Flanker Osian Davies scored two tries as Merthyr stormed to an 18-3 win at Cross Keys. Davies crossed twice in the first half as the Ironmen made the dream start to life in the top tier of Welsh club rugby.
Cross Keys, who finished fourth last season, scored the early points with a penalty in the 10th minute. But Merthyr soon began their charge with Davies touching down midway through the period.
And despite having former Wales back-row Andy Powell sent to the bin for a high tackle, Merthyr soon extended their advantage with Matthew Jarvis making amends with a penalty after an earlier conversion miss.
With the interval approaching Merthyr – crowned Championship winners last year – added more points following
Davies’ blistering second, with Jarvis adding the extras. The Merthyr scrum, commanded by No 8 Powell and captain Craig Locke impressed throughout, made life difficult for Cross Keys who, in contrast, were out of rhythm and failed to claw their way back into the game.
A clever break from centre Gareth Davies set up a penalty for the Ironmen – with Jarvis putting the seal on Merthyr’s maiden victory with the resulting kick.
“We are chuffed to bits to come to Pandy Park and win our first Premiership game against a good Cross Keys side. We’ve got a lot of expectations this season and it means everything to start with a win,” said Merthyr head coach Lee Jarvis
“Our defence was good and our kicking went well, but it was just our sheer doggedness that impressed me the most. From one to 23 we were superb.”
The boot of Wales Under 20 outside half Billy McBryde earned Llanelli a sensational 24-22 home win over the champions. McBryde kicked 14 points to steer his side back into a game that looked to have slipped away from them when they found themselves 13 points down.
Ebbw Vale opened their account in the first minute when they worked wing Jared Rosser over for a try which Josh Lewis converted. Three McBryde penalties worked Llanelli back into the contest, but by half-time a try from scrum half Chris Thomas and another conversion and penalty from Lewis made it 17-9 to the visitors.
Prop Matthew Williams then cashed over for a third Ebbw try to extend the lead to 22-9 and give former Llanelli great Nigel Davies every prospect of picking up the points with his visiting team. But 15 points without reply in the final 10 minutes earned Llanelli magnificent victory.
Prop Taylor Davies got the first of two tries with full back Dion Jones adding the other. McBryde converted the first to help cut the gap to a single point before kicking the matchwinning penalty.
Mark Jones was left beaming at the finish skills of Sam Jones as RGC 1404 won on their Premiership debut at Bridgend. The former Wales wing and new head coach at the north Wales club saw wide-man Jones cross twice in the first half to set his side on track for a comfortable 20-3 win.
Rhys Williams followed in the second half and the margin of victory would have been even more convincing had new-signing Jacob Botica not missed a series of kicks. Bridgend must shoulder some of the blame with an error-strewn display though fly-half Joseph Scrivens opened the scoring after five minutes with a penalty.
Opposite number Botica was off-target with his first attempt. But Bridgend were forced to defend as the Kiwi went close to weaving through and centre Tiaan Loots hammered away. RGC then capitalised on a fractured passage of play when Jones kicked ahead to score under the posts.
It got worse for Bridgend when Scrivens was forced off injured. And further handling mistakes allowed Jones to pick-off an interception and run-in his second try, that went unconverted, before the break.
A smart move at the lineout ended with RGC hooker Williams crashing over for their third try mid-way through the second half for a 17-3 lead. Botica again missed conversion but added a penalty to complete an historic win for the club.
Richard Carter’s record breaking 111th Premiership try turned the game back in favour of Aberavon to earn them a 22-16 win after they had surrendered their early advantage
The Wizards dominated the first-half and made their pressure pay with a smartly taken try by scrum half Dai Pritchard after only eight minutes as he sniped over from five metres. James Garland wasn’t able to add the extras, but he did extend the lead with a 30 metre penalty after 25 minutes.
Three minutes later Llandovery earned their first penalty of the game and they picked up three more in quick succession to finally get some momentum into their game. They worked flanker Shaun Miles over for a try close enough to the posts for Jack Maynard to cut the gap to a single point.
Maynard then brought the first-half to an end with a penalty after home lock Ben Jones had picked up a yellow card for a dangerous tackle. Maynard added another penalty t the start of the second half before Carter struck on the overlap.
That took him ahead of Kevin James in the record lists and Garland converted off the touch line before improving a penalty try from a driving line out. Maynard’s third penalty at least earned the Drovers a losing bonus point.
Pontypridd survived a seven-minute injury time onslaught from Bedwas to win the opening game of the season in difficult conditions at Bridge Field, 18-13.
Having lost last season’s Premiership final, Pontypridd’s determination to reclaim their crown was evident in their impressive rearguard effort late on with 14 men. The visitors started better with winger Lewis Williams cutting through the Bedwas defence to touch down, although Ceri Sweeney could not convert.
The two teams exchanged penalties through Richard Powell and Sweeney before Pontypridd got their second try. Following a lineout drive, the ball was worked out wide for Aled Sumemrhill to cross for another unconverted score.
Despite having lock Geraint Edmunds spend time in the sin-bin, the home side got back on level terms soon after. Centre Mike Callow was on-hand out wide to score and Powell converted to level the scores at half-time.
There was just one score in the second-half, with Alex Webber gathering a Sweeney cross-kick to put the visitors back in front. As the monsoon conditions continued, Bedwas kept pressing for a game-saving score.
That pressure saw Josh Novell sin-binned on his own line for the visitors, but despite their best efforts, Bedwas couldn’t conjure up a final piece of magic and Pontypridd held on for an opening day win.
Cardiff became the first side to win in the Principality Premiership as they came from behind at home to beat arch-rivals Newport 25-22.
The Black & Ambers led 15-12 at the break having hauled themselves back into the game after being hit with two tries and 12 points in the opening 10 minutes. Wales Under 20 full back Rhun Williams made the most of a lucky bounce in-goal to bag the first try and he then sent wing Ceri Young racing away for the first of his two scores.
Jarrod Evans, one of six Cardiff Blues players in the matchday squad, converted Williams’ try and Newport were left with a mountain to climb. But by half-time they had not only clawed their way back into the game, but hit the front.
Good work by wing Elliot Frewen and outside-half Matt O’Brien paved the way for prop John Lavender to crash over in the corner, O’Brien couldn’t convert, but he added a penalty and then improved Frewen’s easy run-in to make it 15-12.
O’Brien was wide with a penalty at the end of the first-half and then hit the post after Evans had levelled matters with a kick of his own following a Newport scrum infringement. Evans then converted Young’s second try to make it 22-15 before another prop, Garin Harris, grabbed a close range effort which Arwel Robson converted to level the scores at 22-22.
The final scoring act fell to Evans with a 70th minute penalty, but Newport at least left with a losing bonus point.
Neath clinched a last-minute win to kick-off the process of putting last-season’s embarrassment behind them. The Welsh All Blacks had to wait 21 games for their first and only win of last season as they finished bottom of the Premiership.
But outside half Iwan Evans held his nerve to kick a late penalty at Bargoed and hand Gareth Llewellyn a winning start to the new campaign. Newly promoted Bargoed enjoyed their Premiership debut and there were early signs that it could be their day when Neath full-back Ed Howley fired two early penalties wide of the mark.
Sam Withers showed how it is done to nudge the hosts 3-0. That was soon cancelled out by Evans, who had taken over the kicking duties for Neath and wing Alec Jenkins then raced over on 30 minutes. Evans converted for a 10-3 lead at half-time.
But Bargoed’s pack lead the recovery with a powerful set-piece display. And when Neath prop Geraint James was binned six minutes from time, Bargoed seized their chance.
A series of collapsed scrums close to the Neath line forced referee Craig Evans to award a penalty try. Sam Withers converted to level at 10-10, but Bargoed were reckless from the re-start and handed Evans a late shot at goal.
The other promoted team from the Championship last season, Swansea, were beaten 21-14 at St Helen’s by Carmarthen Quins. The visitors got off to a flying start with a fifth minute try from former Wales World Cup Sevens star Lee Williams. They led 11-6 at the break, after Scarlets outside half Aled Thomas matched Josh Martin’s two penalties for the Whites.
After the break the Quins picked up a penalty try after Tom Sloane saw yellow in the home side. Thomas added the simple conversion and also added another penalty, while Swansea hit back with late try from Paul John.
