Match Report

Neath 36 - Carmarthen Quins 22

The Gnoll, Tue 9th Mar 10 KO: 7.15p

Neath 36
Carmarthen Quins 22

By Tony Poole

FLY-HALF Arwel Thomas took the plaudits with 21 points, as Neath came with a late rattle to wrap up a bonus-point victory over Carmarthen Quins.
During a frenetic second half in which the refereeing of Philip Connett took centre stage - for all the wrong reasons - the Blacks had three players binned.
But Quins were unable to exploit Neath going down to 13 men from the 65th to the 70th minutes.
And while the binning of flanker Michael Collins only lasted eight minutes, Neath managed to keep their heads - and didn't concede a score.
At this point Neath led 28-22, and a 77th-minute penalty from fly-half Thomas took Neath a psychologically important two scores clear.
The win not only took Neath back to the top, but it also opened a one-point gap over former leaders Swansea.
Neath also have a game in hand, and next up for the Blacks is a trip to Cross Keys this Friday.
Then comes the big one - Swansea home a week on Friday.
Neath completed the double over the Carmarthen Park side - who they beat 25-22 in the reverse fixture back in September - on a 4-3 try-count.
Quins, who have never won at The Gnoll in the league, just missed out on a first-minute touchdown through full-back James Garland.
But they successfully utilised the narrow side to get the game's opening try in the seventh minute.
Scrum-half Sililo Martens made the initial thrust, and space opened up for flanker Wayne Williams to touchdown with fly-half Gareth Cull converting.
The Blacks opened their account with a 10th-minute penalty from fly-half Arwel Thomas only to fall further behind seven minutes later.
A Martens box kick was taken at full pelt by wing Jamie Davies, who sped over for a try that went unconverted.
Fly-half Cull and opposite number Thomas traded penalties midway through the half with Quins 15-6 to the good.
But the Blacks made inroads on the half-hour mark when fly-half Thomas got to a kick ahead first to claim a try that he also converted.
And Neath hit the front in the 35th minute, following a piercing run through midfield by hooker Gerwyn Price.
Scrum-half Kevin Farrell was up in support and full-back Gareth King - on a 100th club appearance - claimed a 52nd league try.
It went unconverted, but soon after fly-half Thomas completed a penalty hat-trick to stretch the interval lead to 21-15.
But a minute into the second half, Neath fly-half Thomas had a kick charged down by scrum-half Martens, who raced 40 metres for a try that Cull goaled from the touchline.
That gave Quins back the lead, 22-21, but with inconsistent refereeing making it a topsy-turvy encounter, the Blacks got the lead back in the 48th minute.
Following a patient build up, in which play was taken through countless phases, flanker Michael Collins barged his way over for a close-range try.
Fly-half Thomas added the extras for 28-22, and in the 55th-minute Quins fly-half Cull missed out with a long-range penalty.
Neath then had flanker Collins yellow carded in the 61st minute, and worse followed when replacement lock Haydn Pugh soon followed him to the sidelines.
However, Quins failed to exploit the two-man advantage, and Neath displayed added commitment once Collins returned.
It was the turn of Quins to have a man binned in the 77th minute, replacement hooker Richard Wilkes seeing yellow, and fly-half Thomas landed the ensuing penalty, making it 28-22.
But entering injury time, fly-half Thomas became the third Neath player to be binned.
From the final play in the 88th minute, Cull had a second attempt to win Quins a bonus point - but his 50-metre penalty attempt dropped just under the cross bar.
Knowing it was final play, Neath opted to run it back - and went on to claim a bonus-point win.
In a sweeping raid, wing Alec Jenkins received the ball on halfway, and outpaced the cover to set up the remarkable bonus-point success.

Match stats

Neath: Tries - A. Thomas, G. King, M. Collins, A. Jenkins; Cons: A. Thomas (2); Pens: A. Thomas (4)

Team: G. King; K. James, W. Mitchell (repl G. McCarthy 78 mins), S. Thomas (repl R. Smith 80+4), A. Jenkins; A. Thomas (capt), K. Farrell (repl T. James 80+1); N. Downs, G. Price (repl A. James 74), M. Jones (repl V. Lott 74), N. Edwards (repl H. Pugh 46), E. Evans, M. Collins, C. Price (repl A. Whitney 78), G. Gravell

Carmarthen Quins: Tries: - W. Williams, J. Davies, S. Martens; Cons: G. Cull (2); Pens: G. Cull

Team: J. Garland; R. Carter, J. Harries (repl A. Banfield 80+3), T. Davies (capt), J. Davies; G. Cull, S. Martens; M. Monoghan (repl A. Beaujean 58), B. Edwards (repl R. Wilkes h-t), K. Jones, S. Timani, G. Evans, I. Cunningham, C. Jones (repl E. Lloyd 55), W. Williams

Yellow cards: M. Collins 61, Haydn Pugh 65, A. Thomas 80 (all Neath), R. Wilkes (Carm Quins) 77

Referee: Philip Connett (Hafodyrynys)

Star choice: Arwel Thomas (Neath)