PRINCIPALITY PREMIERSHIP
Bargoed pay the penalty
BARGOED ........................ 5 LLANELLI ...................... 16
BARGOED targeted this game as one to win but they were undone by two first half tries from the visitors and a frustratingly high penalty count.
The Bulls started strongly but were pegged back by a Dion Jones try after just six minutes. The full back dummying, running the channel inside the right wing and crossing in the corner. Billy McBride pulled the conversion.
Llanelli missed a couple of penalties and could have gone further ahead from a chargedown but the deadball line came to Bargoed’s rescue.
The plus points for Bargoed were the strong first half scrummaging and the performances of young half backs Matt Bancroft and Callum Jones with an excellent showing from Sam Withers at full back, a late replacement for Jordan Purcell. However, indiscipline and frequent blasts of Kidwelly referee Aled Jones’ whistle disrupted any possession Bargoed had and made for a frustrating spectacle for the supporters braving the heavy showers.
Matters got worse for the Bulls when hooker Ian Jenkins was yellow carded for a ruck infringement close to their line on 34 minutes. McBride kicked to touch and the catch and drive was halted but scrum half Rhodri Cole darted over from short range.
The kick drifted wide and Llanelli changed kickers with full back Dion Jones slotting over a penalty in injury time to make it 0-13 at the break.
Bargoed shaded the second half on the scoreboard with a David Evans try on 54 minutes which went unconverted with the visitors only managing another Dion Jones penalty with just 9 minutes left on the clock.
The Bulls tried desperately to at least get a losing bonus point but it wasn’t to be and the game ended 5-16.
Bargoed Chairman Neil Carter summed up the mood in the Bulls’ changing room: “We’re very frustrated with that performance. The penalty count was hugely against us and we’ll need to look very closely at the match analysis to see where the referee was picking us up.”