Narberth 31 pts. Merthyr 15

A brace of tries in the last five minutes gave Narberth a bonus point win over Championship newcomers Merthyr, in a thrilling game of rugby, where the lead changed hands six times. The somewhat flattering 31-15 scoreline gave no indication of how close this contest was, with both teams using the ball well and most of the tries being scored after the ball had been moved out wide. Otters fly-half Ianto Griffiths gave Narberth the lead with a short range penalty after two minutes. The nature of the match soon became apparent when Merthyr bounced back when wing Owain Morgan broke clear with a run up the right flank, crossed the line and touched down under the posts for a try converted by Merthyr fly-half Steve Lang. It was Narberth's turn to take the lead when wing Nick Gale finished off a slick handling movement with an unconverted try in the right corner. Shortly before the interval, Steve Lang gave his team a first half lead with a long-range penalty kick from 45 metres. Two minutes into the second half, Ianto Griffiths regained the lead for the Otters with a penalty kick, which was cancelled out some 10 minutes later when wing Aaron Howard scored a superb try in the left corner for the visitors, following a run up the touchline. The Otters took the lead once again when centre and skipper Steve Martin broke through the line, even though supporters were screaming at him to pass the ball with a three-man overlap outside! He did things his way and when half tackled near the line, his long left hand got the ball over the line for an individual unconverted try, so all was forgiven. Both teams, along with their supporters knew that it was going to be a tense period until the final whistle and that half chances must be taken. The players from each side attacked and ran the ball well as they strove to find that vital breakthrough. A short range penalty by Ianto Griffiths extended Narberth's advantage, but Merthyr were still only one score away from taking the game. It was Narberth who stole the advantage with five minutes of the match remaining when centre Morgan Griffiths conjured up a try out of nothing with a jinking solo run to open up the Merthyr defence and the try was converted by Ianto Griffiths. To remove any remaining doubt over the outcome, Nick Gale picked up his second try with an excellent run in the right corner. Commenting after the match, Narberth head coach Sean Gale said: "It was a very physical game and Merthyr are an extremely good side with a lot of youngsters and have a very impressive back three. "In the first half we held them and played with a lot of intensity during the first 20 minutes. Unfortunately, we were not finding the final pass and left three or four tries out there again which was a bit disappointing. "Also due to errors we lost three or four lineouts in the first half. "The way the boys came through the second half, especially the last 10 minutes, won the game as the replacements with fresh legs brought us a lot of gain line and the backs scored the tries. "We are not quite in the position we were at the end of last season, but a number of new boys have come into the squad and at present we are giving everyone chances. "Overall as coaches we are quite happy where we are and there was a great atmosphere at the match today. It is tremendous for supporters to watch such a good game of rugby. "This Championship is so competitive that no team can go into a game with a complacent attitude, which is a good thing. "The standard of rugby that we are bringing in to Pembrokeshire is a credit to the club itself and provides great entertainment for the public "In summary, it was a good bonus point win against a very good Merthyr side who will do well in the Championship this season." The Health Centre Balcony Suite match sponsors, D P Building Supplies, chose Narberth fullback Jonathan Morgan as man-of-the-match. In addition, number eight Steffan Phillips had an excellent all-round game with some very intelligent play, scrum-half Rhys Lane was back to his best and prop Tom Slater in his first match of the season made a big difference. The Folly Farm Otters Holt match sponsors were the Ironmen Re-Hydration. Narberth fielded: Jonathan Morgan, Nick Gale, Steve Martin (capt.), Morgan Griffiths, Tomi Jones, Ianto Griffiths, Rhys Lane (Luke Rogers), Sean Lloyd, (Ollie Evans) Dan Smith, Tom Slater, Adam Clark (Owen Jordan), Alex Jenkins, Pat Roberts (Gareth Bateman), Stuart Worrall and Steffan Phillips (Lewis Woods).