Swansea spoil RGC finale as thoughts turn to EDC
RGC’S hopes of giving departing head coach a winning send-off were dashed with a 32-19 road trip defeat to Swansea at Bonymaen.
Having beaten Pontypool in their final home game the previous weekend and Neath away before that – and got the better of Swansea at Stadiwm CSM back in October – RGC went into the match with tails up but it was not to be.
In a game that saw stalwarts Rhys Jones, Tom Sloane and Lloyd Ashley all play their last games for Swansea, it was instead tries from Wales U20 duo Llien Morgan and Harri Houston that helped push the All Whites to a bonus-point win.
They rose two places in the Indigo Premiership table to finish 10th overall.
Ashley, 33, is hanging up his boots after a career that saw him play more than 150 times for the Ospreys before switching to Swansea. He also played for Wales at age-grade level.
The second row is admired throughout the game, helping fellow professionals in his role as a mental health advocate. He set up his own business, Living Well With Lloyd Ashley, while still a frontline player.
Confirming his career was over, he wrote on social media: “Thank you rugby and the people who have been there for me and the people I have met on the way.
“I leave the game feeling proud, happy and with the energy to want to support the people involved in the game (and special people you are).
“I say to my body, my mind and my wife, thank you for letting me choose when the time was right to make this call.”
The win not only avenged their 34-29 defeat in North Wales earlier in the season, but allowed Swansea to leapfrog Carmarthen Quins and their visitors in the table.
The unfamiliar surroundings of Championship club Bonymaen’s home venue – St Helen’s was unavailable because of a clash with cricket – meant that the game was frantic and error-strewn in the opening stages as Jones kicked two penalties to give the hosts a 6-0 lead.
Scrum-half Efan Jones then caught the Whites defence napping at a close-range penalty as he tapped and went all the way to the line for a try converted by Sam Earl-jones.
That edged the visitors into a slender lead before two tries put Swansea in the box seat before the break.
Morgan crossed for the first and then Houston followed suit, with Jones converting the latter to make it 18-7 at half-time.
The RGC cause wasn’t helped when Rhys Tudor was sent to the sin-bin early in the second half, then Cori Lewis-jenkins ran in a third home try.
James Davies added the extras and then went on to improve a bonus-point try by back-row man Dafi Davies from close range.
RGC picked up a brace of consolation tries from Dion Jones and Earl-jones to close the gap to 13 points.
Both clubs’ attention will now turn to preparations for life in the new 10-strong Elite Domestic Competition starting in the autumn.
RGC will be renewing their rivalry with Swansea, along with Bridgend, Llandovery, Cardiff, Ebbw Vale, Carmarthen Quins, Newport, Aberavon, and Pontypool.
The ten licenses are granted for an initial three-year term and the new EDC will now sit under the governance of the Professional Rugby Board, boasting a season structure aligned to the professional game, with clubs officially partnered with professional regions.
As part of their licence, clubs will receive an increase in investment from the WRU and be required to work within a new salary cap, and meet Minimum Operating Expectations for the competition.
Announcing the EDC makeup recently, WRU Performance Director Huw Bevan added: “This is a hugely exciting development for Welsh rugby and we need to ensure we have the right building blocks in place to achieve our ambitious aims for this competition.
“The league will integrate our long-standing, ambitious and committed semi-professional clubs in Wales with the professional game.
“It will support the development of high potential young professional players but also drive the quality of the domestic semi-professional game.
“We have already began working with the new licence holders and look forward to now establishing and activating the competition in what will be a new dawn for domestic men’s rugby in Wales.”
Further details on the EDC are expected to be announced following the completion of the Indigo Premiership Finals (Llandovery v Newport this Saturday).