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JARVIS SAVES THE DAY FOR IRONMEN WITH LAST MINUTE PENALTY KICK.

MERTHYR 33 LLANDOVERY 31(Friday 15^TH November 2019)

Merthyr can thank the boot of full back Matthew Jarvis for this victory has is 80^th minute penalty sealed victory in a game that the ironmen had led a one stage 30-19 with 15 minutes remaining. It all started so well for the home side, when with the first attack of the evening saw center Chris Czekaj make an outside break to feed full back Jarvis, who drew his man to feed wingman Sam Jones to race over for the opening try, Jarvis converting from the touch line to send the ironmen into a 7-0 lead. From the restart Merthyr stretched their lead when Llandovery where caught offside at the ruck and Jarvis made no mistake with a 40-meter penalty. Llandovery then began to settle with half backs Land and Maynard looking dangerous with ball in hand. Maynard got the visitors on the board with the first of his 4 penalties to reduce the score 10-3. Jarvis soon replied with his second penalty of the night to extend the lead 13-3. Merthyr were then guilty of poor discipline that allow Maynard to convert another two penalties to close the gap to 13-9. The visitors were then reduced to 14 men when Referee Dewi Phillips yellow carded scrum half Land for a deliberate knock on. Wing-man Ashley Norton picked up a chip kick ahead from Czekaj to touch down, and following a VR check the try was awarded, Jarvis converted to give Merthyr a 20-9 lead. However just before the halftime whistle Maynard kicked his 4^th penalty to keep the visitors in the game. Leading 20-12 the next scored seemed to be the winner and it came following a snipping break from scrum half Adam Hoskins inside the Llandovery 25, who found center Adam Thomas up in support to race over under the posts, Jarvis converted and the ironmen now led 27-12 and looked home and dry, but the game turned on its head when first replacement hooker Rhys Williams was yellow carded for an offence at the ruck. Down to 14 Men Llandovery elected for a scrum 20 meters out and drove the home side backwards and when the scrum collapsed, they were awarded a penalty try and the come back was on at 27-19. Jarvis eased the home side nerves has he slotted over his third penalty, but with 15 minutes remaining Llandovery had other ideas a forward drive near the line saw hooker Guest dive over from short range, but Maynard missed the conversion. With the game now evenly balanced at 30-24 the next score should have won the game and that came once again form the visitors following  poor indiscipline for the home side that saw a second yellow card shown to replacement prop Ryan Thomas  that allowed second row Shane Miles to crash over near the line, up stepped Maynard who this time made no mistake with the conversion and for the first time the visitors had taken the lead 30-31. However, with the clock on 79 minutes Llandovery failed to secure the kick off and when the referee spotted a Llandovery player offside from a knock on up stepped the match winner in full back Matthew Jarvis who Cooley slotted over the kick from 40meters our to snatch victory from the “Drovers” and give the ironmen a 33-31 victory. It was a cruel ending after such a great come back from Llandovery who only had a losing bonus point to show for such a great fight back. Merthyr will be very disappointed after leading by 15points and failing to finish off the visitors but have only themselves to blame following poor discipline which coach Dale Mcintosh was not very happy at the end of a pulsating game. For Merthyr the match winner was full back Jarvis who finished the game on 18points and showed he has not lost his kicking skills. Mention also to young prop Rhys Lewis who made his home debut at the age of 18 and looks to have a bright future with the ironmen. Merthyr now turn to next Friday night when they make the short journey to Sardis road to face Pontypridd a side they defeated earlier in the season in the Spec-savers wru cup.

MERTHYR:15 M JARVIS,14 S JONES,13 C CZEKAJ,12 A THOMAS,11 A NORTON,10 R JONES,9 A HOSKINS,1 C PHILLIPS,2 S EVANS,3 R LEWIS,4 H BARNES,5 D WELCH© 6 J THOMAS,7 J PERKINS,8 P REES, 16 R WILLIAMS,17 R B THOMAS,18 R THOMAS,19 A MURPHY,20 T DALEY,21 J JAMES, 22 G DAVIES,23 J MARTIN.

SCORERS, S JONES 1T, A NORTON 1T, A THOMAS 1T, M JARVIS 3 CONS,4 PENS

REFEREE, DEWI PHILLIPS (WRU).