Rumney : 15.P.Carlton 14.L.Abdul 13.G.Bowen 12.P.Niblett (Capt) 11.J.Offside 10.D.Clark  9.P.Nash 1.J.Leadbeatter 2.M.Feneck 3.C.Gale 4.P.Bull  5.M.Kelly  6.N.Coles 7.R.Fenton 8.S.Coles  Replacements : N.Ritchie C.Smith D.Evans M.Way

Referee : Peter Evans, Ammanford

Scorers for Rumney : M.Kelly try, P.Bull try, D.Clark 6 penalties and conversion

Scorers for Rhydyfelin : G.Close 2 tries, A.Riley try, K.Richards penalty and conversion

It was crunch time at the Hawthorn Recreation Centre when the division's two top rated, high flying and undefeated sides met for this pulsating eighty minute encounter. From the moment second row Michael Kelly secured the first lineout and set up a massive drive by his forwards, it was clear that Rumney were not going to take a step backwards and they succeeded in dominating the home side throughout most of the match. Rhydyfelin seemed rattled by the pace of the visiting forwards and gave away penalties allowing Rumney outside half Danny Clark to slot a fifth minute penalty, but after ten minutes they unexpectedly took a ball against the head and scrum half Nicky Griffiths went blind to put winger Gavin Close over for a corner try and a home lead of 5 - 3. Though play was concentrated mostly in the Rhydyfelin half, and Rumney No8 Stuart Coles was proving more than a handful with his breaks from the scrum, the home side did run the ball whenever possible but found their early attacks snuffed out by excellent tackles from flanker Neil Coles and wing Joey Offside. In the fifteenth minute Clark kicked another penalty for Rumney and, their lead having been restored, the visitors cut loose with Kelly and props Carlie Gale and John Leadbeatter eating up the yards, Abdul haring down the wing and hooker Michael Feneck being brought down just short of the try line. In the twenty fifth minute Clark stretched the lead to 5 - 9 with his third penalty but five minutes later Rhydyfelin were back in front when they snapped up loose possession and quickly spread the ball wide for Close to claim his second try. Home outside half Kirk Richards added the conversion but despite increasingly effective attacks by the Rumney backs Paul Niblett, Bowen and and Phil Carlton, and more strong defence by Offside and Abdul, Rhydyfelin opened up whenever possible and Richards added a penalty to bring the score at half time to 15 - 9.

The second half started with Feneck charging through the loose and Niblett, Clark and scrum half Paul Nash probing and crossing the gain line. Clark kicked a penalty in the forty fifth minute and immediately started a counterattack from his own twenty two, his excellent line kick causing problems for the Rhydyfelin defence and presenting mobile, high scoring second row Paul Bull with the chance to pounce and sprint twenty five metres for an excellent opportunist try. An unfortunate injury to flanker Neil Coles saw Matthew Way take to the field and Way's combination with fellow wing forward Ryan Fenton and Stuart Coles continued to disrupt the home side's game plan. This was however to be Rhydyfelin's best period and second rows Anthony Riley and Anthony Lloyd were impressive when in possession, but with Fenton in particular attacking strongly, and Niblett, Bowen and replacement scrum half Craig Smith stopping the home side's movements and forcing errors, it was not long before Clark stepped up to land another penalty. In the seventy second minute Kelly gathered well at the back of a Rumney lineout and drove over to touchdown. Clark converted for a 15 - 27 lead though it only took Rhydyfelin three minutes to strike back through a try by Riley and conversion from Richards, but Rumney put the game beyond doubt with solid defence and a final Clark penalty which brought the match to an end at 22 - 30.

Mike Peard, Forwards Coach Rumney 1st XV : "I was really pleased with the result and the overall effort today. We came to Rhydyfelin missing our two main lineout jumpers but throughout the warm up the attitude was spot on, everyone was up to it, we went out and played all the rugby. We matched Rhydyfelin's aggression up front, the set pieces were superb and we dominated the scrum and lineout, but they scored two tries from our mistakes. To come away with a win on the road is a credit to all the players and the hard work they put in during the week. We started to show maturity today and played the game out when we had to. Charlie Gale did very well, playing his first full eighty minutes for a while and the Man of the Match was Joey Offside who not only went looking for work but also stopped Rhydyfelin dead with four or five big tackles. The whole pack went well as a unit and Matthew Way came on and was impressive, I was very pleased."

Joey Offside, wing Rumney 1st XV : "It was an enjoyable game and a real team performance. We started out confidently, we knew it was going to be a big game and had to be very composed but we never doubted that if we kept together as a team it would all come right. Rhydyfelin scored from our mistakes but we knew that if we played to our strengths we would come out on top. Danny Clark's kicking was excellent, Neil Coles and Ryan Fenton had outstanding games and all the backs worked well together as a good team."