Williams inspires Llanelli to play-off final

Llanelli 40 Aberavon 26

A 25-POINT haul from full-back Jordan Williams helped Llanelli book their place in the Welsh Premiership play-off final at Sardis Road on Friday.

The hosts, 16-3 ahead at one stage, had to withstand a stirring Aberavon fightback at Parc y Scarlets before easing clear to set-up a winner-takes-all clash against Pontypridd in what will be a repeat of last year’s final.

They scored four tries in all, Williams getting the first, and produced some sublime running rugby but only really pulled away from the Wizards in the last 10 minutes.

Llanelli will now go for consecutive final wins when they take on the side that ended the league season at the top of the table but who lost the Swalec Cup final to Cross Keys earlier this month.

The West Walians took a 16-6 lead into the interval but it was Aberavon who arguably had the better chances in the first-half and were unlucky not to cross the whitewash at least once.

Llanelli did enjoy the early stages and took the lead with a Williams penalty just three minutes in and team-mate Dan Newton also had his kicking boots on, producing a lovely slide-rule touch finder to pin the visitors back.

But it was the Wizards who came closest to getting the semi-final’s first try when scrum-half David Pritchard charged down a Newton clearance only to see the ball agonisingly roll out of play before he could get his fingertips to it.

The normally reliable Jamie Davies had an off day with the boot by his normal high standards and he should have levelled the scores from close range but instead pushed it wide. The fly-half would later hit the post from a very kickable range.

Centre Craig Evans showed Davies how it should be done from near halfway but it took 60 seconds for the home side to regain the initiative when Williams made it 6-3 with his second penalty of the encounter.

Home No 8 Matt Gilbert demonstrated a slick pair of hands to release wing Iolo Evans but the speedster turned over the ball, something that happened frequently to both sides throughout the half.

Deadeye Williams made it 9-3 with 25 minutes gone and not long after Llanelli were celebrating again. That man Williams was on hand to touch down following a chip and chase by Viliami Iongi that the Tongan winger couldn’t quite get his hands to.

Aberavon struck back and only a brilliant last-ditch tackle by full-back Williams prevented lock Sam Williams going under the posts after he had cut through the home midfield with ease. When the move went left, replacement Gareth Harvey was inches from the line but was somehow held up when it looked easier to score.

Just before the interval, the Wizards did close the gap to 10 points when Evans punished another Llanelli indiscretion and right on the whistle wing Evans was left pole-axed by Aberavon hooker Marc Breeze as he got back to stop opposite number Ricky Thomas stealing in.

The first points of the second-half went the way of the away team, Evans completing a hat-trick of three-pointers to reduce the deficit to 16-9. And things were about to get a lot better for the travelling supporters.

There didn’t seem much on when flanker Morgan Allen picked up the ball 30 metres out but he somehow managed to wriggle free of the defenders around him to race away and dot down under the sticks.

At 16-16, the tide was turning and when Evans bisected the posts again the side that finished the regular season in third were now in front. But their lead didn’t last for long, Williams taking his and Llanelli’s tally to 19.

The game then swung back in Llanelli’s favour and star of the show Williams was in the thick of it again. With Aberavon stretched out wide, the blue-booted full-back hit the line at pace, released Iongi and after he produced some fancy footwork, Nic Reynolds was on hand to sprint over.

And the victory was sealed moments later courtesy of a sumptuous move down the right wing. The ball found its way to Reynolds and, a la David Campese in the 1991 World Cup semi-final, the centre produced a blind pass over his right shoulder to find Johnny Lewis who scampered over.

Llanelli, now 33-19 up, were threatening every time they got the ball and yet another flowing passage of play on the right ended with Newton receiving a Lewis pass to cross after scrum-half Justin James had sprinted clear.

Aberavon replacement Neil White grabbed a late consolation try but the day belonged to the hosts who are looking in good shape for back-to-back play-off successes.