RGC need to hold the Key to victory

RGC will look to bounce back to winning ways when they host Cross Keys in a league clash at Parc Eirias this Saturday (2.30pm).

The Gogs suffered their first defeat in the Welsh Premiership last weekend when they went down 24-6 at Llanelli.

A disappointing outcome meant RGC slipped to fourth in the table, nine points behind leaders Merthyr but with a game in hand.

Before last Saturday’s encounter Gogs head coach Mark Jones predicted his team would face their toughest test of the season at Llanelli and so it proved.

RGC only had two penalties to show for their efforts over the 80 minutes.

The home side, who had lost six of their previous seven encounters but had shown a marked improvement of late, opened the scoring with a try from Mathew Jenkins.

RGC answered back with a Jacob Botica penalty from halfway, but they did not build on that score.

Billy McBryde extended the lead for Llanelli with a penalty.

McBryde then hit another penalty attempt but the ball crashed off the post.

Handling errors were costing RGC, as when they had an attacking opportunity it seemed to end with a knock-on or loose pass.

Iolo Evans showed some good line speed to chase down the Llanelli back-line and force the turnover, and this resulted in an away penalty.

Botica split the posts to make it a two-point game, but it was also to be RGC’s last score.

From the restart, Evans collected and made a great run through the defence before offloading to Will Bryan, but the attack ended with another penalty to Llanelli.

Those mistakes were proving costly and McBryde was taking full advantage with the boot, as his next penalty went over.

RGC had their best spell of the game in the last five minutes of the half as they worked the ball towards the Llanelli line and camped there as they ramped up the pressure.

Crucially, the Turks kept their discipline on the half-time whistle to regain the ball and go into the dressing room with an 11-6 lead.

In the second half, Kalum Evans notched a second Llanelli try and McBryde added eight more points with the boot.