The Steelmen went into the game as if it were a cup final, knowing they had to win to guarantee themselves a place in the top eight. As it happened, Cardiff were beaten at home by Bedwas, so their only other rivals for the final place in the top half of the table failed to close the two point gap.
Keys made life predictably tough for their local rivals and restricted the champions to a single Josh Lewis penalty in the first-half. The home outside half then added a second penalty 11 minutes from time before finally making the game safe with a try six minutes later.
“We had only played five games at home up to last weekend and the way the fixtures fall in the second half of the season we will meet the top four teams at home and only travel away for three matches,” said a relieved Ebbw Vale coach Nigel Davies.
“We are getting key players back from injury and I think we can only get better from now on. We were disappointed to be in the position we were in and we treated the game against Cardiff as a cup semi-final and this game against Keys as a cup final.
“But now we’ve made the top eight I feel we are in a strong position as everyone starts again. The injuries have forced us to blood other players from local clubs during the Foster’s Challenge Cup and our strength in depth has been improved.”
With the Steelmen winning and Bedwas doing a job on Cardiff at the BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park, the top eight teams who will fight it out for the title was resolved in Round 15. The finishing order was as follows:
1, Aberavon 55 pts; 2, Bedwas 52; 3, Merthyr 51; 4, RGC 1404 48; 5, Pontypridd 47; 6, Carmarthen Quins 47; 7, Llandovery 43; Ebbw Vale 42
Aberavon made sure of finishing on top of the mid-season table thanks to a 24-17 home win over second placed Merthyr. The Wizards had to overturn a 17-14 half-time deficit to come out on top
The Ironmen struck five minutes into a topsy-turvy first half when wing Terri Gee crossed in the corner after collecting an offload from Gavin Dacey. The home side were quick to respond when Gee went from hero to zero as he dropped a box kick to gift James Garland a try which he also converted.
The outside-half was again central to the action when Aberavon took the lead after 20 minutes, as he exploited a gap between two Merthyr defenders and offloaded to Joe Tomalin-Reeves who dotted down at the posts.
Despite a Matthew Jarvis penalty, it looked as if Aberavon would go into half-time in front, but a try from Rhys Downes, following a strong break from Phil Rees, gave Merthyr a three-point interval lead. But the table-toppers hit back early in the second half as Ben Jones bustled his way over four minutes after the break to regain the lead.
The remainder of the half was a tight affair, but a late Cameron Clement penalty secured the win for the Wizards. Merthyr dropped down to third as a result of Bedwas’ win at Cardiff, where American international Cam Dolan scored a hat-trick of tries for the home side.
Carmarthen Quins made it six wins and a draw from their eight home games in the first half of the Principality Premiership campaign to prove they can’t be written off when it comes to battling for the title when the top eight break off.
The home side kicked-off their latest triumph with two penalty tries, the first after only three minutes earning Ryan Evans a yellow card. The Bridgend centre tackled Morgan Griffiths without the ball and the referee had no option other than to run to the posts.
The next one was down to the power of the Quins scrum as they shoved the visiting pack backwards. Craig Evans added the simple extra points to both scores and the experienced outside half controlled the tempo of the game superbly well.
Joe Scrivens kicked a penalty for Bridgend midway through the first-half, but the visitors’ conceded a third try when Lee Williams scampered over. The visitors responded with a try from Gareth Beer to make it 19-8 at the break.
The Quins lost lock Josh Helps to the sin bin at the start of the second half, but no sooner had he returned to action than they increased their lead. A burst of 15 points in a seven minute purple patch put the game beyond doubt and added a bonus point as Griffiths scored twice to make up for his early miss and Evans added a penalty and conversion.
The win allowed Quins to overtake Llandovery in the table after the Drovers went down to a 22-15 defeat at Llanelli. The win for Llanelli was still only good enough to earn them an 11th place finish and they will join Cardiff, Newport, Cross Keys, Bridgend, Neath, Bargoed and Swansea in the second tier.
RGC 1404 ran in six tries as they came from behind to breeze past Pontypridd at Parc Eirias to win 47-17. Under the watchful eye of referee Nigel Owens, the Gogs ensured they finished the first-half of the season above Ponty in fourth.
The visitors made the better start as they sailed into a 10-0 lead. Lewis Williams kicked a penalty before Dale Stuckey was on the end of a charge down to claim the first try.
Jacob Botica replied with a penalty from out wide, and from the restart the Gogs were on level terms. Kiwi ace Botica’s clever grubber kick in midfield led to Afon Bagshaw collecting and teeing up Andrew Williams for a try at the posts.
Bagshaw soon had a try of his own as RGC began to show their class late in the half, with Aaron Evans scurrying away to the corner for the third. And there was no let off after the break as Tom Hughes crossed beneath the bar for the bonus-point.
Prop Joe Popple bruised his way over to give Ponty hope, but Botica’s lengthy penalty ensured the Gogs remained in control. Evans secured his second with a try in the corner, Botica added another penalty before Danny Cross made it six late on to seal the win.
Neath fought off a late Swansea charge to guarantee they finished above the Whites in the Premiership table thanks to a 17-13 victory at The Gnoll. The Welsh All Blacks finish the first-half of the season in 14th, with Bargoed’s win against Newport meaning Swansea slumped to the bottom of the table.
Matthew Pearce and Ed Howley crossed midway through the second-half to give the Welsh All Blacks a seven-point lead, but Jordan Collier’s yellow card and Ryan Evans’ late try ensured a tense finale. Swansea could not find a dramatic winner as Neath were able to cling on for victory.
It was a lacklustre opening-half of uninspiring rugby that matched the two lowly sides. It took 25 minutes to see the first points as Whites outside-half Jac Wilson kicked a penalty. Howley replied 10 minutes later to tie the game, before Wilson nudged the visitors ahead with another three points before the break.
Pearce’s try hoisted Neath into the lead as Howley converted, before the wing dotted down for a try of his own and added the extras to put the hosts in command. But flanker Collier’s sin-bin allowed Swansea the extra space, with
Evans going over to keep Neath sweating, but it proved too late for a comeback win.
Lowly Bargoed picked up just their third victory of the season to move off the bottom of the Premiership table after a 17-16 victory against Newport. The visitors had won six of their last seven games after a mid-season resurgence and they started well when Matthew O’Brien kicked them into a fifth minute lead.
Bargoed’s defence stayed strong for the rest of the half and on 33 minutes they took the lead after a converted try from flanker Lewis Weyman leaving the score at the break, 7-3. Both clubs traded yellow cards at the beginning of the second half, Rhodri Jones for Newport and Adam Coupe for Bargoed, whose infringement allowed O’Brien to reduce the gap to one.
A third penalty from O’Brien 16 minutes from the end gave Newport a slender advantage but the Bulls quickly charged back to regain the lead. An unconverted try from wing David Evans gave the Premiership strugglers a 12-9 lead just three minutes later.
Evans doubled his tally – scoring another try with three minutes to go to seemingly seal the win for Bargoed. But a late Rhodri Jones try reduced the gap to a single point to set up a nail-biting finale.
But the hosts held on for the win, which takes them to 15th in the standings, while Newport remain 10th. With the league now being cut in two, the two sides will face off again in the second-half of the season.
