Pontypridd confirmed their status as Principality Premiership front runners with a deserving 32-21 victory over Aberavon at a snow-caked Sardis Road.
Both sides tried to defy the demanding conditions but the slippery ball made free flowing rugby difficult to achieve in the first spell. In the second half Ponty held the upper hand despite the Wizards putting in a plucky defensive effort.
Kristian Baller and Simon Humberstone banged over two early penalties before Aberavon reduced the lead through a Matthew Jarvis penalty.
Ponty made most of the early running with flanker Darren Waters prominent. The backrower looked to have scored the first try of the game in the 19th minute but he dropped the ball over the try-line. However from the next scrum, Ponty turned over the ball after Aberavon’s Richard Morris burst from the set-piece only to see the ball stripped and the ever-present Walters scooped up the ball to score under the cross bar. Humberstone added the conversion.
But the Wizards refused to throw in the towel and hit back in style. Pontypridd winger Gareth Wyatt ran from deep but then threw the ball straight to the galloping second row James King who strolled to the try-line. Jarvis knocked over the conversion to bring Aberavon within three points of the hosts.
Jarvis then levelled the scores with a well struck penalty in the 30th minute to silence the home crowd but Humberstone restored the lead for the home side with a well struck penalty to give Ponty a 16-13 interval lead.
Humberstone stretched Ponty’s lead to six points in the 50th minute after the Wizards were penalised at a ruck in front of their own posts.
Aberavon then had to withstand a lengthy period of pressure as Ponty hammered away at the try-line. Eventually hooker Kristian Dacey drove over to take Ponty’s lead to 24-13.
Jarvis chipped away at the lead with a long range penalty but the Wizards then faced 10 minutes a man down after Ashley Beck was sin binned. Humberstone added the penalty to put Ponty back in command.
Chris Dicomidis sealed the victory when following up a cheeky chip and chase by replacement scrum half Garyn Lucas.
Aberavon had the final word of the night when Jarvis finished off in the corner after the overlap was engineered by a free flowing move involving forwards and backs.
