Action Replay (Llandovery Programme Notes)

Aberavon 38-14 Pontypool
Super Rygbi Cymru, 28th March 2026
by Paul Williams

Aberavon secured a ‘double’ over Pontypool with what was by some margin their best all-round performance of the season at a wind-swept Talbot Athletic Ground, picking up two valuable bonus points along the way having scored five tries and recorded a winning margin in excess of fifteen points.

Despite much of the match being played in bright sunshine, the icy west wind dominated conditions, and the Wizards made good use of it at their backs in the first half, drawing first blood after just one minute’s play when fly-half Keillen Cullen slotted a straightforward penalty.

The Wizards kept up the pressure, although the tricky conditions saw two long-range attempts on goal drift just wide of the posts, but the eighth minute saw the Wizards’ back division throw caution to the (considerable) wind and start passing the ball swiftly from side to side and back. Quick hands and a clean midfield break from Frankie Jones then paved the way for scrum-half Scott Whitlock, running the perfect supporting line in his 50th appearance for the Wizards, to accept the inside pass and canter over at the posts for Cullen to add the conversion.

The Wizards continued with the policy of uninhibited running and passing, and it again paid dividends on the half-hour mark as Whitlock was in again with what was almost a carbon copy of his earlier try, with Brad Roderick this time making the break and Cullen again duly obliging with the conversion. The visitors, meanwhile, were struggling to get out of their own half due largely to the conditions but also due to a determined Aberavon defence.

As half-time approached, the Wizards extended their lead when, almost inevitably, Whitlock completed his hat-trick by racing over in the left-hand corner. However, some inconclusive off-the-ball fisticuffs ensued and Aberavon skipper Roderick, a pillar of experience amid the youthful Aberavon backs, was singled out and shown a red card. Cullen, meanwhile, duly obliged with the conversion of Whitlock’s try to make the half-time score 24-nil.

Pontypool were quickly on the offensive after the break, with the unrelenting wind now at their backs, and despite the home defence making life difficult for them they were able to reduce the margin to just ten points with tries from wing Marcus Jones and full-back Ewen Rosser, both converted by skipper Keiron Meek. It turned out to be short-lived relief for the visitors, however, as the Wizards continued in still-uninhibited fashion to make light of the conditions, and sustained pressure on the visitors’ line ended with evergreen number eight Ashton Evans ploughing over near the posts for Cullen to again convert.

To their credit, Pontypool refused to give up, but the Wizards’ defence held firm as they worked hard to prevent further scoring, and the icing on the cake came in the dying moments as ever-reliable full-back Scott Delnevo sliced through midfield to touch down, with Cullen again converting to make the final score 38-14.

The result was all the more remarkable when one considers that the Wizards’ match-day squad contained five young debutants in Ethan Bolch, Elis Cox, Cian Evans, Zac Evans and Eli Cowan – well done to all five, particularly Cox, who played havoc with infinitely more experienced opponents at the breakdown, and deservedly getting recognition with the match sponsors’ Man-of-the-Match award.