Drovers held again in Church Bank stalemate

Principality Premiership weekend review

WHEN one team thrashes another in a game of rugby it’s often referred to as a cricket score.

However, after the amazing results at Reading and Chelsea in the midweek Capital One Cup ties, you could argue yesterday’s 6-6 draw between Llandovery and Bedwas in the Principality Premiership was just like a football result.

League leaders Llandovery must have felt it was Groundhog Day though as after failing to win for the first time this season at Aberavon seven days previously they were held to another draw.

The result was good enough to take Bedwas into outright second place in the table although Pontypridd with two games in hand will have something to say about that when they are next in action on November 17.

It was nip and tuck from start to finish at Church Bank yesterday as Rhys Jones opened the scoring for the Drovers with a penalty on five minutes only for Richard Powell to equalise before the end of the first quarter.

It took until the 63^rd minute for Jones to make it 6-3 with a second three-pointer but back came Powell four minutes later to level the scores.

There wasn’t the usual flurry of points across the five games on Saturday but despite losing, Aberavon picked up a bonus point in a 14-9 defeat at Bridgend. Craig Evans banged over three second-half penalties for Aberavon after they had trailed 11-0 at half-time thanks to a Jamie Murphy penalty and drop-goal and an Adam Hillier-Rees try.

But just as the fightback seemed on, Murphy stepped up again and this time landed a drop-goal with his weaker left foot.

Cross Keys led 3-0 at the interval at Carmarthen Park through a Dorian Jones penalty but they couldn’t hold on to their advantage and James Dixon’s boot proved pivotal as he put Quins 9-3 up. A losing bonus point appeared to be in Keys’ hands but that was taken away from them when Jason Harries crossed late on.

Cardiff led 25-0 early in the second-half at home to Neath before the visitors scored two late tries to lose 25-12.

Flanker Ellis Jenkins touched down twice inside the opening quarter and with fly-half Gareth Davies converting both and slotting two penalties the game was virtually over by half-time.

Hooker Aaron Fowler got Cardiff’s third try on 51 minutes but there wasn’t to be a fourth as Rhys Jones and wing Kevin James gave some respectability to the scoreline.

At Rodney Parade, tries from Alan Awcock, Adam Frampton, James Leadbeater, Will Richards and Brendan Lampitt saw Newport ease to a 39-17 home success against struggling Swansea, who remain rooted to the bottom of the table.

Nicky Thomas and Rhys Williams tries threatened to bring Swansea back into it at one stage but Newport’s last three scores came in a 12-minute blitz to seal the win.