National Bowl Final:

 

Pembroke 31-  Porthcawl 33

 
A final that will live long in the memory.

Scintillating rugby, tries aplenty, an incredible fightback, and an unforgettable finish – the National Bowl finale between Pembroke and Porthcawl at the Principality Stadium yesterday really did have it all.

In the end it was the Seaweeds who were celebrating, as a nerveless last gasp penalty from No 10 Josh White sailed between the uprights for the most dramatic of wins after the Scarlets had recovered from a 27-5 deficit to lead 31-30.

But that barely scratches the surface on a game that was a credit to both teams, and showcased grassroots rugby in Wales at its absolute best.
 

Dreadful start for Scarlets

And yet 10 minutes in it seemed a crowd of over 2,500 were in for a one sided anti-climax as Porthcawl took full control.

From a scrum on half way, they attacked with venom and some flowing interplay between forwards and backs ended with flanker Ben Asprea going under the posts for White to add the simple extras.

It got worse for the Scarlets as No 8 Sam Smith looked to carry his side out of danger in his own 22, but the ball went loose and the Seaweeds pounced – with winger Jordan Fox benefiting from the overlap to touch down in the right corner.
 

Scarlets fight back . . .

Trailing 12-0 the Pembrokeshire side needed to respond and they did so – Smith peeling off a lineout and setting off on a charging run downfield, but the pressure ended when flanker Dom Colman’s pass failed to go to hand out wide.

Centre Sean Dalling and full back Luke Hartland then combined and after the latter was hauled down short, No 10 Toby Smith’s cross field kick was judged to perfection – but flanker Rhodri Walters was unable to gather cleanly with the line at his mercy.

It mattered little though as the Scarlets won turnover ball at the scrum that followed, and after several phases, winger Barry Alderman-John kept his cool to step inside and pop a pass to Colman, who looped around the winger and went over in the corner.
 

But Porthcawl get back on top . . .

Dalling was wide with the conversion and soon Porthcawl were on the front foot again, playing with an intensity that Pembroke found hard to handle.

Scrum half Morgan Gregor-Haylock wasn’t hanging around at the breakdown, and it was from quick ball they nearly fashioned another try as winger Jake Thomas sped down the left – only to be denied by a bone crunching cover tackle from Toby Smith.

But the Scarlets weren’t out of the woods as TMO Wayne Davies was called upon, and Alderman-John saw yellow for a tip tackle on Jon Phillips earlier in the move. White duly nailed the wide angled penalty.
 

. . . And Fox seals his hat-trick

Sensing blood, the Seaweeds continued to go wide whenever possible and sure enough, their third try soon came when Geraint Lewis’ side were left short of numbers in defence and some slick handling was rounded off again in the corner by Fox.

Pembroke wasted an attacking a platform as Smith kicked a penalty into the corner when three points were on offer, but Seamus Wiseman’s throw went astray – and the contest soon appeared all but over when eventual man of the match Fox sealed his try hat trick.

It was centre Phillips who cut into the 22 and set up the winger to again finish clinically, with White’s conversion making it 27-5 and giving Pembroke a mountain to climb.
 

Amazing fight back begins

But climb it they did. After a quiet opening, centre Dan Colley burst into life and although he was stopped just short of the line, the Smith brothers combined brilliantly as Toby’s inside pass set up Sam to barge his way past two tackles and over. Dalling converted.

And then two minutes before the break, they were back within 10 points as another attacking lineout was gathered by Walters, creating the platform from which Colley powered through a gap and dived over.

Dalling pulled the relatively simple conversion wide – but the Scarlets went into the half time break with renewed hope as they trailed 27-17.
 

Porthcawl increase their lead

But those who thought the tempo would slow down in the second half soon saw otherwise. In a dramatic start, Asprea broke from inside his own half and went fully 50 metres before off-loading to No 8 Leon Mcnally. The latter seemed certain to score – but was halted brilliantly by the covering Alderman-John.

Winger Thomas was also kept out by the Scarlets in the corner, but eventually, Porthcawl pressure told as White landed a neat drop goal.

Both sides began to utilise the bench as legs inevitably tired, and Pembroke were forced to work hard to hang in the contest, standing firm in the face of prolonged pressure which ended when replacement flanker Billy Wood was alert to White’s clever chip kick and won the race to the ball in his own in-goal area.
 

Tide turns against The Seaweed

And then the tide began to turn. It was Hartland who broke incisively from inside his own half and after the Seaweeds were penalised at the breakdown, No 10 Smith launched his side into the 22.

From that it was his sibling Sam who then grabbed a second try, taking a pop pass from scrum half Tom Lewis and again shrugging off would-be tacklers on his way over. With Dalling off the field, Toby converted and suddenly the Scarlets were back within a score.

And it was a score they duly got after a series of forward drives, most notably from prop Jonny Palmer, culminated in Smith going wide and winger Elliot Evans did brilliantly to surge down the left, keep his balance under pressure, and pop an inside pass to scrum half Tom Lewis to score.

It meant the No 9 had secured a try in all eight rounds of the Bowl competition, but more importantly, his half back partner then landed the difficult conversion and for the first time all day, Pembroke led.

More pressure followed, but a close range lineout came to nothing before the pendulum swung again.
 

Scarlet chances go awry

Porthcawl won turnover ball in their own 22 and broke with purpose, going the length of the field before full back Ben Thomas linked with Gareth Rees – only for the centre to be caught by another super try saving tackle. This time it was scrum half Lewis who saved the Scarlets.

The end to end rugby continued and another precise penalty kick to the corner from Smith set up another Pembroke chance at a lineout, and replacement Owain Johns went close before referee Dylan Jones spotted a knock on.

A chance for everyone to breathe? Hardly. Porthcawl replacement Owen Thomas picked up and made fully 50 metres before being hauled down, a knock-on eventually averting the danger.
 

. . . And Porthcawl snatch a dramatic victory from last kick


 

But with just three minutes on the clock left, it was from another defensive position that the Seaweeds made a telling attack. They went wide from a scrum and Rees cut through in midfield, helping set up field position deep in the Pembroke 22 – only for replacement Jordan Skidmore to seemingly waste his side’s chance of glory with a snap drop goal attempt that sliced wide.

But there was still one dramatic, cruel twist to follow.

From Smith’s subsequent 22 metre drop out, the Seaweeds inevitably attacked, and after a number of phases No 15 Thomas was deemed to have been tackled high by the otherwise flawless Pembroke outside half.

With time up on the clock, White stepped up for a shot at glory from 30 metres – and duly sealed his place in Porthcawl RFC folklore.

Ecstasy for Porthcawl – agony for Pembroke

It meant ecstasy for the Seaweeds, and agony for the Scarlets, after an 80 minutes that captivated everyone involved.

“For a game like that to be decided at the death by a linesman’s call is obviously so tough to take,” said Pembroke RFC forwards coach Kyle Davies afterwards.

“But fair play to Porthcawl they deserved it in the end. They cut us open in the first 20 minutes but we addressed things and started making the tackles we needed to.
“It was a great game.”

Scott so proud of his Scarlets

 

And skipper Scott Powell remained positive with his side still chasing silverware on two fronts, favourites for the Division Three West A title with a Pembrokeshire KO Cup final also coming up.
“We can’t be down-heartened after today.

“We still have a double to play for and we will push for that. The Bowl run and playing here has been such a great bonus for us but it’s the league and getting into Division Two which we really want, that’s what we have been building for these past few years.
“But I’m so proud of the boys.”

And with good reason.

It was a brutal way to lose – but regardless of the result both Pembroke and Porthcawl can take great pride at putting on one of the best WRU Cup finals seen for many a year.

Pembroke: Luke Hartland, Elliot Evans, Shaun Dalling, Dan Colley, Barry Alderman-John, Toby Smith, Tom Lewis, Lloyd Davies, Seamus Wiseman, Jonathan Palmer, Scott Powell (captain), Will Edwards, Dom Colman, Rhodri Waters, Sam Smith.
Replacements: Jamie Brayford, Owain Johns, Cyle Weatherall, Billy Wood, Alex Thomas, Alex Wilks, Simon Stanford, Fraser James.
Porthcawl: Ben Thomas, Jordan Fox, Jon Phillips, Gareth Rees, Jake Thomas, Josh White, Morgan Gregor-Haylock, Tim Lunn, Jack Williams, Jamie Uren, Will Robinson, Richard Hnyda (capt), Morgan Evans, Ben Asprea, Leon Mcnally.
Replacements: Owen Thomas, Matthew Cook, Gavin Williams, Jordan Skidmore, Aled Davies, Nick Nutman, Jake Furness.