In an intense game, that was worthy of a Cup Final, North Wales Crusaders worked hard for a tight win over their South Wales rivals.
It was a slower pitch than both sides were normally used to, but that made the match more of a thriller as it was tougher for anyone to break through.
After a fiercely fought first few minutes of the game, where Torfaen were on top, a Matthew Turner try put Crusaders into the lead, converting it himself.
With Crusaders defence holding firm, despite the pounding it was getting from the Tigers, Scotty Turner kicked a drop goal to get Torfaen on the board, then from the next set after kick-off Jason Reynolds grounded in the corner. Jamie Reynolds couldn’t add the extras.
Crusaders immediately responded with a Jess Booth try in the corner with Martin Turner converting.
Matthew Turner added a drop goal, judged to have kicked just before he was tagged, and in the end, that was a crucial decision that went a long way to turning the game, as from kick-off, Stuart Williams scored in the corner to give Crusaders a 19-5 lead at the break.
Because of the intensity of the game, that gave Torfaen just a little bit too much to do, despite rendering Crusaders try-less after the break.
Torfaen made the perfect start to the second half when Jason Reynolds caught his own chip to score in the corner. Jamie Reynold’s kick went just under the bar.
Then Scotty Turner showed his magic by slipping past two chairs to score under the sticks, converting his own try, but missed a long-range penalty as the game entered the final quarter.
Jason Reynolds thought he’d levelled the scores as he leapt on a grubber, but the officials declared the ball dead, but from the next attack, Scotty Turner dropped another goal, then hit over a penalty to bring the score back to 19-18.
But that was as close as it got for Torfaen. Matthew Turner responded with a penalty goal for Crusaders. Player of the match Williams missed at goal with five minutes remaining, but the North Wales side held on for the win.
