Pontypool 21 Llandovery 68

PONTYPOOL were swept aside by a great wave of attacking rugby by the Premiership’s in-form team of the moment.

The Drovers had posted notice of their form by scoring seven tries against Aberavon last week but they went three tries better at the Park against a Pooler side that never recovered from conceding a fourth minute interception try to centre Rhys Williams.

Jared Lougher, standing in for work-tied head coach Gareth Lintern, warmly praised the Drovers: “They’re the best side we’ve played this season and when we helped them along with a sloppy opening quarter, the result was never in doubt “We made so many basic errors early on and when there are so many potent runners in their ranks, that was tantamount to suicide.”

“But there are plenty of sides to face that will not offer such dangerous attacking talent behind the scrum. We never gave up and we even sniffed a losing bonus try at the end when they ran out of steam – we managed to get three tries and were a whisker from getting that all-important fourth.”

Pooler tried hard up front where they scrummaged solidly and won their fair share of line-out ball but they were outplayed in the loose.

The back-row of skipper Geraint Morris, Grant Webb and Cae Trayhern were never able to challenge the ascendancy of the classy Nio Aiono, Josh Turnbull and Johnathan Edwards. But it was behind the scrum that Pooler were completely outclassed, both individually and collectively.

Well directed by half-backs Rob Walters and Cerith Rees, the three-quarter-line and full-back Howard Thomas ripped holes in a fragile Pooler defence.

Centre Rhys Williams (2), Thomas, centre Joe Ajuwa, Edwards and a penalty try plus five Rees conversions had the Drovers 40-7 up at the interval.

The lone Pooler answer in the first half came from a line-out take from lock Sam Pailor and forward surge which brought a try for skipper Morris, converted by fly-half Sam Mills. There were glimpses of Pooler belligerence after the break with prop Jamie Jeune finishing off a move with a try to answer tries from Rees and replacement wing Lee Rees.

Phil Price made a couple of good runs in the centre but Ajuwa and Edwards scored again and it was only when Llandovery lost men through injuries which reduced them to 13 men near the end, that Pailor got a third Pooler try which - alas - brought no tangible reward.

Pontypool: N Williams (C Holcombe 58); G Williams, G O’Driscoll, P Price, D Connolly; S Mills, T Edwards (C Morgan 73); N Giles (J Jeune 52), R Buckley, L Davies (N Blake 52), S Pailor, D Critchley (K Maiden 65), G Morris (capt), G Webb (M Allen 58), C Trayhern (M Barber 53) Tries: G Morris, J Jeune, S Pailor, Cons: G O’Driscoll (2), S Mills

Llandovery: H Thomas (N Clapham 45); I Evans (L Rees 45), J Ajuwa, R Williams, M Jacobs; C Rees, R Walters (capt) (G James 48); O Evans, E Phillips (A Yelland 53), P Edwards (C Cross h/t), R Gierat, G Vaughan (S Martin 35-40 and 61), N Aiono (M Harbut 48), J Turnbull, J Edwards Tries:R Williams (2), J Ajuwa (2), J Edwards (2), H Thomas, C Rees, L Rees, pen try, Cons: C Rees (8), R Williams

Referee: Simon Harris (Port Talbot)

Pooler star man: Sam Pailor