WAIT GOES ON FOR LLANELLI
LLANELLI .............................. 8 RGC 1404 ............................. 41
CERI Jones’s RGC 1404 side got off the bus and got straight down to business at Parc y Scarlets as they plundered 14 points in 16 minutes to set up a first Indigo Group Premiership win of the season.
The North Walians showed no signs of any travel fatigue as they flexed their muscles against Llanelli from the off, fashioning a try from a driving line-out for impressive hooker Rhodri King after only five minutes.
Deon Jones added the conversion and went on to notch up 21 points with a faultless kicking display.
Next over the Llanelli line was wing Rhys Tudor, who rode a tackle to creep over in the right corner. The space was created for him to score by a wonderful cut-back pass from skipper Afon Bagshaw to Zach Clow and Tudor knew exactly how to finish.
Jones’s touchline conversion made it 14-0 and winless Llanelli had a mountain to climb to try to get back into the game.
It has been a tough time for Paul Fisher’s side this season with 10 successive defeats in the WRU Premiership Cup followed by an opening-day 30-13 league defeat at Carmarthen Quins.
Things may be looking up off the field for the club thanks to the hard work behind the scenes of Anthony Buchanan, but on it they look in need of more player support from the Scarlets.
They had Tomi Lewis and Morgan Macrae with them for this game, but they need extra bulk up front to become more competitive.
RGC were able to dictate the pace of the game from start to finish and looked the more accomplished side.
To their credit, Llanelli got a try back midway through the first half after kicking a penalty into the right corner.
They didn’t manage to convert their first driving line-out, but at the second attempt from another penalty they executed perfectly for hooker Llew Phillips-Taylor to claim a try.
RGC quickly got back on the front foot and Jones kicked back-to-back penalties to extend their lead to 15 points.
Llew Smith clawed three points back with a penalty in front of the posts after Llanelli had been held up on the line five times and it was 20-8 to the visitors at the break.
Having made a fast start in the first half, the visitors were even quicker out of the blocks after the break.
It took them only three minutes to work No. 8 Dan Owen over at the posts and Jones added the extras.
Five minutes later Jones took an inside pass from Clow and raced 30 metres to the left corner for the bonus-point try, which he once again converted.
Clow then showcased his full range of skills as he beat three defenders in a run along the left touchline from 40 metres to post his side’s fifth try.
The Cardiff Met graduate was a big threat all night and looked capable of playing at a higher level, along with his wing partner Tudor.
LLANELLI Try: L Phillips-Taylor; Pen: L Smith.
RGC 1404 Tries: R King, R Tudor, D Owen, D Jones, Z Clow; Cons: D Jones (5); Pens: D Jones (2).
REFEREE Rhys Jones.