Match Report

Pontypridd 15 - Neath 10

Sardis Road , Sat 10th Nov 07 KO: 14:30

Pontypridd 15 Neath 10

Pontypridd stunned Neath with a 15-10 victory at Sardis Road in the Principality Premiership.
Neath kick-started the game into life as outside half Arwel Thomas sparked a break to send winger Aled Bevan over the Ponty line. The five pint lead had come within four minutes of the sounding of the whistle.

Neil Burnett missed a chance at goal, whilst the visitors also saw a chance go wide. Thomas missed a with a drop goal attempt but in the main, Neath were the more dominant side in the opening stages.

Gareth Gravell was awarded a yellow by the referee yet Burnett was unable to take advantage of the three points on offer. Matthew Hutchings proved no better at the posts at he sent the ball wide but the elusive first score came for Pontypridd soon after; Rhys Shellard crossing the try line from the base of a scrum.

The scores were levelled at five points apiece at the half time whistle. Pontypridd started well on the restart but could not ass to the scoreboard, a chance from the boot of Bevan sailing wide in the third quarter.

Neath took the lead once more as Howard Thomas crossed the whitewash but the conversion went amiss, as did an ensuing penalty (after Ponty's Sam Hobbs was sin-binned) ensuring that the visitors held onto a narrow 10-5 lead.

Ponty found their form as the ball was passed wide to Gavin Dacey to streak over the line; Burnett's conversion just made it over the cross bar to give the home side a slender 12-10 advantage a the entered the closing stages.

The thrilling final minutes saw each side battling for a result, but Ponty were awarded a penalty in front of the posts that Burnett could not miss, sending his side into a 15-10 lead that they were unlikely to relinquish, to the delight of the home