better was to come in injury time when the outstanding loose forward Eifion Gwynne broke away from a maul, outpaced the visitors' defence and touched down near the posts. Morgan added the goal and a much relieved Drovers side left for half time only five points down. 

The second half began as the first finished, with Gwynne again ripping the ball from the maul and diving over from close range for his second try of the game and fifth for the season. Gareth Morgan converted the try, kicked two more penalties, and added a well taken drop goal to finish the game with a personal tally of 16 points.  

With the Drovers now well on top and leading by 26-15 the  result should have been a formality. Pontypool, however, had other ideas and began to put intense pressure on the home side. A yellow card for Llandovery centre Emrys Evans further aided their cause as the fourteen men battled to keep ahead. 

Great tackling, all round dogged determination, aided by some handling errors by the Gwent side managed to keep Pontypool out until the fourth minute of injury time when Sam Mills broke the defence and crossed  for a try. There was only time for Jon Williams to convert before the referee blew for full time, much to the relief of the players, coaches and supporters of Llandovery. 

See Latest News section for programme notes.

Tries: Eifion Gwynne (2); Cons: Gareth Morgan (2); Pens:  Gareth Morgan (3); Drop Goal: Gareth Morgan

John Kendrick reports:

In a game where territory and possession were equally shared the try count of 7-0 exhibited the huge difference between the sides in terms of both incisive finishing and defensive patterns. The Drovers certainly created the opportunities to score tries but a combination of a sound Keys defence allied with poor control up front and a lack of fluency amongst the backs kept the home line intact. The Drovers' pack did once manage to cross the line but the unsighted referee was unable to award the try.

Within 6 minutes of the kick off Cross Keys were twelve points clear. After the forwards had put pressure on the defence precise handling by the threes found blind side wing Lee Humphries supporting on the outside and able to cross for the opening score. A minute later centre Gareth Turner glided through one of the gaps in the defensive wall to score a second try. Full back Darren Miles converted the first try.

The Drovers were kept in contact as the home defence appeared content to give away penalties rather than concede tries. Outside half Gareth Morgan took full advantage converting three of these penalties to keep a close score of 12-9 after 20 minutes.

The home side's response to the third penalty was immediate and once again, with the Drovers' defensive alignment and communication in disarray, the outstanding player on the pitch, Scott Mitchell, was able to pass through untouched to score under the posts. Darren Miles added the extra points with the conversion.

Back came the Drovers and when lock Gareth Wilson was yellow carded for deliberate offside at a ruck Gareth Morgan was able to add a fourth penalty from close range and keep the score board ticking over.

Once again the response from the Keys came in the form of try number four. Scott Mitchell created the initial breach and then slick handling set up Number 8 Rhys Williams outside the cover to touch down in the corner to leave the half time score at 24-12.

The second half began in a similar fashion to the first with Gareth Morgan kicking a fifth penalty and Cross Keys scoring a fifth try when, following good handling and running, wing Lee Humphries was able to outflank the defenders and cross in the corner.

The Drovers now abandoned kicking for goal when awarded penalties and instead opted for position and line out drives. Unfortunately poor control and lack of fluency negated any advantage. The choice, however, was underlined when kicker Gareth Morgan received the second yellow card of the match for deliberate offside close to the line.

At the same time the Llandovery defence continued to leak tries, the first from lock Grant Wilson and the second from replacement three-quarter Gethin Worgan, who converted his own try to take the home side's points tally over 40 points by the end of the game.

Llandovery in previous seasons were one of the league's leading try scorers but have found this aspect of the game to be an Achilles heel this season and with only 20 tries to their name they have the lowest total in the Premier Division. It is possible that with both Newport and Bridgend calling off games this month the side were a little short of match practice but even so there is the need for a drastic improvement in both attack and defence if they are not to slip back into the relegation zone.

John Kendrick reports:

After winning the opening match of the season at the Talbot Athletic Ground Llandovery had high hopes of completing the double over their visitors Aberavon. The Drovers were led onto the field by Slovenian Captain Luka Plesko who was playing in his last home match before returning to his own country . Luka, who has given three years excellent service to Llandovery, will be missed by his many friends at Church Bank. Unfortunately it wasn't to be a happy match for Luka as he suffered an arm injury and had to leave the field in the first half.

At the finish of the match there was little to choose between an Aberavon team in 6th place visiting Church Bank on the back of five consecutive wins and a Drovers side placed 13th with two defeats behind them.

The game itself was error strewn with both sides finding it difficult to mount co-ordinated attacks and it was typical of the game that the final difference between the sides came down to the first score, a converted try following a home mistake.

Fly half Gareth Morgan delayed a defensive clearance kick long enough for his opposite number Jamie Davies to charge it down. Centre Barry Maddocks was quickest onto the ball, winning the race for the touchdown. Jamie Davies converted and Aberavon established an early 7-0 lead.

Subsequent scoring was limited to penalties, with Jamie Davies kicking four for the visitors and Gareth Morgan replying with an equal number for the Drovers.

Llandovery Captain Ceri Davies, speaking after the match, highlighted the lack of discipline amongst his team. "When the ref says hands off, and you take no notice you are going to get penalised". This lack of discipline was exemplified as Llandovery put in their first sustained attack on the Aberavon line towards the end of the first half. A penalty plus ten metres for back chat took them back to half way. A second penalty put play deep into the home territory and then the third gave Jamie Davies the opportunity to successfully convert and take the half time score to 16-3.

Immediately on the re-start another flurry of penalties once again put Jamie Davies in the position to add a fourth and extend the Aberavon lead.

This signalled a revival of fortunes for the Drovers and for the rest of the game the visitors desperately defended their lead as the home side mounted a series of attacks. It was now Gareth Morgan's chance to show his powers as a goal kicker when, following his earlier strike in the first half, he added three more to his account and gave the Drovers a realistic chance of turning the game around.

The Aberavon defence was weakened when Mark Jones was sin-binned for stopping a quickly taken tap penalty but a certain lack of composure by the Drovers helped to prevent the addition of any tries to their account. Several neat half breaks by Gareth Morgan and strong running by centre Emrys Evans was thwarted partially by the defence but also by an inability of the home side to co-ordinate their attacks.

In their efforts none did better than lock Arwel Davies who was outstanding in the lines out and captain Ceri Davies who urged his team on to greater efforts as he led from the front.

In the end Aberavon kept the Drovers out and were able to gain revenge for that earlier defeat at the start of the season.

See Latest News section for programme notes.

Photos of the game, from Ian Williams of Riley Sports Photography, uploaded here

Pens: Gareth Morgan (4)

John Kendrick reports:

Bedwas completed the double over Llandovery in an entertaining encounter at the Bridge Field and in doing so outscored the visitors by 5 tries to two. Played in perfect conditions and to the credit of both teams they made every attempt to open the game up and mount attacks whenever the opportunity presented itself.

The difference between the sides came when they entered their opponents' 22. Bedwas were decisive in their handling and running angles whereas the Drovers were thwarted more by their own mistakes than the defensive barrier of Bedwas tackling. After the game coach Iestyn Thomas highlighted the errors his side had made and referee Peter Soroka of Ystradgynlais, who had a good match, commented, "you gave the ball away far too easily".

Llandovery were able to field their strongest pack and certainly had the edge in the scrums although in the lines out they were shaded by the home side. Outstanding for the Drovers was flanker Eifion Gwynne whose strong running and support deserved greater rewards although his efforts were matched by the Bedwas number 8 Deri Mattravers who was also most influential in the pattern of the game.

The Drovers, however, had lost both regular half backs Rob Walters and Gareth Morgan through injury and Ammanford teenagers Iwan Mainwaring and Justin Lewis were paired together for the first time. To their credit both had sound games and didn't let the side down. Lewis, taking over the kicking duties, kicked a penalty and conversion for his side.

Unfortunately for the Drovers the recent pattern of conceding points in the first quarter of the game was repeated once more. A poor response to the kick off to start the game saw the home side straight into the attack and after a short period of pressure flanker Craig Hill spit the defence for the first try converted by Andrew James.

Justin Lewis replied with a penalty for the Drovers but only minutes later Bedwas extended their lead when, following a line out, strong running centre John Welch found a gap in the defensive line up to cross near the posts and give Andrew James a second easy conversion.

To their credit the Drovers came straight back and scored their first converted try to keep the scores close at 14-10. The Llandovery pack mounted a series of rucks and mauls pressurising the home line and a neat pass to centre Emrys Evans allowed him to force his way over.

With both sides having opportunities the final score of the first half fell to Bedwas flanker Phil Wheeler. A missed penalty kick to touch brought a sustained attack on the visitors' line and when the ball was moved wide the home flanker popped up outside the defence to cross in the corner and leave the home side leading by 19-10 at the end of the first period.

Soon after the restart the Drovers closed upon their opponents with a second try. Alert scrum half Iwan Mainwaring took a quick tap penalty and raced off deep into the home half. Supporting forwards recycled the ball enabling Emrys Evans, having his best game of the season, to cross for a try.

At this stage the game was nicely balanced for either side to take the points but it was the home side who were better able to turn possession into points. First a turn over allowed scrum half Rob Phillips to score and then, following a period of pressure by the Drovers, a break out by Bedwas, followed by strong running and support, put John Welch over for his second try converted by Andrew James.

The compensation for the Drovers in their battle against relegation was the fact that all sides below them also lost and thus their position of thirteenth place remained secure. However their next match away to second bottom Llanharan now becomes a must win situation.

Photos of the game, from Ian Williams of Riley Sports Photography, uploaded here

John Kendrick reports:

Playing against the wind in the first half the home pack performed heroic deeds in denying Pontypridd any worthwhile possession and limiting chances for their speedy looking backs. 

From the kick off the Drovers grabbed the initiative and recycled the ball seventeen times to drive 60 metres up into the visitors half. Continuing outstanding ball retention gave Gareth Morgan the opportunity to open the scoring when after 6 minutes he was successful with a well struck penalty goal. 

This match saw the re-appearance of former hooker Andrew R Jones after playing the early season with Banwen and his line out throwing enabled locks Tom Walker and Arwel Davies to maintain 100% possession on their own calls. With Dorian Williams, Matthew Jefferies and Ian Boobyer grafting the hard yards in the loose the home side managed to keep the ball away from the danger areas for much of the half. 

With their limited opportunities the Pontypridd backs looked quicker and more inventive and only an excellent cover tackle by Rob Walters prevented a certain try but in the twenty first minute full back Morgan Stoddart found a gap in the defensive wall, accelerated through and touched down under the posts. Fly half Dai Flanagan added the conversion. 

Soon after this the referee Tony Rowlands was forced to retire with a leg injury and hand over the whistle to senior touch judge Hugh Banfield for the remainder of the game. 

With no further points being scored in the first half the margin of only four points looked to be insufficient. Llandovery  with the advantage of the strong wind after the interval should have been capable of turning over the deficit and bringing to an end their three match losing sequence. 

Early in the second half this likelihood increased as Gareth Morgan kicked a second penalty to bring the difference to one point but failed to put them into the lead when he fell short with a difficult 45 metre kick soon afterward. 

With the wind in their favour there was a need for the Drovers to alter thei