Ebbw Vale 3-28 Pontypridd

A workmanlike, rather than an inspired performance from Pontypridd secured a valuable bonus point win on the road, at the traditionally difficult venue of Eugene Cross Park.

With Ponty often contained in their own half, penalised and pinned back by their opponents’ kicks for position, there was little to show from a competitive start to the game, an exchange of penalties between outside halves Aaron Bramwell and Gareth Bowen being the only scores of the first quarter.

The contest was pretty much a stalemate, with much effort being put in by both sides for little reward, and frustrations sometimes boiling over. Dicomidis and Hobbs were prominent in leading the Ponty charges, and Bramwell going agonisingly close to scoring a try, but honours remaining shared at 3pts apiece to the interval.

With handling errors abundant and numerous penalties making it a stop–start affair, the game desperately needed a touch of class to lift it out of mediocrity. That came as Ponty winger Lewis Williams set off on a sixty metre bolt to the line, having the conviction to take on and out-pace the home defence to cross for a dramatic touchdown.

The score added to a previous Bramwell penalty, with Ponty now threatening to pull away. This they did as a neat switch move set up a try for Dafydd Lockyer, and scrum half Downes then sniping over following the charges of Strong and Dacey.

Still not dominant, Ponty were gathering momentum, heading into injury time chasing a crucial fourth try. A series of drives took the visitors’ pack over the line, a touchdown claimed by flanker Kristian Dacey.

The last action of the game, that try secured a hard earned bonus point win for Ponty by 3pts to 28, providing a good result from a fair performance.

Pontypridd

15.Adam Thomas. 14.Lewis Williams. 13.Gavin Dacey. 12.Dafydd Lockyer (Dean Gunter). 11.Matthew Nuthall (Chris Clayton). 10.Aaron Bramwell. 9.Rhys Downes (Carl Thomas).

1.Sam Hobbs. 2.Rhys Williams (Huw Dowden). 3.Ryan Harford (Lewis Smout). 4.McCauley Cook. 5.Chris Dicomidis. 6.Rhys Lloyd (Kristian Dacey). 7.Wayne O’Connor (Darren Waters). 8.Nathan Strong – cpt.