Huw S Thomas reports:

Both coaches – Iestyn Thomas of Llandovery and Domenic Setaro of Whitland – were well pleased with a match that gave encouraging promise of a good season for both Carmarthenshire clubs.

The coaches used some 30 players each in the first competitive rugby of the season and came away from Church Bank with solid evidence that their teams can improve on last year’s performances. For Llandovery, it will mean escaping from the Premiership relegation zone and for Whitland stepping up a gear to clinch promotion from Division One after finishing second to Bonymaen.

Iestyn Thomas saw a number of his new signings shine in what he described as “a searching examination for his side”. “Whitland gave us a severe test up front” said Thomas “and it was exactly what we wanted in our build up to the season. They had the edge particularly at the scrums and our front five had a real wake up call. It was very encouraging to see our midfield backs handle and run with confidence and confirm their potential to create and construct attacks.”

Whitland’s Setaro was happy at the thought that the Borderers had more than their fair share of possession and had matched the Premiership side in all areas of forward play. “We scrummaged hard” said the ex Llanelli centre “and deserved a try at the end when we were foiled three times at close range scrums. But it proves we have the nucleus of a good side that should make a real challenge for top spot in Division One West and automatic promotion to the Premiership.”

Llandovery may have outscored their Division One West opponents by three tries to nil but found it difficult to break down a committed and hard tackling Whitland defence, well led by their captain and No 8 Randal Williams.

Llandovery rang the changes frequently in a game of four 20 minutes quarters to give their new recruits valuable game time and all 14 new signings put in a determined effort to impress home supporters who had turned out in some force.

Those who impressed behind the scrum were the ex-Llanelli trio of centres Mike Jones and Jonathan Lewis along with wing Viv Jenkins plus former Quins scrum half Luke Marsh. Jones and Lewis ran straight, distributed accurately and wisely, Jenkins looked quick and alert whilst Marsh was as busy as the proverbial bee.

Up front ex-Quins flanker Gareth Williams proved what a big asset he will be to the Llandovery back row with his speed to the breakdown and intelligent support play, whilst South African recruit Marc de Marigny was as mobile as his sevens experience with the senior Springboks sevens side testifies.

Brecon lock Steve Covington was another to catch the eye up front for the Drovers with his good work rate in the loose whilst hooker Emyr Phillips buzzed around the field as well as throwing in accurately at the line-out.

Both fly halves used – ex-Waunarlwydd fly-half Alun Richards and Howard Thomas - showed neat touches in the absence of the one new signing unavailable on the day in the former Quins No 10 Simon Daniel.

Of the tried and tested, lock and skipper Arwel Davies, prop Andrew Jones and lock Tom Walker confirmed their importance to the season’s campaign by being at the heart of the skirmishes.

For Whitland the game was proof that they will not have to improve by much to get seriously into the promotion race in Division One West. A well organised pack did the bread and butter tasks with confidence and will be a match for all opponents. Their three new signings fitted in well with ex-Bonymaen centre Colin Jones lively in the centre, ex-Narberth wing Dafydd Evans a powerful direct runner and ex Llandovery lock Aled Davies getting around the park in sprightly fashion. The three Williams boys up front – No 8 Randal, prop Gareth and lock Raf - lacked nothing in comparison with their Premiership counterparts whilst full back Lee Glanville and wing Dion Thomas did some top class covering in defence.

Llandovery led 14-0 at the interval after tries from flanker Dafydd Jones and centre Emrys Evans, both converted by Richards. A quick tap penalty by the excellent Gareth Williams set up a third try, scored by centre Jonathan Lewis mid way through the second half, before Whitland had the better of the last ten minutes thanks to the scrummaging of their rock solid front five.

Referee Huw Williams (Neath) + PHOTO of new Llandovery centre Jonathan Lewis who got a try on his home debut

Tries: Dafydd Jones, Emrys Evans, Jonathan Lewis; Cons:  Alun Richards (2)

On Friday night Llandovery went down to a 27-17 defeat at the hands of Irish visitors Old Crescent.

The pain of defeat by the Irish Division Two side from Limerick was softened by the knowledge that well over half of the side that will face Pontypridd on Saturday were absent.

That said, Old Crescent were by far the more positive, organised and adventurous on the night and have obviously responded well to the direction offered by new coach Mark Ring. The former Cardiff, Pontypool and Wales centre had the Irishmen playing a high tempo rugby which would have delighted the recently deceased Lynda Cantrell .

The inaugural Lynda Cantrell Cup – played in memory of a great lady of Limerick and Irish rugby who had made a host of friends in Llandovery – was presented to the winners, Old Crescent, by her husband Niall Cantrell. There was little argument that the Cup went into the deserving hands of Old Crescent skipper and No 8 Brendan Guillfoyle and with better finishing the Irishmen would have won the game by a wider margin.

The key difference between the two sides was at the scrum and in the loose. In the absence of their two best props, Dennis Pugh and Andrew Bryn Jones, the Drovers front five found the Munstermen’s power at the scrum too much to handle. The thunderous ball carrying of the two Tongan forwards - international lock Matt Te Pou and back rower Lemeki Vaipulu - allied to the perpetual industry of No 8 Guillfoyle also chiselled out far better possession. It presented the Irish backs with quicker, cleaner ball which centre Neil O’Brien in particular used in sharp fashion to post notice of a bright future in the game.

The Llandovery backs and particularly centre Jonathan Lewis and wing Viv Jenkins looked hungry to attack but had to live off too much of ball of inferior quality.

It was only in the last quarter that the Drovers matched the Munstermen in work rate, helped by the hugely popular guest appearance in a home shirt of flanker Bevan Cantrell, son of the late Lynda. But by then Llandovery were 16-3 down, their only score a first-half penalty from ex-Waunarlwydd fly-half Alun Richards. Old Crescent had scored tries from full-back Lorcan Burke and centre Billy Leahy plus two penalties from fly-half John Lillis.

The spirit of the Llandovery supporters was lifted with 10 minutes to go with a series of patient attacks which ended with fly-half Simon Daniel putting the flying Lewis in at the posts for a try converted by Daniel.

But hopes of a surprise come back were scotched by a try from wing Keith Lyons and a brilliant 50 metre drop goal from Burke before Aberystwyth recruit prop Prys Lewis galloped over for a late consolation try, converted by Daniel.

Tries: Jonathan Lewis, Prys Lewis; Cons: Simon Daniel (2); Pen: Alun Richards

Llandovery finished their preparations for the start of the Principality Premiership with a mixed bag of results at the week-end. On Friday night they went down to a 27-17 defeat at the hands of Irish visitors Old Crescent but beat Tonmawr convincingly 41-0 on Saturday afternoon.

On Saturday – and with a full side - the Drovers took time to put away the competitive Division Two West team and it was only late on that Tonmawr were clearly second best.

Despite the first-half sending off of flanker Craig Moses for a swinging punch on lock Steve Covington, Tonmawr proved resilient in defence if limited in attack.

Llandovery’s new chairman Handel Davies paid Tonmawr a big compliment. “They were well organised and well drilled and it took us a long time to eventually make the openings that counted” said Davies. “On that display, they will be looking for promotion up to division One West ” added the chairman.

As for the Drovers, Davies reflected the general opinion that the side started to really gel well in the second-half. The forwards under skipper and lock Arwel Davies provided crisper ball and the backs - well marshalled by ex-Carmarthen Quins fly-half Simon Daniel - ran clever angles to create increasing gaps in the tiring Tonmawr defence.

The ex Llanelli pair of Jonathan Lewis and Viv Jenkins were again outstanding in the three-quarter line and Lewis kept up his record of scoring in all three warm up games against Whitland, Old Crescent and Tonmawr with a very well taken couple of second-half tries.

“The three tries in the last 10 minutes were all the result of confident handling and fine support work in the loose” said conditioning coach Roy James who was in charge of the squad in the absence of head coach Iestyn Thomas - away in Finland on a scouting mission. “We will be looking to carry on the improvement on Saturday at Pontypridd. Sardis Road is a tough place to start the league campaign but the mood in the camp is very positive” confirmed James.

Llandovery scored seven tries against Tonmawr, a brace apiece to powerful South African full-back Jacobus Van Wyk and Jonathan Lewis plus others from wing Viv Jenkins, prop Andrew Bryn Jones and Simon Daniel who also kicked three conversions.

Life will be tougher against the Konica Minolta Cup holders but there are certainly signs that the side is better balanced, quicker in thought and deed than at a similar stage last year.

The proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

Tries: Jacobus Van Wyk (2), Jonathan Lewis (2), Viv Jenkins, Andrew Bryn Jones, Simon Daniel ; Cons: Simon Daniel (3)

The Drovers produced what was arguably their finest away performance in league rugby by not only beating Pontypridd but doing so with some ease.

The unlikely win - their first ever over Pontypridd in the league - took them to the top of the table with a better points difference than the other half a dozen sides that won on the opening day of the Premiership.

There was good news off the field too in that Llandovery have scored a very high 173 marks out of 200 on the WRU criteria rating for Premiership clubs, three ahead of their famous Sardis Road opponents.

The 1100 strong home crowd was stunned by the way Llandovery controlled every phase for all but the first quarter of an hour. It led Pontypridd Chief Executive Steve Reardon to go into the winners dressing room at the end of the game to warmly congratulate the Drovers on a magnificent display.

“We were lucky to get away with a 20 point beating“ said Reardon “but Llandovery were outstanding in everything they did and we take our hats off to them. We hate losing at Sardis Road but we acknowledge excellence and are generous in its praise.”

Winning coach Iestyn Thomas who has put together a very strong squad was full of praise for one and all. “For too long, we have been overawed going to the big clubs” said Thomas “but there is a new confidence in our ability this year and this is the win that we needed to confirm it.”

The two new signings from Carmarthen Quins – fly-half Simon Daniel and flanker Gareth Williams – were the stars of the day, closely followed by scrum-half Rob Walters, No 8 Gareth Bennett and South African flanker Marc de Marigny.

But all 22 men in the squad played their part, with the pack exceptional in its taming of the Pontypridd eight.

Dennis Pugh, Adam Yelland and the evergreen Andrew Jones in the front row, Iwan and Arwel Davies in the boiler house and the back-row of de Marigny, Bennett and Williams were unbeatable in commitment and execution of the basics. They gave Walters and Daniel time and space to control events whilst the backs, in the image of competitive centre Jonathan Lewis, sniffed out the danger from the highly rated Pontypridd backs

Llandovery started slowly to trail by 13-3 - a try by debutant full-back Kristan Baller and kicked points from fly-half Dai Flanagan to a lone Daniel penalty – before the pack under lock Davies took complete control.

Daniel’s long punting set up prime field positions for hooker Adam Yelland, Davies and Williams to crash in from close range for a 23-13 interval lead.

It was embarrassingly one side after the break with the only surprise the fact that the Drovers added just one try – to wing Viv Jenkins – to seal a famous win.

*** Aberavon – winners over Newport at Rodney Parade – visit Llandovery this Saturday and a big crowd is expected at Church Bank (KO 2 30 pm)

Click here for pictures of this game, courtesy of Ian Williams of Riley Sports Photography where you will find many more Premiership photos

Ioan Davies 7; V Jenkins 7 (M Jones), J Lewis 7, G Beaumont-Morgan 6, H Thomas 7; S Daniel 9, R Walters 8 (L Marsh); D Pugh 7 (E Howells), A Yelland 7 (E Phillips), A Jones 7, Iwan Davies 7 ( S Covington ), A Davies (capt) 7, M de Marigny 8 (E Gwynne), G Bennett  8 (D Jones), G Williams 9

Tries: Adam Yelland, Arwel Davies, Gareth Williams, Viv Jenkins; Cons: Simon Daniel (2); Pens: Simon Daniel (3)

Aberavon, bulkier up front and a tad more decisive behind the scrum, beat Llandovery thanks to a very strong finish but the Drovers will feel hard done by to lose by such a wide margin.

The Drovers had plenty of chances in the second-half when they trailed by just 18-13 going into the last 10 minutes but their finishing was in no way as clinical as Aberavon’s. The win puts the Wizards joint top of the table with Swansea after just two games and they will prove a difficult side to beat.

The Drovers, who slid to eighth, must re-group for the visit to Cross Keys this Saturday but coach Iestyn Thomas was in no way downbeat at the result. “We did not do the basics as well as we did against Pontypridd” said Thomas “and we were too often forced into errors in the face of some very hard Aberavon tackling.”

“With a bit more composure we could well have won the game. That said, the Wizards had the better control up front and took their chances confidently. The boys did not play to their potential but hats off to Aberavon who always present a big physical challenge year in year out”

The Llandovery pack were not comfortable at the scrum, did not perform as well as Aberavon at the line-out, and found it hard to make ground in the loose in the face of big, heavy forwards.

Only in the middle of the second-half did the Drovers have the momentum to win the game.

They trailed 13-3 at the break after conceding a try to full-back Liam Gadd after terrific work by centre Darren Ryan. The one home score was a good penalty by fly-half Simon Daniel who inexplicably missed a far simpler chance in front of the Aberavon posts.

A second Daniel penalty made it 16-6 before a kick from fly-half Jamie Davies allowed wing Richard Carter to dribble the ball over the Llandovery line for the cleverest of tries.

Llandovery then upped the tempo and for once the Wizards pack looked under pressure. A line-out was the impetus for a close range try by hooker Emyr Phillips and wing Howard Thomas was forced into touch on two occasions as he flew for the corner.

Great Aberavon cover and tackling kept the line intact and, when they at last broke out, ever excellent scrum-half Dan Hawkins put replacement flanker Simon Peters bursting away for the killer try.

Davies converted and then rubbed salt into home wounds by converting a late try by hooker Chris Wells to end up with his habitual double figure haul.

Ioan Davies 6; H Thomas 6, M Jones 7, J Lewis 7, V Jenkins 6; S Daniel 6, R Walters 6 (L Marsh); E Howells 5 (P Lewis), E Phillips 6 (K Allen), A Jones 7, Iwan Davies 6 (S Covington), A Davies (capt) 6, M de Marigny 6 (D Jones), G Bennett 7, G Williams 6 (E Gwynne)

Tries: Emyr Phillips; Pens: Simon Daniel (2)

Match sponsors: Lyn Davies Pentremeurig Farm, and Eirian Davies Adeilad Cladding

Match ball sponsor: Cyril Page

The first quarter of the game gave few indications that the Drovers were to crash to a second consecutive defeat and in doing so concede 6tries against bottom club Cross Keys. The home side without a win in their first two games revelled in their first appearance of the season at home in Pandy Park.

Cross Keys were surprisingly superior in all aspects of the game and memories of the Drovers joy in crushing Pontypridd in the first game of the season are fast fading. The visitors forwards were lethargic and never got fully to grips with the much livelier Keys eight. As a result a limited supply of poor ball gave the backs little chance to show their paces in attack and unfortunately the team was found to be lacking in both defensive qualities and discipline.

Llandovery were the first to score when Simon Daniel stroked over an easy penalty in the 7th minute and there was little to suggest in the first quarter that this would be anything other than a hard fought encounter. Gradually the Keys began to get on top and the weak tackling of the visitors gave them even more confidence as they began to dominate the exchanges. Handlings errors and the conceding of penalties didn’t help the Drovers cause as the home side went on to score three tries before the break.

A Llandovery knock-on turned the ball over to Cross Keys centre, Dragons player Gareth Chapman who sliced through a defence in disarray far too easily to release wing David James for the opening try. Scott Mitchell added the conversion points and the home side took a lead they were never to lose.

Poor tackling was again evident for next two tries as first No 8 Rhys Williams picked up at the back of a 5m scrum and crossed unopposed and soon after centre David Price was allowed the freedom to cross for the third. Scott Mitchell converted this try with an excellent kick from wide out to bring the half to a close with the home side leading by 19 points to 3.

With the Drovers forwards unable to establish any kind of platform to give their backs attacking opportunities the main ploy of attempting to make ground was to place speculative kicks downfield. Unfortunately many of these found full back Aled Thomas in superb form and his retaliatory kicks or counter attacks pinned the Drovers back time after time. The former Carmarthen Quins youngster, now with the Dragons, had a powerful influence on the game and it was his penalty touch kicks setting up 5m line outs which resulted in the next two tries from rolling mauls. The first one went to hooker Rhys Miller and the second to flanker David Tovey. Mitchell converted both and the Keys had built up an unassailable 33-3 lead.

As the match entered the final 10 minutes and a flurry of replacements for both sides coming onto the pitch there was still time for a further 24 points. At last the Drovers were able to score a try when a quickly taken penalty set up replacement scrum half Rob Walters to force his way over the line and then replacement full back Ioan Davies rounded off a rare handling move to record a second. Simon Daniel converted both to give a touch of respectability to the score with 17 points.

The home side not to be outdone in these final minutes converted a penalty by Scott Mitchell and scored their 6th try through centre Gareth Chapman, again converted by Mitchell to rack up 43 points.

Next week the Drovers face a stiff challenge at Church Bank where they take on Bedwas victors over Cross Keys in the opening game of the season and winners on Saturday against Swansea scoring 33 points in doing so. There will need to be a significant improvement if the Carmarthenshire side are to take the points and avoid an early slide into the relegation zone.

Click here for pictures of this game, courtesy of Ian Williams of Riley Sports Photography where you will find many more Premiership photos

Jacobus van Wyk, Howard Thomas, Gary Beaumont-Morgan (Ioan Davies), Jon Lewis (Owain Gwyn Rowlands), Simon Daniel, Luke Marsh (Rob Walters), Prys Lewis, Adam Yelland (Emyr Phillips), Andrew Jones (Endaf Howells), Tom Walker (Steve Covington),   Arwel Davies (capt), Marc de Marigny, Gareth Williams, Gareth Bennett (Dafydd Jones),

Tries: Rob Walters, Ioan Davies; Cons: Simon Daniel (2); Pen: Simon Daniel

Llandovery shook off the disappointment of the heavy defeat at the hands of Cross Keys the previous week to record their second league win in four matches. The win moved the Drovers up the table to 9th and they will have a further opportunity to climb more when they entertain bottom but one side Llanelli on Saturday.

There are no fewer than eight teams tied on 6 league points and with two home games to come v Llanelli and then Cardiff, the Drovers must have a good chance of reeling off three wins in a row.

On Saturday, they outscored their Gwent visitors by three tries to nil, testimony to their ability to take their chances better and their more disciplined defence, rather than any dominance of the game.

Coach Iestyn Thomas paid tribute to the way his charges had relegated the Cross Keys game to the back of their minds. "The boys worked hard in mid-week and even without our two front-line props we put in a huge effort from 1 to 15. We look forward to entertaining our fellow Scarlets feeder club Llanelli," smiled Thomas.

The stars of the show were the vastly experienced three times capped Vernon Cooper at lock and the wily Rob Walters at scrum-half. They were the essential difference between the two sides, Cooper immensely strong and rugged in the loose exchanges and Walters reading the game cleverly in both attack and defence.

South African centre Jacobus van Wyk was another to shine, grabbing two first half tries with some bullish runs that helped establish a 18-9 interval lead for the Drovers.

When fly-half Andrew James kicked his fourth penalty soon after the break and Drovers lock Arwel Davies was sin-binned, Bedwas were back in it. The home defence was up to the task and the replacements, flanker Eifion Gwynne and No 8 Gareth Bennett, made vital defensive contributions in the last quarter. Gwynne in particular made some fine tackles to emphasise how lucky the Drovers are to have both him and Gareth Willians as open side flankers.

The Drovers front row creaked at the scrums but poor Bedwas options and a decisive home try from ever alert wing Owain Rowlands after a Walters interception and run, quashed all hope of a late upset.

G Evans 6 (G Beaumont-Morgan); O Rowlands 7, H Thomas 7, J van Wyk 7, V Jenkins 6; S Daniel 6, R Walters 8; P Lewis 6, E Phillips 6 (A Yelland ), E Howells 5 (R Durnell (h/t), T Walker 6 (A Davies), V Cooper 8, D Jones 7, M de Marigny 6 (G Bennett ), G Williams 6 (E Gwynne)

Tries: Jacobus van Wyk (2), Owain Gwyn Rowlands; Cons: Simon Daniel (2); Pens: Simon Daniel (3)

Match sponsors: Rugby Industrial Supplies

Match ball sponsor: Phil Jones

Man of the Match: The Committee

Acknowledgement: Geraint Williams, for his dedication in coaching, running and organising the Athletic XV

Name the home grounds of the 14 Principality Premiership Clubs

Aberavon Talbot Athletic Ground; Bedwas Bridge Field; Bridgend Brewery Field; Cardiff Arms Park; Cross Keys Pandy Park; Ebbw Vale Eugene Cross Park; Glamorgan Wanderers Ely Memorial Ground; Llandovery Church Bank; Llanelli Stradey Park; Maesteg Llynfi Road; Neath The Gnoll; Newport Rodney Parade; Pontypridd Sardis Road; Swansea St Helens

The Drovers moved up to fifth position in the Principality Premiership after this decisive and hugely satisfying win over their fellow Scarlets feeder club.

Not even the most partisan of away supporters could have complained about the result of this battle when, after a slow and ill disciplined start, Llandovery took full control of the game to record their biggest ever win over Llanelli.

It sent their Carmarthenshire rivals to the foot of the Premiership table. It was Llanelli’s fourth successive defeat after the one point win over Maesteg in the first game of the season and will surely get the alarm bells ringing at Stradey Park. Scarlets coach Phil Davies was an interested spectator but will now be seriously concerned at the league form of his local feeder club.

With two of the original four feeder clubs - Narberth and Carmarthen Quins – now down in Asda League One West just Llanelli and Llandovery remain to offer young talent the competitiveness of the Premiership.

Post-match talk in the Church Bank club house revolved around the implications of both clubs joining Narberth and the Quins. Where would the Scarlets region play its youngsters? Where would players returning from injury – the likes of Garan Evans and Vernon Cooper – get their chance to regain fitness? What would the WRU think of a region with no feeder clubs?

Home coach Iestyn Thomas would not hear of relegation after his side moved up to fifth position in the league but he was far from complacent after the narrow escapes from relegation of recent years.

“It’s a tough league where concentration levels have to be consistently high or you can easily slip up and soon be sliding down the table” said Thomas. “We played our best 40 minutes of the season in the second-half when we shut out Llanelli completely but in our next three fixtures we have take on the famous trio of Cardiff, Newport and Neath – a tall order in anyone’s book.”

On the pitch, it was the two on-loan Scarlets – Welsh internationals Cooper and Evans - that were the outstanding players of the day. Lock Vernon Cooper was immense in all he did and led the pack by huge example, epitomised by his crucial smuggling of the ball away from Llanelli when his side was in dangerous retreat.

He was only outdone for Man of the Match by a fine exhibition of counter attacking rugby from Evans, who was also faultless in the timing of his covering and line clearing.

Fly-half Gareth Bowen – not selected by the Scarlets for the European Cup squad - kicked Llanelli into a 6-0 lead after the Drovers had conceded a lot of early penalties in the contact area.

But once Cooper had finished off a sizzling run by wing Viv Jenkins with a corner try, the home pack took over, despite the valiant efforts of Llanelli’s veteran prop John Davies. A 6-5 interval deficit was turned into a comfortable 21-6 win with Cooper, hooker Adam Yelland and prop Andrew Jones in the van.

Yelland – one of three former pupils of Tregib CS, Llandeilo in the Llandovery side, along with scrum-half Rob Walters and fly-half Howard Thomas - was in terrific form in the loose to produce his best performance for the club. Yelland, centres Mike Jones and Jonathan Lewis, plus flanker Gareth Williams are all players released by Llanelli as surplus to requirements over the last few years and how they relished the confrontation.

Full- back Garan Evans, too, was in grand counter-attacking form and Thomas – outshining his younger brother Martyn, who was at full back for the Scarlets - put him through for the second try of the day. Wing Owain Rowlands had split the defence with a stabbing, darting run before Thomas threw a exquisite long pass to put Evans galloping home.

Thomas, a fast growing talent, hit the conversion from the touch-line before putting the nails into the Llanelli coffin with a well-judged penalty with the last kick of the game.

Click here for pictures of this game, courtesy of Ian Williams of Riley Sports Photography where you will find many more Premiership photos

G Evans 9; O Rowlands 7, J Lewis 7, M Jones 7, V Jenkins 7; H Thomas 8, R Walters (capt) 7 (L Marsh); P Lewis 7, A Yelland 8 (E Phillips), A Jones 8, T Walker 7 (A Davies), V Cooper 8, D Jones 7 (G Bennett), M de Marigny 7, G Williams 7 (E Gwynne)

Tries: Garan Evans, Vernon Cooper; Con: Howard Thomas; Pens: Howard Thomas (3)

Match sponsors: Stag and Pheasant Carmel, and Joc Walters and Friends

Match ball sponsor: Hedley Davies

Man of the Match sponsor: The Silent Drover

Acknowledgement: The Pipe Line Boys - Thanks for your support

Name the 2006-2007 captains of the 14 Principality Premiership Clubs

Aberavon Chris Gittins; Bedwas John Welch; Bridgend Adam Whitney; Cardiff Gareth Gravell; Cross Keys Will Thomas; Ebbw Vale Craig Cleaver; Glamorgan Wanderers Matt Bolton; Llandovery Arwel Davies; Llanelli Chris Rowe; Maesteg Ian Boobyer; Neath Steve Martin; Newport David Pattison; Pontypridd Dale McIntosh; Swansea Gareth Newman

Cardiff shrugged off a very hesitant start at Church Bank to run out deserved winners against a surprisingly out of sorts Llandovery. 

Black and Blues new coach Justin Burnell was full of praise for the way his side took the game by the scruff of the neck early in the second-half when two tries in as many minutes gave them a 23-9 lead. “A victory at Llandovery is as good an indication as you can get on the resolve and character of the squad” said Burnell. “It confirms the progress of the players in a very competitive division.”  

WRU Executive Board member Tim Burton – the driving force behind the determination to improve levels in the Principality Premiership on and off the field  - was at Church Bank to analyse the Llandovery set up and was impressed by the way ran things on and off the field. 

“We consider Llandovery a flagship way that a local community side can progress to higher things” said Burton. “The Premiership is the base for all development and we have to hope that there are other Llandoveries who want to make it to this semi-pro level.” 

“We are tightening up on criteria for membership of the league – we will insist that all clubs who wish to remain or get into the Premiership must score not 150 but 155 out of a maximum 200 points by January 2007. Any club that falls short of 155 will drop down into National One. We also intend to move that qualifying mark up to 160 by January 2008 in an effort to get everyone to upgrade facilities and structures.” 

Drovers coach Iestyn Thomas who has done great things with mainly local products was very disappointed with Saturday’s result, considering that there were enough chances to sneak a win. 

“We have won 50% of our six games but there are huge battles to come – Newport and Neath next - and this was a great chance to keep us high in the division.  Results in the division are strangely erratic so who knows? -  we might beat the Black and Ambers and the All Blacks with a modicum of luck.”  

Tim Burton thought the game showed the potential of the division to unearth talent and was even more thrilled by the pace and cutting edge of the rising star of the Premiership, left wing Tom James. The Merthyr product scored a try either side of half-time with a speed nothing short of alarming and looks destined for a future at the highest level. 

Llandovery led 6-3 only because of early Cardiff hesitancy but went into the break 11-6 down after fly-half Chris Anderson had added a penalty and a drop goal for Cardiff. Anderson then made a try for full-back Leon Andrews with a clever chip ahead before James swept in from 50 metres for his second try, converted by the fly-half. 

Llandovery rallied but flankers Gavin Lucas and Gareth Gravell were quite brilliant in the Cardiff defence before wing Viv Jenkins cashed in on good work by No 8 Gareth Bennett to soften the margin of defeat.

I Davies 5; O Rowlands 5, M Jones 6, J Lewis 5, V Jenkins 5; S Daniel 4, L Marsh 5; P Lewis 5, E Phillips 5, A Jones 6, T Walker 6, A Davies (capt) 5, M de Marigny 6, G Bennett 6, G Williams 6

Try: Viv Jenkins; Pens: Simon Daniel (3)

Match sponsors: Parker Plant Hire

Match ball sponsor: David Evans

Man of the Match sponsor: Skippy

Acknowledgement: The Coaches of all teams

Newport were far too strong for a brave but outclassed Drovers. The home side with powerful running, excellent handling skills involving both forwards and backs, allied with neatly changed angles in set moves ran in 10 tries against 2 from the visitors. In their task they were aided by far too many missed tackles by the Drovers which helped towards the high try count.

When they did secure the ball the Llandovery team ran into a defensive wall where the powerful tackling and rucking forced numerous handling errors and turn overs which further contributed to the one sided nature of the scoreline.

Newport were impressive in everything they did with the exception of the lines out where the Drovers forwards took several against the throw. Making eight changes after their surprise defeat to Swansea last week they put in a highly professional performance which took them to the top of the principality Premiership. Certainly on this form they are going to give Champions Neath a good run for their money.

Coach Iestyn Thomas, speaking after the game, was bitterly disappointed with the score but agreed that his team were beaten by a far better side. “I am pleased our players didn’t give up but tried to the end and now I want them to put this behind them and work hard in training to prepare for the visit of Neath next week”.

Llandovery took the lead after only four minutes. Putting together ten phases they drove deep into the Newport 22 where the defence came offside allowing Simon Daniel to kick an easy penalty.

The lead didn’t last long for within two minutes the home side took the lead which they never looked like losing. Following a 5m scrum on the Drovers line the ball was moved wide to centre Scot Williams who sliced through a flat-footed defence to score. James Dixon added the conversion.

Three more tries from James Ireland, Ryan Howells and Chris Evans all converted by Dixon took the home side into a 28-3 lead before an individual effort from the Drovers No 8 Marc De Marigny brought a try. Picking up from the back of a scrum he drove 20m through the defence to touch down and, with Daniel adding the conversion, the score had a degree of respectability at half time.

Within 5 minutes of the re-start Llandovery were out of the contest, tries from flanker Paul Williams and a second for wing Howells both converted by Dixon took the score to 42-10. The Drovers hit back when a fine run by tight head prop Shaun Hopkins, on permit from Llanelli RFC, took the ball deep into the home territory where flanker Gareth Williams was on hand to pick up and dive over in the corner.

This was the end of the Drovers scoring and with Simon Daniel and Howard Thomas forced off with injuries there was still time for Newport to run in 4 more tries - a second for Scot Williams and one each for wing Nathan Williams prop Dai Pattison and James Dixon to add to the 9 conversions he made in a 23 point haul.

Ioan Davies, Owain Rowlands, Barrie Thomas, Howard Thomas, Viv Jenkins, Simon Daniel, Luke Marsh, Dennis Pugh, Adam Yelland, Sean Hopkins, Tom Walker, Arwel Davies, Dafydd Jones, Gareth Williams, Marc de Marigny
Subs: Prys Lewis, Steve Covington, Gareth Bennett, Iwan Davies, Emyr Phillips, Rob Walters, Alun Richard

Tries: Marc de Marigny, Gareth Williams; Con: Simon Daniel; Pen: Simon Daniel

The marvellous 33-13 win at Pontypridd on the opening day of the Principality Premiership was just a distant memory as Llandovery went down to their third consecutive defeat. The harsh realities of life on a low budget were starkly underlined as the Welsh All Blacks powered their way to victory to send the Drovers down to twelfth position, just above the relegation spots which are at the moment occupied by Bedwas and Glamorgan Wanderers.

Coach Iestyn Thomas could not hide his frustration at the performance of his charges. The team was badly hit by the unavailability of some key players but he slammed the inept performance of his pack in the first –half but grudgingly accepted that there was much improvement after the break.

“If we perform as we did for the first forty minutes we will go down, if we perform as we did in the second- half we will finish in the top half.” said Thomas.

“The news that our next opponents - Maesteg - went to St Helen’s and beat Swansea 16-6 should concentrate everybody’s mind on the task in hand at Llynfi Road this Saturday” added Thomas. “We need hard graft and huge determination to get us moving back up the table.”

Defending champions Neath on the other hand can take much out of this game. They are slowly regaining the poise that has made them champions for the last two years. Coach Rowland Phillips was delighted with the win.

“New faces and injuries have affected our rhythm but there was evidence today that we are getting back to being more consistent and confident in our handling of possession. There is no better place to test your resolve than Church Bank and to score 20 points in the first-half into the wind and defend so well after the break gives us all a big boost for the tests ahead.” said the Wales defence coach.

So tight were defences after the break that it urged Allan Martin, the former Wales and Lions lock and father of Neath captain Steve Martin to suggest reducing the game to 13 a side. “There is not enough room on the pitch against organised defences and the game is losing its sense of spectacle” suggested Martin.

That may have been the case in a colourless second half but Neath full back Gareth King showed the way in the first half with four brilliant side stepping attacks from long range. It gave Neath huge momentum and it was King who got the first try of the game when the scores were level at 6-6 - two penalties to Llandovery fly half Simon Daniel to two by Neath centre Aled Bevan.

A long pass from centre Jon Spratt sent the full back drifting through and then a classic Neath/Ospreys set move unlocked the Drovers defence. A take at the tail of the line out by excellent flanker Lee Beach was flipped into the path of stampeding prop Paul Jones who galloped through the fragmented line out to send in scrum half Gareth B James.

Neath were clear 20-6 at the interval but to their credit, the Drovers fought back with surprising vigour.

Tom Walker at lock and Gareth Bennett at No 8 were prominent as Llandovery searched for the try and on loan Scarlets full-back Garan Evans showed glimpses of real class despite limited opportunities.

But defences remained on top for a full 36 minutes of the second-half before Bevan suddenly intercepted a floated Daniel pass to sprint in under the posts.

Only at the death did Llandovery finally get a try when a grand break from wing Owain Rowlands sent centre Ioan Davies side stepping in near enough for replacement fly-half Alun Richards to convert.

G Evans 7; O Rowlands 6, G Beaumont-Morgan 5 (E Evans), I Davies 6, V Jenkins 5; S Daniel 5 (A Richards), R Walters 5 (L Marsh), P John 6 (P Lewis), E Phillips 5 (A Yelland), R Davies 5 (S Hopkins), T Walker 6, A Davies (capt) 5, D Jones 5, G Bennett 6, G Williams 5 (E Gwynne)

Try: Ioan Davies ; Con: Alun Richards; Pens: Simon Daniel (2)

Match sponsors: Gareth Williams and the Gas Pipeline Boys

Match ball sponsor: Wyn Chippo' Morgan

Man of the Match sponsor: Gas Pipeline Crew

Acknowledgement: Kes Ezinga and Gareth Williams for their continued support

With five centres already unavailable through injury the jinx struck again when Johnny Lewis joined the list in the fifteenth minute. Full back Ioan Davies moved up to centre with sub Alun Richards coming on to take his place. At this time the match was all square with one penalty each – Simon Daniel for the Drovers and Luke Richards for Maesteg.

Speaking after the game Drovers Coach Iestyn Thomas felt that his side had lost the game rather than Maesteg winning it. “We gave away three soft tries through basic mistakes and then when they resorted to illegal tactics to stop our game we took the option to go for scrums and lines out rather than kicking our goals. When we didn’t go for goal they kept on killing the game”.

There was much truth to Thomas’s sentiments as Maesteg conceded 22 kicks, the majority in the second half with the Drovers pressing, and also suffered the loss of three players to yellow cards for professional fouls. The first to be carded was scrum half Lloyd O’Connor at the end of the first half, to be followed by hooker Lee Williams and replacement scrum half Kevin Ellis in the final quarter.

Unfortunately the Drovers failed to take advantage of their numerical superiority nor the succession of kicks which came their way, and in the end it was the illegal tactics of Maesteg that were to carry the day.

To add to their woes all of the Maesteg tries were preventable. The first was scored on the half hour when a speculative chip into the 22 was spilled and the ball scrambled into touch. From the line out catch and drive prop Gareth Edwards was awarded the try, converted by Luke Richards. The second try came minutes later, again from a line out close to the line. Lock Gavin Rownan took the catch, found himself unmarked and dived unopposed over the line. Simon Daniel then pegged the score back to 15-9 with two more penalty goals, before on half time O’Connor received his yellow card.

Starting the second half with 14 men Maesteg found themselves struggling against a dominant Drovers team gaining a stream of possession from both the tight and loose. Simon Daniel kicked a fourth penalty to make the score 15-12 but, with an away win on the cards, Llandovery conceded their third try, very much against the run of play. Collecting a kick ahead in his 22 wing Viv Richards attempted to run back around the chasing players. The ball was then handed on under increasing pressure across the pitch to reach the opposite wing Owain Rowlands who, finding himself isolated, was tackled and dispossessed. Luke Richards grabbed the ball and raced for a touchdown in the corner from where he converted his own try with a magnificent kick from the touchline to take Maesteg into a 22-12 lead.

With 20 minutes left and Llandovery constantly threatening the home line there was still the opportunity to win the game but the illegal tactics prevented any fluency of movement. Facing 14 men with two more yellow cards, and being awarded a stream of penalties, the option was taken to go for scrums and lines out rather than kicks for goal - never an easy call but unfortunately one that paid no dividends in this match as the Drovers slumped to a fourth successive defeat.

Ioan Davies, Owain Rowlands, Jon Lewis (Alun Richards), Emrys Evans, Viv Jenkins, Simon Daniel, Rob Walters, Dennis Pugh (Prys Lewis), Adam Yelland (Emyr Phillips), Andrew Jones, Steve Covington, Arwel Davies, Dafydd Jones (Adrian Williams), Gareth Williams, Gareth Bennett

Pens: Simon Daniel (4)

Llandovery should have won this important home game against Bridgend on Friday night but eventually went down by the odd point in 57 at a wet and windy Church Bank.

The Drovers had no-one to blame but themselves, their ill discipline in the first half and lack of concentration in the second leading to a defeat that could be crucial come the end of the season.

Coach Iestyn Thomas bemoaned the missed golden chance to climb the table. “The referee may have been unsympathetic at crucial times, we may have given away too many penalties in the first-half and then failed to turn the screw in a good second half, but when we led by six points with 15 minutes to go, the game was there for the taking” said Thomas.

“Defeat was a bitter blow after coming back from 7-15 to lead 28-22” added the Drovers coach “but we remain positive and know we can get some much needed wins if we tighten up our discipline.”

Discipline – or more pertinently its shortage - cost the Drovers dearly in an amazing patch of fifteen first-half minutes when Bridgend full-back Gareth David kicked five angled penalties to overtake a solo first-minute try from Llandovery left wing Viv Jenkins.

A penalty from fly-half Simon Daniel to add to his conversion had the Drovers trailing 15-10 but with the wind and rain in their favour after the break, they looked favourites to sneak a win. Disaster then struck Daniel when his kick was charged down by the alert Darren Simpson after just one minute of the second half and the ex-Llandovery and Carmarthen Quins centre hacked on to get the try, converted by David.

To their credit, Llandovery rallied strongly, Viv Jenkins getting a try from a Daniel kick and hooker Emyr Phillips capped a fine all-round display with a charge-down try, converted by Daniel. It made the score 22-22 and, when the home pack forced the Ravens to concede penalties, Daniel put over two kicks for a 28-22 lead.

Bridgend threatened but briefly - busier keeping out Llandovery attacks rather than constructing anything - but in a rare visit to the home 22 they were awarded a contentious penalty try after the Drovers had collapsed a maul near their own line.

Pressing for the winner, the Drovers failed to hold on to possession at key moments, allowing wily scrum-half Brendan Roach to clear his lines and sneak the narrowest of wins for the Ravens.

*****Bedwas’s surprise win over Neath means that Llandovery slip to bottom but one in the Premiership but there was good news about the imminent arrival of North Harbour, New Zealand fly-half/centre Jon Elrick. The 23 year old Elrick – a British passport holder - comes to Llandovery on the warm recommendation of ex-Lions coach Dick Best and has been tipped to get a professional Super 14 contract in the very near future. An intuitive reader of the game with a keen tactical sense he is also a very consistent goal-kicker and promises to make a huge contribution to the precarious Drovers cause. Elrick could well feature in Saturday’s Premiership game against Swansea at St Helen’s.

I Davies 6; O Rowlands 6, R Davies 5, E Evans 4, V Jenkins 8; S Daniel 4, R Walters 5; P Lewis 5 (Denis Pugh), E Phillips 8, A Jones 7 (Ricky Davies), T Walker 7, A Davies 5 (Steve Covington), E Gwynne 5 (Adrian Williams), D Jones 6, G Williams 5

Tries: Viv Jenkins (2), Emyr Phillips ; Cons: Simon Daniel (2); Pens: Simon Daniel (3)

Match sponsor: Brian Jones Castell Howell and Celtic Pride

Match ball sponsors: Adam Hathaway, Bryan Philips, Bryan Edmunds

Man of the Match sponsor: Wayne Harries Yellow Cabs

Acknowledgement: Sandra Clarke Stewardess, for all her efforts in keeping us in top class refreshments

Name a) the World Cup winners b) runners up c) captain of the winning side and d) coach of the winning side for 1987-2003

1991 a) Australia b) England c) Nick Farr Jones d) Bob Dwyer

1995 a) South Africa b) New Zealand c) Francois Pienaard d) Kitch Christie

1999 a) Australia b) France c) John Eales d) Rod MacQueen

2003 a) England b) Australia c) Martin Johnson d) Clive Woodward

Llandovery could well have recorded a first Principality League victory since September on their visit to St. Helen’s. There were enough positive features to the play to have enabled them to have scored several tries but their own indiscipline led to Referee Phil Connett awarding nineteen kicks against them. Allied with a high unforced error count in their handling and sound Swansea defence many a promising move failed and brought no reward.

In the end it was new recruit, centre Jon Elrick from North Harbour, who scored all their points with a penalty, try and conversion but this wasn’t enough as Swansea condemned the Drovers to a 6th successive defeat. This game was proverbially the ‘6 pointer’ with Swansea starting in twelfth position, one above Llandovery on try count with both sides on 9 points.

With Scarlets lock Vernon Cooper and former Church Bank favourite Jon Mills on permit from Llanelli RFC in the back row there was an optimism in the camp that the side could improve on recent results. However it was the home side who started off the game at a fine pace and pushed the Drovers back into their own territory for most of the first quarter. Good defence kept the attackers out and all the Whites had to show for their efforts was a penalty kicked by full back Nicky Thomas.

Gradually the visitors came more into the game and they now began to put pressure on the Swansea line but two successive poor lines out were to cost them dearly. The first loss enabled Swansea to relieve their line with a kick and then from the following line out their Number 8 David Blyth stole the throw on his own 10m line.

Blyth, the son of Swansea Director and former Welsh International Roger Blyth, set off at a gallop into the Llandovery half. Unfortunately the Drovers defence seemed to have gone ‘on holiday’ and the number 8 continued his run for 60m to cross the line, unopposed, wide out for the opening try.

As the half was coming to an end Drovers flanker Gareth Williams saw yellow for entering the ruck from an offside position, to be followed minutes later by Swansea flanker Ben Lewis for a similar offence. Jon Elrick converted the penalty and half time came with Swansea leading by 8-3.

The second half started with both sides down to 14 players but it was the home side who exerted the early pressure. After some driving mauls they released the ball to the backs and swift, precise passing saw wing Rhys Jones outflank the defence and with Nicky Thomas converting they increased the lead to 15-3.

This was the end seen of Swansea as an attacking force and the final 30 minutes belonged very much to the Drovers. Forwards Dennis Pugh, Ricky Davies, Vernon Cooper and Jon Mills were all prominent in making inroads into the home sides territory. Centre Alex White, making his first appearance for the side as a replacement, used his strength and size to punch holes and it frequently took two or three tacklers to bring him down. For all their good work, errors, penalties and a hard tackling defence all combined to keep the Drovers at bay. They did cross the line but the referee was unsighted and awarded a 5m scrum and then in injury time Jon Elrick was able to force his way over for a try which he converted. Unfortunately it was a case of too little too late and the Llandovery side now face a crucial battle against relegation, starting in their next match when they are away to Glamorgan Wanderers.

Click here for pictures of this game, courtesy of Ian Williams of Riley Sports Photography where you will find many more Premiership photos; and for additional pictures kindly supplied by Dave Dow of Dragon Tales Rugby

Ioan Davies, Owain Rowlands, Emrys Evans (Alex White), Jon Elrick, Viv Jenkins, Simon Daniel, Luke Marsh, Prys Lewis (Dennis Pugh), Adam Yelland (Emyr Phillips), Andrew Jones (Ricky Davies), Vernon Cooper, Arwel Davies (Steve Covington), Jon Mills, Gareth Williams, Gareth Bennett (Eifion Gwynne)

Try: Jon Elrick; Con: Jon Elrick; Pen: Jon Elrick

The basement relegation battle between these teams placed thirteenth and fourteenth in the Principality Premiership turned out to be a thrilling feast of open, running rugby, although the defences of both teams at times suggested why they are at the foot of the table. Ninety two points from fourteen tries gave everyone a thoroughly entertaining afternoon except probably for the Drovers who were on the wrong end of the 9-5 try count.

Llandovery mounted the early attacks but when they made a hash of the handling the ball was turned over to the opposition for whom lock Gareth Knight powered over for the opening try after 8 minutes. Centre Gareth McCarthy added the conversion.

The Drovers were quickly back on terms and when the home side pulled down a driving maul close to the line Referee Mr Phil Fear had no hesitation in running under the posts to award a penalty try which was converted by Jon Elrick, who shortly after added two more points when he converted a try by Darren Daniel.

The Llandovery full back, taking a pass in his own 22, sprinted downfield and showing outstanding pace glided through the entire home defence to touch down under the posts. Amongst all the tries scored in the game this stood out as a piece of brilliant individual skill.

The lead was short lived, however, when following a sweeping handling movement by both forwards and backs Wanderers full back Nicky Roberts took advantage of poor marking to cross under the posts for his side's second try. Again McCarthy converted to tie the score at 14 all.

Half an hour into the game saw the start of an eighteen minute nightmare for the Drovers. It all started when once again they turned the ball over to allow full back Roberts in for a second McCarthy-converted try. The loss of flanker Adrian Williams to a yellow card for handling in the ruck certainly didn’t help the visitors' cause, as four more tries were to follow, two each side of half time, and at the end of the eighteen minute nightmare the score had gone from 14-14 to 45-14. Tries were scored by McCarthy, two by fly half Roper and one for flanker Sam Feehan. McCarthy converted two of the four tries.

After this flurry of points both sides went on to score two more tries each in the remaining 35 minutes. The first try went to Llandovery and was awarded to Emyr Phillips when a maul following a 5m line out was driven over the try line. This was a just reward for the young Drovers hooker who was the side's outstanding forward. Phillips never gave up and was working as hard at the end of the game at the start. Even when he was forced to move to the wing following injuries amongst the backs he tackled strongly and made a number of powerful runs. His lineout throwing was also first class.

Following another Drovers error the Wanderers recorded their eighth try through winger Jamie Jones, followed by a fourth for the Drovers through replacement centre Rhys Davies. The final try for the home side went to Gareth McCarthy who added the conversion to end with a final tally of 22 points from two tries and 6 conversions.

The final try of the day belonged to the Drovers replacement scrum half Aled Jenkins. The former Drovers Youth player, on his debut in the Principality, was impressive in all his work and his try followed a fine individual break. He will be a player to watch in the future. Jon Elrick converted this try to make it a perfect 5 conversions out of 5.

This defeat means that the teams change places, with the Drovers now anchored at the bottom of the table. It is really going to be an uphill battle for the side if they are to survive in the top echelon of Welsh club rugby.

Click here for pictures of this game, courtesy of Ian Williams of Riley Sports Photography where you will find many more Premiership photos

Darren Daniel, Owain Rowlands, Jon Elrick, Alex White (Rhys Davies), Ioan Davies,  Simon Daniel, Rob Walters (Aled Jenkins), Prys Lewis, Emyr Phillips (Adam Yelland), Andrew Jones (Ricky Davies), Steve Covington, Arwel Davies, Dafydd Jones, Adrian Williams (Eifion Gwynne), Gareth Bennett (Glyn Davies)

Tries: Penalty try, Darren Daniel, Emyr Phillips, Rhys Davies, Aled Jenkins; Cons: Jon Elrick (5)

The Drovers got a precious win - only their fourth of the season - to give hope that the second half of the Premiership campaign will show a better return for their efforts.

With the defeat of Glamorgan Wanderers at home to Llanelli, this victory took Llandovery off the bottom of the table after the completion of exactly half of the league programme of 26 games.  

The completely unfounded news that coach Iestyn Thomas was likely to resign did not seem to unsettle the Drovers who looked hungrier up front and more pragmatic behind. Thomas had briefly threatened to leave Church Bank if the team could not give him more commitment and his demands for more resolve, spunk and bloody-mindedness were answered in no uncertain terms.  

“The pack did the basics at scrum and line out far better than in previous weeks” said Thomas “and this win will act as a springboard to our second half of the season. We travel to Bedwas on Saturday and this encouraging performance will be of massive benefit to our hopes of a good result.”  

The key to the Llandovery win was the sound basic play of the pack in which the front five scrummaged hard and the excellent back-row of Eifion Gwynne, Jon Mills and Gareth Williams won the battle of the loose.

Even more important a factor was the play of NPC North Harbour import Jon Elrick. For his third game in a Llandovery shirt, Elrick was moved from centre to fly-half - to the exclusion of Simon Daniel - and the switch paid dividends as the Kiwi controlled things confidently and kicked superbly in difficult conditions. Sadly for the Drovers, Elrick flew to France after the game and he will play for French Pro 2 side Grenoble until the end of the season.  

Elrick’s ability to stroke the ball cleanly, often in the tightest of positions, gave Llandovery the vital edge and he also kicked four confident goals to keep the home lead in tact throughout.  

Wing Owain Rowlands ended off a marvellous sweeping move in the first half to help his side lead 11-6 at the break. Keys lost the ball in contact on the Llandovery 22 and full-back Ioan Davies launched a thrilling counter-attack, involving lock Tom Walker and prop Ricky Davies whose strong burst and neat pass allowed Rowlands to race home from 25 metres for the Llandovery try of the season.  

When from another turn-over Llandovery scored an excellent second try by the in form Walker after good work from scrum-half Rob Walters and No 8 Mills, the game looked all over. Even more so when Elrick kicked his third penalty to make it 19-6 but with ten minutes to go, Keys suddenly found their rhythm. They threw caution to the wind and within four minutes of hectic rugby the score went from 19-6 to 22-16.  

A fourth Elrick penalty was sandwiched between tries very well-worked from replacement back Dan Dark and flanker Ben Watkins. The Llandovery defence was stretched to the limit but with replacement hooker Emyr Phillips adding huge zest to the home effort and their concentration restored, the Drovers not only defended to a man but ended the game camped on the Gwent line to the relief of their anxious supporters.

Ioan Davies 7; O Rowlands 7, Rhys Davies 6, (S Daniel), E Evans 6 (G Bennett), V Jenkins 7; J Elrick 9, R Walters 7 (L Marsh); Ricky Davies 7 (D Slyman), A Yelland 6 (E Phillips ), A Jones 7, T Walker 8 (S Covington), A Davies (capt) 7, E Gwynne 8 (D Jones), J Mills 8, G Williams 8  

Principality Man of the Match: J Elrick (Llandovery)

Tries: Owain Rowlands, Tom Walker; Pens: Jon Elrick (4)

Match sponsor: Roger and Pat James, and Chris Lewis and the A4069 Crew

Match ball sponsors: Stuart Davies Llandovery Tyres and Batteries

Man of the Match sponsor:

Acknowledgement:

All today’s questions involve those with the surname Davies to have played for Wales. Give the Christian name of each player, paying attention to the correct spelling in Q4. 

1 His other Christian names are Thomas Reames:  

2 Former Llandovery, Llanelli and Wales wing: 

3 Camb