Fixture

Unbeaten Pembroke in third place with games in hand was the latest and probably toughest challenge to date for leaders St Clears on a dry but cold late autumn day.

The game opened as expected with both sides looking to establish the upper hand and very little to choose between the two. After fifteen minutes missed tackles by the visitors and some slick handling by the home backs produced the first try but a missed conversion from a difficult angle limited the damage to only five points.

Full back, birthday boy Geraint Jones celebrated with a successful penalty shortly afterwards and within five minutes added the extras to a try under the posts for hooker Dafydd Page to put Saints in front for the first time

Five minutes later, slightly against the run of play, Pembroke gained possession on half way and missed tackles again from Saints with some decisive running from Pembroke’s backs produced a similar try to the first, run in under the posts by scrum half Tom Lewis and with an easy conversion the lead changed hands once again.

On the stroke of half time influential flanker Mathew Dance, back after a lengthy absence, showed why his presence was missed with an excellent try in the corner and although Geraint Jones narrowly missed the difficult conversion the visitors edged bank into the lead with the half time score at 15 points to 12.

In an increasingly tense second half the game ebbed and flowed but Pembroke enjoyed more of the possession and territory with the visitors pinned back defending for all they were worth at times. Eventually, half way through the second half, the pressure told and another try in the corner put the home side back in front, but a missed conversion left the gap at two points.

Opportunities to score were however very limited and gradually Saints edged back into their opponents half and despite a period of intense pressure and some very close calls on the home side’s  try line, were held up by the solid Pembroke defence.

The game was eventually settled with kicks, with Geraint converting a penalty with five minutes remaining and Pembroke missing one with virtually the last kick of the game, leaving Saints with a narrow but thoroughly deserved victory over a very good Pembroke side and a result that could have gone either way.