Pontypridd began brightly and set up a series of drives towards the home twenty-two, playing into a significant breeze blowing in off the Atlantic Ocean. Those early efforts came to nothing before Connacht applied pressure, playing through numerous phases and enabling outside half Shane O’Leary to convert a penalty with eight minutes gone.
Ponty’s response was to launch a dynamic attack led by winger Matthew Nuthall who fed on for hooker Liam Belcher to score a try, Simon Humberstone’s conversion rebounding off a post. The outside half soon made amends, successful with a penalty attempt on 13 minutes. Connacht were next up on the offensive, gaining a field position for O’Leary to hoist over a wind assisted penalty from a wide angle, only for his counterpart Humberstone to respond with another successful kick of his own.
The game was eagerly contested, the home team again advancing but Ponty countering down the flank for full back Aled Sumerhill to snipe over for an opportunist try, converted from a wide angle by Humberstone. The Valley Commandos were looking the more inventive in attack, but yielding possession and allowing Connacht to make territorial advances.
The home team now applied serious pressure, pinning Ponty back in their own twenty-two, who had hooker Liam Belcher sin binned for infringing. Connacht continued to press and eventually settled for a Shane O’Leary penalty to trim their deficit to 9-18 going into the interval.
The second half commenced in dramatic fashion as Ponty seized a turnover and countered upfield, Lloyd Williams leading the charge before Humberstone hoisted a cross kick which lock Craig Locke grounded for a try. The visitors were now upping the tempo of their game, pressurising their opponents into committing errors and pounding into the home twenty-two, hooker Liam Belcher charging over for a close range try which Humberstone converted.
Connacht finally regrouped and made a concerted advance into the Ponty twenty-two, replacement scrum half Caolin Blade plunging over for a try which O’Leary converted from in front of the posts.
The game continued at a frenetic pace, a series of thrusts and counter thrusts going into the final quarter of play. Pontypridd launched a counter from within their own half spearheaded by Dafydd Lockyer, with hooker Liam Belcher on hand to cross for his hat-trick of tries, the conversion from Simon Humberstone deflecting off the upright.
True to the nature of an enthralling contest, Connacht were next up on the offensive, testing the visitors’ defence right up to their own line but Ponty then poaching possession for winger Lewis Williams to set off on a seventy metre run to the opposing try line, the score converted by Humberstone.
Ponty were kicking for position with the wind behind them and holding the upper hand, only for Connacht to launch one final thrust with lock Danny Qualter going close to scoring. Ponty had prop Bradley Thyer sin binned whilst desperately defending their line, but holding out for a bonus point win at the end of a thoroughly entertaining encounter.
