Tata Steel 25-76 Bargoed
Saturday April 23, Port Talbot
Bargoed scored six tries in each half to demolish a committed Tata Steel side playing in the shadow of the troubled steelworks.
In near perfect conditions, the home side took the lead with a well-struck Gareth Powell penalty straight from the kick-off.
That was the only time in the game that Tata had the lead, and it lasted just eight minutes, with Bargoed centre Phil Price charging down a clearing kick, collecting and crossing under the posts with Calum Jones converting.
The Blues made it 3-14 five minutes later with a spectacular length-of-the-field move, culminating in prop Keiron Brown going over, but generously passing to lock Darren Lynch for the try. Jones again converting the extras.
Powell added another penalty for the home side, before the Bargoed pack drove the Tata scrum backwards from five-metres, with No 8 Lewis Weyman claiming the score. Jones’ conversion was pushed wide, but Bargoed were 6-19 up after 24 minutes.
The bonus-point try came just before the half-hour, with jinky full-back Jordan Purcell taking full advantage of a defensive lapse to score the Blues’ fourth.
The fifth try saw Darren Humphries and winger Lewis Hudd combine to run out of defence and move the ball out wide, where forwards Weyman, Brown and Ian Jenkins made ground before the ball was recycled for Darren Humphries to finish off the move he started in his own twenty-two. Jones converted.
Tata continued to play their own game, and were rewarded with a try from hooker Dan Vella, despite Bargoed claims for a knock-on.
Powell converted to make it 13-31 before normal service was resumed.
Bargoed’s sixth try came courtesy of Leigh Meades, who was found playing on the flank rather than his usual hooker position, and the half ended 13-36.
Tata were first to score in the second half with a brilliant break from winger Kristian Jenkins, who found Simon Evans in support, and the full-back crossed for the second try. Powell converted.
A Philip Price break-out created space for Lewis Hudd to cross for Bargoed, with replacement outside-half Matthew Hurley converting.
A textbook move saw clean line-out ball moved quickly into the centre where Ashley Norton had come infield, and the big winger carved through the opposition defence to score a fine try for Bargoed’s eighth.
Hurley made it 50 points with the conversion.
Winger Lewis Hudd was on the end of a tap-and-go penalty to cross from short range for his second of the game, and matters worsened for Tata when referee Dai Camborne showed a yellow card to their winger Kristian Jenkins for a trip.
Jordan Pucell kept a Tata kick-to-touch alive brilliantly, and fed scrum-half James Pizey before evergreen second-rower Nicky Coughlin popped up a pass for Hurley to cross and convert his own try.
Ben Davies hit back for Tata’s third try, before Hurley was on the scoresheet again with an interception and conversion to make it 25-69 with five minutes left.
Lewis Hudd rounded things off with his hat-trick by running in superbly from his own twenty-two. Hurley converted to end the game 25-76.
The result leaves Bargoed in fourth place in the SWALEC Championship, just two points behind Pontypool, who travel to Bargoed Park on Saturday April 30 to play their last game.
The Blues are now five points clear of RGC in fifth place with two games left to play, as the race for the vital fourth promotion place looks set to go down to the wire.
• Match report by Peter Greening of Bargoed RFC.