Pontypridd made it four from four in the Premiership Rugby campaign when they beat Neath 43 to 19 on Saturday afternoon. The hosts had already shown they could string wins together — three straight victories before this one — and Neath, meanwhile, were still finding their feet after a mixed start to the season.
And here's the thing: we'd backed Pontypridd to win before kickoff, putting 68 per cent on the home side. The match didn't quite follow our script in terms of drama, but the outcome was exactly what we'd called for. Pontypridd went for the jugular early and Neath, by then, had nothing to offer in response.
What struck me watching from the stands was how the hosts opened the scoring and never let up. To be fair, Neath showed flashes — they scored twice in the first half — but Pontypridd's forwards kept pushing forward and the backs found space when it mattered. The scoreline tells one story; the match told another, shorter one.
Looking at the recent form, Pontypridd have been consistent. They beat Llangennech 21-17, then Bedwas 23-21, and Newbridge 32-29 before this one. Neath, on the other hand, have lost three of their last five games — a defeat to Cross Keys and a narrower loss to Llangennech among them. By then, the gap between the two sides was clear.
The result moves Pontypridd further clear at the top of the table, while Neath remain in the lower half with little to show for their efforts so far. Cup football has its own rules, but this was league rugby, and Pontypridd understood what was required. A fourth straight win, and they're already talking about promotion.
