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RHIGOS NIL   PORTHCAWL 10pts
The hail and rain that greeted the sides for this end of season match set the tone for a pretty miserable afternoon, where the good rugby was in short supply and tempers frequently flaring in the final quarter half provided the rare spots of heightened activity.
The match started in a more positive vein as Porthcawl soon got into their stride with good runs from both Gareth Rees and Joey Jones which threatened the home defence, both opportunities lost with poor finishing when in sight of the line.
Rhigos, having languished for so long near the foot of the table but nonetheless at home, a gritty and determined bunch of boys, made the visitors work hard with their dogged resistance, despite the efforts of the ever-formidable James Burge-Davies on the Porthcawl flank looking to drive his side forward, ably supported by skipper Richard Hnyda.
With very cold temperatures infrequently punctuated by the occasional burst of rather warmer spring sunshine, the lacklustre first half limped to a close with no scores registered, the heavy pitch thwarting efforts by both sides in their efforts.
The second half saw a continuation of errors by both sides, however when Porthcawl fly-half Ollie Banner opened up the defence with a smart break, only what appeared a deliberate knock-on by the Rhigos defence, which went unpunished by a strangely absent yellow card, prevented a try scoring opportunity. It did, however, offer Gareth Rees the chance to get something on the board, as he slotted the penalty for nil-3.  
Something Porthcawl used to useful effect often during the afternoon was the rolling maul and when the consistent Leon MacNally provided yet another piece of swift possession from his lineout leap, it was skipper Hnyda who benefitted from the drive, as the Rhigos pack slid back over their own line. The try was converted by Rees with a superb kick off the touchline and at nil-10 it seemed that this may provide the thrust that Porthcawl sought to rack up the points.
Jamie Fry came on for the injured Jack Williams at hooker, as Gareth Davies replaced Nick Nutman, to provide fresh legs. Jon Lodwig soon followed as he allowed the impressive Burge-Davies a well-earned rest on the flank, in the final quarter, yet from there the match descended into bouts of unruly moments, with cheap shots off the ball providing a testing time for an inexperienced referee, who found it hard to cope whilst being assessed.
The way the match ended was a shame, as it had in parts promised something better, yet sometimes things go that way. For Porthcawl, it simply provided another win on the road and for Rhigos, they have it all to do again as they visit South Road on Saturday, for a final match of the campaign for Porthcawl. Let’s hope for a better match to end the season.