NEATH 28 PONTYPRIDD 22
The pack laid the platform as Martin Roberts, Lee Beach and Gareth King tries put the All Blacks in control. A penalty try gave Ponty hope but James Merriman scored from the restart to put Neath out of sight, Lee Evans and Tom Riley’s late scores mere consolation.
Arwel Thomas kicked eight points on his 100th and final Neath appearance and the former Wales fly half will take up a coaching role at the Gnoll next season.
But Pontypridd had won the two previous final encounters between the sides and began with a confidence borne from two league wins over their west Glamorgan rivals this season. They stretched the Welsh All Blacks’ defence with some adventurous play from deep in their own half, fly half Gareth McCarthy’s 10th-minute shot at goal opening the scoring.
Neath’s forwards slowly began to turn the screw, though, the Pontypridd defence getting increasingly frayed.
Thomas spread the play with a delightful long pass to Beach, who hit the gap and took the ball to within five metres of the line and scrum half Roberts quickly recycled and sniped over for a try, converted by Thomas.
The black tide continued to surge forward, and Merriman looked to have added to the score when he powered over the line. A desperate double hit from the Taff valley men meant a referral to the video referee, though, and he ruled that Wayne Mitchell had prevented the grounding of the ball.
Mitchell’s heroics mattered little as Neath walked the resultant five-metre scrum forward, Beach easily dotting down for the second converted try.
With half-time looming, McCarthy and Thomas each missed kicks to leave it 14-3 at the break.
The All Blacks onslaught soon resumed, centre Steve Thomas making a scything break from deep in his own half and finding Merriman in support, the flanker’s off-load falling to man-of-the-match King who plunged over the line.
Thoughts of an unlikely comeback grew as Matthew Nuthall was sin-binned for killing Pontypridd ball near the Neath line. Ponty kicked for touch, and when their driving line-out was dragged down they were awarded a penalty try.
But Pontypridd conceded turnover ball straight after the restart, King and Merriman combining clinically to send the flanker over for the All Blacks’ fourth try. That made the score 28-10, and it was only in the closing minutes that the All Blacks loosened their grip.
Evans crossed, followed by fellow replacement Riley with the last move of the match, but it was not enough to stop Neath claiming Wales’s top knock-out competition for the fifth time in their history.
Scorers:
Neath (14) 28
Tries: M Roberts, Beach, King, Merriman
Cons: A Thomas (4)
Pontypridd (3) 22
Tries: Pen, L Evans, Riley
Cons: McCarthy (2)
Pen: McCarthy
Neath: Gareth King; Kevin James, Steve Thomas, Wayne Mitchell, Matthew Nuthall; Arwel thomas, Martin Roberts; Martin Jones, Andy Littehales, Ross Davies, Euros Evans, Martin Morgan, Gareth Gravell, James Merriman, Lee Beach (capt)
Replacements: Jimmy Richards, Craig Mitchell, Nicky Downs, Steve Martin, Andrew Llewellyn, Gareth James, Howard Thomas.
Pontypridd: Lawrence Price; Chris Clayton, Gavin Dacey, Adam Thomas, Owen Williams; Gareth McCarthy, Andrew Jenkins; Ian Poley, Duane Goodfield, Sam Hobbs, Ryan Savage, Chris Dicomidis, Geraint Lewis, Rhys Shellard, Nathan Strong (capt)
Replacements: Tom Riley, Matthew Hutchings, Glenn Holloway, Ryan Harford, Rhys Williams, Lee Evans, Wayne O’Connor.
Referee: Neil Ballard (WRU)
Att: 4,500
