PONTYPRIDD 51 : 14 BARGOED – MATCH REPORT
Pontypridd VS Bargoed
Sat 8th December 2018, 14:30, Sardis Road Principality Premiership
A spirited second-half by Pontypridd earned them a 51-14 victory over an extremely stubborn Bargoed side to keep the pace with Merthyr at the top of the table.
A stop-start opening to the game did nothing for Pontypridd’s quest to show off their expansive gameplay as Bargoed controlled the opening minutes of the contest. A sign of the difficulties the home side were facing showed when the usually reliable Dale Stuckey kicked out on the full giving the men in blue an early opportunity. But the Pontypridd defence held out brilliantly and survived the onslaught.
Things became a little more difficult for Pontypridd halfway through the first half when Corey Domachowski’s injury gave a Justin Burnell a problem, although the Pontypridd coach would have been a little happier after Ceri Sweeney scored the opening points of the game with a penalty goal on the 28th minute.
Having soaked up the early Bargoed pressure, Pontypridd finally got the first try of the match. A quick tap and go from scrum-half Joel Raikes provided the time and space for Dale Stuckey to run onto the ball like a steam train to get his and Pontypridd’s first score of the match.
The away side then got a score of their own through Darren Humphries who latched onto a superb pass from fly-half Josh Prosser to bring his side back into the game. There was still time at the end of the first-half though for Sweeney to edge Pontypridd further forward giving the home side a 13-7 advantage at half-time.
Pontypridd upped a gear at the start of the second-half and scored their second try of the match through Alun Lawrence who managed to fall on the ball over the tryline after a dominant scrum by the home pack. Moments later and Lawrence popped up with his second try in seven minutes after a great break by Stuckey to give Pontypridd a commanding 27-7 lead.
More joy was to come for the Pontypridd forwards as stalwart Rhys Shellard got his name on the scoresheet taking a lovely pass from substitute Huw Rees to score under the posts. With the home side in the ascendency, Bargoed managed to make a fist of the game with their second try of the match through James Leadbetter, whose dummy was bought by the Pontypridd defence allowing the scrum-half to burrow over the line and make it 34-14 with Prosser’s conversion.
A clear indication of the intent of Pontypridd’s play in the second-half showed when another quick tap by scrum-half Huw Rees lead to a classy finish from winger Alex Webber, who slalomed through a blue sea of defenders to put Pontypridd back in command. A late try from Rees and a second of the game for Stuckey brought up the half-century giving Pontypridd a much-needed victory with the chasing pack in the league on their tales.
- Dale Stuckey, 14. Alex Webber, 13. Cameron Lewis, 12. Daf Lockyer (Gabriel Davies), 11. Corey Howells, 10. Ceri Sweeney, 9. Joel Raikes (Huw Rees)), 8. Alun Lawrence, 7. Rhys Shellard (Ross Morgan), 6. Rhodri Jones, 5. Sean Moore, 4. Shay Smallman, 3. Will Davies King (Gareth Smith), 2. Robert Oliver Jones (Geraint Clarke), 1. Corey Domachowski (Huw Owen).
Tries: Stuckey (32”, 78”), Lawrence (44”, 47”), Shellard (54”), Webber (64”), Rees (76”)
Cons: Sweeney (32”, 44”, 47”, 54”, 76”)
Pens: Sweeney (28”, 40”)
Golden Bob Man of the Match: Sean Moore
By Nathan Parker – Pontypridd Media Team
