Bargoed dropped into the bottom three of the Principality Premiership after Carmarthen Quins overturned a 14 point deficit to snatch victory with a last minute penalty on Saturday October 8.
Once again, indiscipline was the undoing of a Bulls side which led 17-3 after half-time. Three yellow cards proved calamitous against a team with a strong replacements bench, and Quins full-back Aled Thomas won the match with a penalty at the death.
Bargoed flew out of the blocks from the first whistle, and hammered Camarthen’s line with pace and power but were unable to take anything more than three points from the tee, as Callum Jones got started with a 40 metre penalty.
After the Bargoed scrum disrupted a Quins put-in, winger Lewis Hudd scored from the resulting lineout. A flowing move across the five-metre line by the Bulls’ backs was finished off by Hudd, who took a great inside line to cross under the posts. After Jones hit his conversion, Bargoed led 10-0 with a quarter of the match gone.
Just six minutes later, Hudd found himself on the wrong side of referee Adam Jones, who showed the winger a yellow card for a tip-tackle. Thomas put the resulting penalty between the posts, but Bargoed weathered the storm and did well not to concede further.
The home side would finish the half with fourteen men, after captain Leigh Meades was sin-binned for infringing at the ruck shortly after Hudd returned to the field.
As hooker Meades’ ten minute suspension continued after the break, Bargoed No8 Ross Coombes filled in as lineout thrower as the Bulls tried to take advantage of territory. More impressive backs play from the lineout led to centre Phil Price touching down under the posts to give Bargoed a deserved 17-3 lead.
Early into the second half, Quins began to use their bench and the change in swing was noticeable. Carmarthen cranked up the pressure, and got their first try after 55 minutes when flanker Will Boyce crossed. Thomas missed the resulting conversion.
Bargoed had an opportunity to take the game away from Quins, but the deadball line beat the chasing David Evans. Quins emptied their bench and the strength in depth of the West Wales side showed as they kept possession and piled the pressure on Bargoed.
Gavin Thomas scored Quins’ second try with relative ease with six minutes remaining as he scored under the posts. Aled Thomas scored the simple conversion to bring the scoreboard up to 17-15, and when Bargoed flanker Grant Rogers was shown his side’s third yellow card, the Carmarthen back had the chance give his side a late lead.
The 31-year-old’s kick soared 30 metres and through the posts just as the clock ticked over to 79 minutes, and Quins held on to clinch the match 18-17.
Bargoed chairman Neil Carter summed up his side’s frustration, saying: “We had this game won going into the final ten minutes but game management let us down.
“In addition, we didn’t do ourselves any favours by having three yellow cards and the quality of the Quins’ replacements late in the game made all the difference.
“Having said that, we are making progress and our performances are showing that we are competitive at this level.”
• Match report by Peter Greening of Bargoed RFC.