Points drought after break leaves Bridgend on top

BRIDGEND edged a lowscoring encounter with Neath at The Gnoll – with all of the points scored in the first half.

The Ravens were ahead after three minutes when Adam O’Driscoll went over after breaking off a driving maul. New recruit Will Holley converted.

The Neath pack, ably led by captain Scott Andrews, became increasingly dominant.

A penalty was awarded for a rapidly-retreating Bridgend scrum. Andrews rejected the penalty kick at goal and the resulting driving maul from the line-out ended with prop Ben Uphill crashing over.

The ever-reliable Ed Howley sent the conversion between the uprights.

The rest of the half took on a familiar pattern, with Neath dominating possession and territory while the Bridgend backs looked dangerous with the scraps of ball they received.

An injury to Neath winger Alex Jenkins brought on Chris Morgans as scrum-half, with the adaptable Scott Gibson moving to the wing. A Will Holley penalty on 40 minutes gave the visitors an unexpected half-time lead.

A rare pointless second half reflected the difficulty both teams had in creating clear try-scoring opportunities.

Perhaps the most significant factors were the dramatic improvement in the Ravens scrum and the yellow card for Neath replacement Ryan Bean, which disrupted the hosts’ momentum.

Star man

Nathan Edwards – Bridgend