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Ponty in pole position

Ponty in pole position

Pontypridd continue to set the pace at the top of the Principality Premiership table after a comfortable 41-3 victory over Llandovery.

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Pontypridd got off to a solid start, gaining early supremacy through a dominant scrum and enabling outside half Simon Humberstone to launch a long range penalty between the posts.

The referee’s decisions were going the home team’s way which gave them plenty of scope to attack but without threatening another score. The breakthrough finally came after 12 minutes as No8 Dan Godfrey grounded the ball from a concerted line-out drive.

Llandovery finally put together some phases of play but were well contained by a hard working home defence, and eventually settled for a penalty kicked by Steffan Marshall to put points on the board. It was again a strong scrum that gave Ponty the impetus to strike back, setting up another drive from an attacking line-out for Godfrey to claim a try, this time converted by Humberstone.

Ponty were now well on top, hooker Huw Dowden poaching possession, with flanker Rhys Shellard bursting clear on a break before feeding on to scrum half Lewis Jones who crossed for a try which Humberstone again converted. The home team maintained a stranglehold on the game, allowing Llandovery no leeway into contention, and holding out for an interval lead of 22-3.

A forceful charge by Craig Locke gave Ponty momentum as the second half got underway, followed by a big scrum which set the platform for a dynamic wide offensive. It was deja-vu as an attacking line-out transformed into a maul over the whitewash for Godfrey to claim his hat-trick of tries, with the extra points added by Humberstone.

After another phase of Ponty attack Llandovery struck back on a snap counter, with home winger Matthew Nuthall sin binned for impeding. Ponty were now penalised into retreat, pinned back in their own twenty-two but defending manfully and poaching turnovers to clear.

With numerous changes being made by both sides the contest had lulled with many errors committed going into the final quarter. It was Ponty who duly reignited the flame, launching a wide attack for winger Nuthall to cross in the corner.

A retaliatory attack by Llandovery was stopped only by a try saving tackle from replacement winger Alex Webber, with Ponty again withstanding a concerted period of pressure. Some well placed tactical kicks from outside half Humberstone took the home team back upfield, rounding off with a wide attack to send full back Aled Summerhill over for a try in the corner, the touchline conversion from Humberstone sealing an emphatic bonus point victory by 41-3.

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