Llandovery gave it their all at Church Bank but could not stop the defending champions Neath from claiming the four points that kept them in touch with league leaders Llanelli, writes Huw S Thomas.

Neath coach Rowland Phillips praised Llandovery for their determined effort and was a very relieved man at seeing the All Blacks come back to form after two consecutive defeats.

“It was vital for us to get the win but it was a very tough battle.”

Ex-Wales coach Gareth Jenkins, Head of Recruitement and Development with the Scarlets was an interested spectator at Church Bank, praising Neath for their win but very upbeat at the effort a young Llandovery side had put in.

“Neath are packed with experienced and seasoned performers and will be championship contenders once again” said Jenkins” but take nothing away from Llandovery who are full of young players learning the game.”

“Success will not come overnight but Rob Appleyard is steadily building a side that will be a force to be reckoned with.”

Appleyard felt that Llandovery had been hard done by at the hands of referee David Jones and considered that the Drovers had deserved at least a bonus point.

“We came agonisingly close to tries but unfortunately we started poorly by giving their full-back Gareth King far too much space and time,” admitted Appleyard.

“Losing Matthew Harbut after 15 minutes and then No 8 Lloyd Phillips with badly bruised ribs after just 20 minutes was also a big blow to our ambitions.”

“Lloyd was outstanding at Bedwas last week but all the boys battled hard and I could not ask for more commitment.”

Neath owed much to the counterattacking skills of Ammanford product King whose awareness of space and acceleration through the gap was a feature of the day’s play.

It was King who scooped up a poor Llandovery kick after just six minutes to make a brilliant run from deep which ended with a try for ex-Drovers lock Haydn Pugh.

It was King again who carved out an opening for wing Gareth James who nearly scored in the corner but the full-back was not to be denied, slipping through despairing Llandovery tackles for a try of his own.

Llandovery’s best player, 19-year-old scrum-half Tom James gave Llandovery their only points with a 40-metre penalty to leave the Drovers 18-3 adrift at the break.

And it was ex-Llandovery College captain James that inspired a Drovers rally after the break.

With Neath skipper Lee Beach off the field for ten minutes after a high tackle on home wing Owain Rowlands, Llandovery upped the tempo. Skipper and flanker Gareth Williams led the way up front with some fine surges in the loose and some agile work at the line-outs.

Tom James was as busy as a bee and put in replacement wing Neil Davies — another Old Llandoverian — to make it 18-8 after 57 minutes.

But no sooner had Beach returned than the All Blacks showed their mettle to keep superb control of the ball through a multitude of phases to send in Gareth James at the corner.

Mattie James added the conversion and although Llandovery shoulders never sagged, they knew the game was up when the Kiwi fly-half put over a very long penalty to stretch the lead to 28-8 with 15 minutes to go.

Neath flanker Lee Evans went to the sin-bin after killing the ball, signalling all out Drovers attacks.

Wing Ifan Evans and full-back Dan Rogers — playing his best game for Llandovery — found space to stretch the Neath defence with some thrilling runs but Neath’s desperate defence and a lack of Llandovery composure at the death ended all hopes of a home score in the match, sponsored by A and B Plant Hire Farmers.

Llandovery ratings D Rogers 8 ; I Evans 7, J Taffetsauffer 6, R Williams 6, O Rowlands 6 (N Davies); D Ettridge 5, T James 8 (R Walters); E Howells 5 (O Evans), E Phillips, 7 P Edwards 6, S Covington 6 ( G Vaughan), M Harbut 5 (K Davies), R McCusker 7, L Phillips 6 (I Cunningham), G Williams 8 (c)