Action Replay (Cardiff Programme Notes)

Aberavon 21-31 Swansea
27th December 2025
by Paul Williams

A much-improved display by Aberavon wasn’t quite enough to prevent Swansea from gaining a home-and-away SRC ‘double’ over the Wizards in front of a large crowd at the Talbot Athletic Ground.

The All Whites were quicker off the mark, and the signs looked ominously as though the Wizards’ recent run of disastrous results would continue as scrum-half Matthew Aubrey and wing Liam Lloyd scored tries, with fly-half Josh Phillips converting to put the visitors fourteen points ahead after as many minutes.

The home pack, however, responded well, driving the visitors back and applying pressure to gain a foothold deep inside Swansea territory. Eventually the Wizards earned a lineout five metres from the visitors’ line, and there was an air of inevitability to what ensued as the subsequent maul trundled forward before hooker Luke Davies peeled off and crashed over for the try.

Fly-half Keillen Cullen converted to make the score 7-14 and, as half time approached, the Wizards were on the attack again, pounding away at the visitors’ defence and earning gaining the upper hand in the forward exchanges, eventually producing a relentless scrum drive with Ashton Evans expertly controlling the ball at the base and claim the touchdown beneath the crossbar, with Cullen’s conversion levelling the scores on the stroke of half-time.

Right-wing Iwan Glynn regained the lead for the visitors midway through the third quarter, but that was cancelled out as the hour mark approached when Frankie Jones went streaking over in the left-hand corner, with Cullen’s conversion putting the Wizards ahead 21-19.

Controversy then followed when a lengthy clearance kick was clearly dropped forward deep inside the visitors’ half. Unfortunately for the home side it was missed by the match officials and moments later play switched to the opposite end where flanker Callum Bowden squeezed over in the corner for an unconverted try.

The Wizards were still very much in the hunt, however, and laid siege to the visitors’ line, taking play through phase after phase with the Swansea defence grimly hanging on. Somehow, however, the ball came back into midfield, and a loose pass presented Swansea full-back with an unopposed run to the opposite end of the field where he touched down beneath the posts for Phillips to convert, putting the result beyond doubt.