Both teams went into the game with a win under their belts on the opening weekend, but it was the resurgent Blue & Blacks who came out on top in a tense affair at the Arms Park. Down 5-3 at the break, the home side hit back to score two second half tries through Luke Crocker and Pat Lewis.
The champions claimed a try on the stroke of half-time from scrum half Justin James to cancel out Gareth Thompson’s earlier penalty and then lock Ben Murphy crossed from a close range line-out six minutes into the second half.
Crocker then returned the favour after Merthyr made a hash of a defensive line-out and when replacement outside half Thomas kicked the first of his two penalties the home side were 11-10 ahead.
That advantage was then increased when Lewis backed up Rees-Hole to take a scoring pass to cross for a try that Thomas improved. Merthyr’s response came via their experienced pack and a penalty try at scrum time to cut the gap to a mere four points.
It then took a magnificent cover tackle by Wales Sevens international Owen Lane on Kyle Evans to stop the visiting wing from scoring what would have been a bonus point try and the nerves of the home fans were further frayed when Ben White picked up his side’s second yellow card of the game with four minutes left to play.
With the game poised on a knife-edge, Merthyr made one final transgression and Thomas kept his cool to kick the penalty that moved his side out of danger and level with Bedwas on two wins at the top of the East Division table.
Bedwas backed up their first victory over Pontypridd at Sardis Road on the opening weekend of the season with a second successive bonus-point win as they beat Newport 29-7 at Bridge Field. A try in the first minute of the game from hooker Ellis Shipp converting a rolling maul immediately put the visitors on the back foot.
Man of the match Steffan Jones added the conversion and then kicked a penalty, although the Black & Ambers hit straight back when Will Evans became the beneficiary of a powerful driving line-out to score a much needed try.
Dragons squad player Robson Blake then used his power to break through the defensive line and demonstrated great pace to race home from 30 metres to cross at the posts. Jones once again added the extras.
After the break Matthew John pounced on a loose ball to score after a grubber had rebounded off a couple of Newport players for a third home try and Jones’ latest conversion made it 22-7. The bonus point was secured on 62 minutes when playmaker Jones put in a cross kick which Adam Williams gathered to score in the corner.
Pontypridd got their campaign up and running with a 17-6 victory over Ebbw Vale at Eugene Cross Park on Friday night. In what was an extremely scrappy affair, Pontypridd’s forward power sucked the life out of the home side’s challenge.
The visitors’ driving maul was a huge weapon throughout the game with No 8 Morgan Sieniawski the first to benefit as he crossed for the first try of the game. Wing Lewis Williams doubled Pontypridd’s try count just before half time, racing over directly from the kick-off, to give his team a 10-0 interval lead.
Ebbw Vale’s forwards were far more competitive during the second half and Dragons outside half Dorian Jones gave them renewed heart with a penalty. Ebbw scrum half Dai Jones was sin binned for an infringement at a driving line-out, as Pontypridd’s forwards began to regain the ascendancy.
The home side rallied to put some pressure on the Pontypridd line with a number of powerful surges into their 22, but the visitors withstood the pressure and ended the game with a quality try of their own. After a scintillating break from inside their own 22 by centre Cameron Lewis, Williams touched down for his second try of the day.
Bargoed stormed to a bonus-point victory at Pandy Park as they ran out 34-23 winners over Cross Keys. It was a case of many happy returns to his former club for back row man Ieuan Jones, who scored the first of the visitors’ four tries.
Despite that try, Baroged still found themselves trailing 9-7 at the break, but then went on to dominate the game and the scoreboard. They picked up further tries from Grant Rogers and Ashley Norton and also picked up a penalty try.
Matthew Lewis chipped in with three conversions and two penalties to complete the scoring, while former Bargoed outside half Josh Prosser converted both second half tries for Keys from Josh Skinner and Joe Goodchild to go with his two first-half penalties. Carl Meyer kicked the other penalty for the home side.
