YOUNG’S SCORE BAGS LATE WIN
EBBW Vale moved back into the play-off places in the Indigo Premiership thanks to a last-gasp try from Lewis Young that carried them to a 31-24 win over Swansea at St Helen’s.
Young’s race to the line completed a spectacular comeback by the Steelmen, who earlier had found themselves trailing 24-5.
Young’s try turned a draw into a full five-pointer on a day that play-off rivals Aberavon were beaten at home by Newport.
Ebbw are now two points clear of Aberavon and face a crucial match against Merthyr on Friday night.
Swansea deservedly took the lead when Osian Knott raced down the wing before sending Gareth J Rees strolling over for a try at the posts.
Ebbw then hit back with a vintage score for the forwards as an unstoppable drive saw Rhys Francis crash over.
The home side extended their lead when Tom Florence read a looping pass and intercepted to race to the posts to score and James Davies added a penalty for good measure.
Then Scott Jenkins sneaked around the blindside of a scrum to touch down in the corner to make it 24-5 at the break.
The visitors began an unlikely comeback when a powerful maul saw Mathew Flanagan creep around the blindside to score. Ethan Phillips then backed his pace to score in the corner and Evan Lloyd’s conversion brought the visitors back to within one score.
Speedy wing Carrick McDonough was next over the home line for his eighth try of the season after Swansea lost a scrum and Lloyd’s conversion tied the scores.
James Davies had a kick to win it for Swansea, but then gave away an interception that allowed back-row man Young to grab the headlines.
Merthyr made it five wins in a row as they consolidated their place in the top four with a 41-22 victory at Carmarthen Quins.
It was a case of the home side not being able to keep up with the Joneses.
Three of Merthyr’s six tries came from a Jones – full-back Ben, prop Louis and wing Sam.
A bonus-point win closed the gap on second-placed Llandovery to three points and halted the Quins’ three-game winning run in its tracks.
The hosts welcomed back flanker Ed Siggery from a long-term break and edged a tight opening half-hour with a Jac Wilson penalty.
Josh Lewis missed the chance to level a few minutes later, but the game turned with three tries in eight minutes before the interval.
Merthyr’s forwards drove over for the opener on 33 minutes before fullback Ben Jones showed a clean pair of heels to step past a string of defenders for the second.
Prop Louis Jones then drove over on the stroke of half-time as Merthyr took a commanding 21-3 lead at the break.
That blitz was to prove the difference as the sides exchanged three tries apiece in far more open second half.
Centre Rhys Davies needed just three minutes to wrap up the bonus point with a fourth try.
Quins prop Sion Jones marked his return with a try and the home forwards earned a penalty try shortly after Merthyr replacement Tom Daley had crossed.
Wing Sam Jones skipped over eight minutes from time, but there was still time for veteran Quins lock Haydn Pugh to crash over.
It may have been deserved, but a third try was not enough for a bonus point as Quins ended the game empty-handed.
Hat-trick hero Iwan Griffiths handed Bridgend president JPR Williams the perfect birthday gift as he set up a convincing 40-25 win against play-off chasing RGC.
It capped a fourth successive home win for the Ravens, who are making the Dunraven Brewery Field a fortress in 2023.
But the loss dealt a severe blow to RGC’s hopes of making the play-offs.
Bridgend lock Jack Pope was in the thick of the action on his 100th appearance as the home pack set the tone. A solid set-piece provided the platform for Griffiths to pick a scything angle for the opening try on 17 minutes.
Bridgend’s pack then set up the second try, first rebuffing a fierce RGC driving maul before edging upfield where their scrum earned a penalty.
However, it was the sublime skills of full-back Edd Howley that finished the score, racing through before gathering his own kick for a stunning try.
No. 8 Jordan Collier then powered over for a third try for a 19-6 lead at the break, only for Dion Jones to step through early in the second half for the visitors.
Jones added the conversion to cut the gap to 19-13. But as the visitors threatened a comeback, Griffiths proved the difference with a sevenminute brace.
Replacement Evan Yardley grabbed Bridgend’s seventh try before a bizarre final three minutes saw RGC cross twice through Delwyn Jones and Rhys Tudor, though it was not enough to take a bonus point back to North Wales.