WHY ‘MR BRIDGEND’ FELT LIKE A TRUE KING AS RAVENS BEAT DROP
THE full-on Heineken European Champions Cup final clash between Saracens and Leinster earned the lion’s share of the rugby limelight at the weekend.
But there were pressing issues to be decided closer to home as the domestic game in Wales reaches a nail-biting climax.
With that, we give you Welsh rugby’s winners and losers from the weekend... Saracens and Wales, it was almost unthinkable ‘Sanjay’ wouldn’t become the 11th Welshman to win the European Champions Cup.
But few could have predicted the eye-popping piece of skill that ensured English giants Sarries loosened Leinster’s grasp on the silverware, having headed to Newcastle on Saturday as defending champions.
With the scores locked at 10-10 early in the second-half, the Irish province worked themselves a try-scoring opportunity that looked almost inevitable to be taken.
But Williams had other ideas, stepping out of the line to not only stop the ball-carrier dead in his tracks with a perfectly-timed tackle, but win a turnover with a jackal attempt immediately afterwards.
The piece of play turned out to be a sliding doors moment in the match, denying Leinster taking a crucial lead with Saracens pushing ahead soon after to win.
It was a moment of defending that was described as “absolutely majestic” by Ireland legend Brian O’Driscoll, who added that it was “exceptional wing play”.
MERTHYR RFC
Dale McIntosh was a pleased, proud and relieved coach after seeing his Merthyr side make it a hat-trick of Principality Premiership titles with their dramatic 28-24 win over RGC 1404 on Friday.
He was pleased to see his team heed his half-time words and find a way to win the game, proud that they were able to put their cup final defeat to Cardiff behind them and relieved not to have to go to Sardis Road on Friday night to potentially have to win to stop Cardiff pipping them at the post.
“I am so, so elated that we don’t have to go to Pontypridd to win the league because we know we aren’t going to get much out of them,” McIntosh said.
“It was a phenomenal game of rugby, a hell of a game, and to sum it all up at the end we had the whole team driving over for the try. That’s great because we are all about the team here at Merthyr.
“They came here to spoil our party and we couldn’t let them do that.”
The last-gasp win made it seven trophies in six incredible seasons for Merthyr as they became only the third side in the 29-year history of the WRU Premiership to complete a hat-trick of titles.
DERRICK KING AND BRIDGEND RFC
There wasn’t a dry eye in Pontypridd’s House of Pain on Saturday as Bridgend Ravens beat the dreaded drop to the WRU Championship.
For not only had they escaped relegation by winning at one of the toughest nuts to crack on home soil at Sardis Road, but Bridgend’s most loyalest of servants, chairman Derrick King, confirmed he has just months to live.
King, one of the most respected figures in Welsh rugby, has been seriously ill for some time after being diagnosed with cancer. But he was on hand on Saturday to partake in the celebrations after Bridgend put in a superb performance in a dramatic 34-31 win over Ponty.
Despite being seriously ill, King had even been working behind the scenes to try and secure the future of his beloved team.
And King, who has been chairman of the club for more than 25 years, was present at the win-or-bust relegation decider.
Holding back tears after the final whistle, King explained the lengths players had gone to in order to show their support for him.
“I’m full of emotion”, he said. “Every one of the players has rung me this year, they all knew I had cancer and was terminally ill.
“They’ve all said ‘this is for you’. They’re a marvellous bunch of boys. They’ll never know what it means. I’ve got a couple of months to live but today is good.”
EDD HOWLEY
If the Arms Park full-back had visited a fortune teller prior to kicking off the 2018/19 season, even the most distinguished of soothsayers would have struggled to predict what lay ahead for the 23-year-old.
Due to Neath’s well-documented struggles this season, the Ospreys Academy product was one of the early departures from the Gnoll last November as he moved to Principality Premiership rivals Cardiff.
His impact at the Blue & Blacks has been immediate, bagging 19 tries in 22 games and helping Cardiff lift the WRU National Cup for the first time since 1997.
And though Howley couldn’t quite help his new club to a league and cup double, having been handily placed to do so just a few weeks back, he did bag himself four tries in their 41-26 win against a relegated Bargoed at the weekend.
Howley showed tremendous footwork for the opening try and before the half-time whistle touched down for a remarkable fourth showing, searing pace to beat his man on the outside.