Woe for the Wizards as Cameron Lewis and the Drovers show the real magic in Aberavon to make it 2 wins from 2 in the cup, writes Drovers’ rugby correspondent Harri Beckwith.
What ended up being a huge win for the Drovers started off in the worst possible way as Aberavon scored straight from kick-off. Ospreys academy’s Connor Moyse putting his side 5 points ahead before Keillen Cullen added the extras from the tee. In true Llandovery fashion, the Drovers didn’t let this early shock phase them, and attacked the Wizards from the restart. It didn’t take long before former Aberavon player, Cameron Lewis, managed to power through his former side’s defence and score. Unfortunately, Ioan Hughes was unable to convert, and Llandovery remained behind.
Only 6 minutes later, Llandovery were back at the throats of the Wizards, playing beautifully and aggressively leading to Evan Sheldon shrugging off the Aberavon defenders and storming his way over to put the away side in front. This time, Ioan Hughes converted and the Drovers were now in the driving seat.
Player of the Match, Cameron Lewis, was not done haunting his former teammates, and despite their best efforts to heckle him throughout the game, Aberavon were unable to stop Lewis diving over for his second of the game. Another Ioan Hughes conversion was successful and Drovers were ahead by 12 points.
The brilliant back-and-forth nature of the game continued, to the pleasure of the spectators, and not to be outdone by Cameron Lewis, Connor Moyse was found unopposed in the corner to dive over for his second of the game. Cullen could not convert, but Aberavon were back in the game.
Only 2 weeks after his retirement announcement, SRC icon, Lee Rees, decided to remind us all of his quality and rugby IQ by finding Llien Morgan in the corner with the most audacious and pin-point cross-field kick you will see in a very long time. Morgan took the ball beautifully and dived over for his first try of the afternoon. Ioan Hughes could not convert, a rare, inconsistent day for the usually safe boot of the Drover’s fly-half.
Lee Rees continued to show us why we will all miss him and his brilliance as he tapped a quick penalty before finding Scarlets youngster, and one of Llandovery’s standout players this campaign, Tiaan Sparrow. Sparrow dived under the posts, extending the Drovers lead and setting up Ioan Hughes for an easy conversion which he buried comfortably before the halftime whistle blew. An incredibly entertaining first half, particularly from a Drovers perspective highlighted the ruthless quality that Llandovery have, and perhaps haven’t shown in recent weeks.
The second half, unlike the first, was quiet and far less eventful than the first. Neither team created too many promising chances but defended well when called upon. In the 68th minute, after sustained pressure, Llien Morgan crossed in the corner for his second, and Ioan Hughes converted to put the game to bed. The game continued and the Drovers defence held firm, not allowing Aberavon through. With the game lost, Aberavon attempted to clear their lines in the dying moments of the game. This attempt found it’s way into the hand of Ned Bennett who ran through to score his second try in successive weeks, concluding an incredibly dominating Drovers display.
This win leaves Llandovery in a very good position in the cup with 2 wins in 2 games, but host Bridgend at Church Bank on Saturday 7th, a side who they earned a comfortable win against last time they met in October. Saturday’s game looks to be a cracker and a vital one for the hosts as they will travel to Ebbw Vale in the following game.
Lineups
Aberavon Starting XV (Coach – Chris Davies)
Jordan Walters, Luke Davies, Geraint James, Ross Fox, Lewis Marsh, James Clegg, Ben Gregory, Ashton Evans, Scott Whitlock (C), Keillen Cullen, Felix Gilbert, Bradley Roderick, Frankie Jones, Connor Moyse, Scott Delnevo
Replacements
Jayden Grey, Noah Mason, Ethan Williams, Cameron Hartnoll, Shay Smallman, Isaac Buck, Conrad Delfosse, Freddie Chapman
Llandovery Starting XV (Coach – Euros Evans)
Tom Phillips, Cameron Lewis, Harri O’Connor, Griff Evans, Joe Powell, Osian Davies, Tiaan Sparrow, Evan Sheldon, Lee Rees (C), Ioan Hughes, Llien Morgan, Adam Warren, Corey Baldwin, Harri Doel, Kian Abraham
Replacements
Finn Thomas, Jamie Hughes, Berian Watkins, Stuart Worrall, Kai Jones, Tiaan Evans, Ned Bennett, Luca Setaro
Tries
Aberavon – Connor Moyse (2)
Llandovery – Cameron Lewis (2), Evan Sheldon, Llien Morgan (2), Tiaan Sparrow, Ned Bennett
Conversions
Aberavon – Keillen Cullen
Llandovery – Ioan Hughes (4)