Fixture

 

It all started fairly evenly with Matthew Jarvis and Calum Jones exchanging early penalties before referee Craig Evans showed a yellow card to Bargoed centre Darren Humphries on 13 minutes for a high tackle. It wasn't dangerous but the new interpretation meant only one outcome. Jarvis slotted the kick to make it 6-3.

 

Bargoed's best chance of the half came when Humphries was still off - Dai Evans made his way up the right wing and recycled ball got to hooker Ian Jenkins running a fine angle but the ball was dislodged as he crossed the try line. The referee was playing a penalty advantage which Calum Jones put into touch 5 metres out. Josh Jacas took clean ball but again Bargoed couldn't quite make it over the line and Merthyr cleared from the resulting scrum. Humphries returned and Bargoed had only conceded 3 points during his time on the bench.

 

The game's first try came from a deft cross kick from outside half Dean Gunter on the half hour, snapped up by wing Kyle Evans. Jarvis' conversion was wide but he made amends just before the half time whistle with another penalty to make it 14-3.

 

Gunter repeated his cross kick exploits to foil the Bargoed defence just after the break with Terry Gee collecting to make it 21-3 with Jarvis' conversion.

 

A penalty try followed on 57 minutes which saw Bargoed's Alex Herbert sin binned to make it 28-3 and a mistake from the restart gave flanker Tom Daly an opportunity which he took well to put the game out of reach at 35-3 with Jarvis' conversion. Gee made it a brace with a fine solo effort with 12 minutes left and Jarvis rounded off a fine afternoon with the boot to make it 42-3.

 

Bargoed never folded and hammered away at the Merthyr line looking for a consolation try. Successive penalties on the line deep into injury time saw Merthyr reduced to thirteen with two late yellows but the Bulls couldn't quite cross the whitewash and it ended 42-3.