Principality Premiership

Llanelli 27 Llandovery 24

Llandovery's season came to a disappointing end when they went down to regional rivals at Parc y Scarlets. writes Huw S Thomas.

They outscored Llanelli four tries to three but fell – ironically – to the boot of ex-Pantycelyn HS Llandovery product Gareth Walters who kicked three immaculate conversions and two penalties to add to an eighth minute try.

There was some consolation in that Llandovery’s two bonus points – for scoring four tries and losing within seven points – secured them eighth spot in the Premiership - two points clear of ninth-placed Llanelli.

Llandovery’s all too regular ill-discipline again left them down when they were ahead 24-20 with time almost up.

Two yellow cards inside a minute gave Llanelli the field position and opportunity to surge over from a driving line-out after the Drovers had lost both flanker Shaun Miles and lock Matthew Harbut for illegal work in and around the set-piece.

No 8 Owain Morgan crashed over for his second try of the game and Walters converted from very wide out to seal an unlikely win.

It was a sad way for Llandovery coach Lyndon Lewis to end his time at the club after 11 years of sterling service.

“We should have clinched the game when we led 24-20 after scoring our fourth try early in the second half but our backs then squandered chances galore,” said Lewis who leaves to become assistant to Jason Hyatt at Aberavon.

Fly-half James Garland who made his 100th appearance when coming on in the second half will be joining Lewis at the Talbot Athletic Ground but the other player to make his 100th appearance on Saturday - hooker Luke Lewis = will be favourite to captain the Drovers next term.

That failure to take chances and three yellow cards in all - lock Bryn Griffiths the other recipient - against just the one for Llanelli and former Llandovery hooker Taylor Davies did for the Drovers.

With Llandovery copping yellow cards at regular and frequent intervals during the season, new coach Euros Evans will have a huge task in instilling a sense of discipline into his charges.

In wing Aaron Warren – the scorer of a hat-trick of tries - they had the most dangerous runner on the field but those inside him failed to give their wings the overlap when possession was plentiful after the break.

The home side led 20-12 at half-time but were eventually overtaken when wing Rhys Williams went over for the Drovers to take a 24-20 lead only for a lack of finishing and poor discipline to rob them of a victory which, given their lion's share of possession and territory, should really have been theirs.