Bargoed closed the gap to a point at the top of Swalec Division 1 East as they became the first team this season to topple league leaders Uwic.
It was the power of the home pack that finally told in a top class contest that was eventually won 21-15 by Bargoed. The winning score came from a penalty try awarded by international referee Hugh Watkins.
That came after the students’ front row crumpled under the pressure exerted by the Bargoed forwards as their power scrummaging began to tell. Centre Rhys Humphries and wing Lewis Protheroe scored the other home tries and Stefan Jones converted two and Jamie Howells one.
The students had led 9-7 at the break thanks to the first three of five penalties from Simon Humberstone, who took full advantage of two yellow cards conceded by Bargoed in the opening 40 minutes.
But after the break it was the turn of the visitors to have to soak up the pressure and they had one player sent to the sin bin before conceding those two crucial tries – and seeing their lead at the top cut to a single point.
Veteran wing Lenny Woodard played his part in a try fest at Rumney as he crossed twice to help Newbridge notch a significant 37-31 victory. Those two tries, part of a five try haul for the visitors, took him past the 150 WRU League tries landmark, thus extending his all-time record.
Rumney led 21-17 at the break and picked up four tries themselves through Lewis Fox, Danny Clark, Mike Neal and Dan Morris. But the brace from Woodard were joined by other Newbridge tries from Scatt Marasco, Gavin Knapp and Mark Thorley and there were 12 points from the boot of Danny Ellis.
Aaron Pinches went one better than Woodard with a hat-trick for Llanharan in their 66-5 home win over Caerphilly. There were nine tries all tolled for Llanharan as they ran in 49 unanswered points in a remarkable second half.
Outside half Codey Rees distinguished himself by converting all nine tries and also slotting a penalty for a match tally of 21 points.
Blackwood centre Gareth Price matched that with his 21 points in his side’s 46-7 victory at Beddau. The visitor’s scored six tries and Price converted five of them.
Tredegar mounted a strong second half fightback at Merthyr after being 14-3 adrift at half-time. But, even with tries from Jamie Henthorne and Guy Ford, they were only able to cut the gap to two points, finally going down 22-20.
