Rugby Union: Wales to suffer for Jenkins sins
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Your support makes all the difference.Swansea. . . 10
Llanelli. . .15
THE Wales hooker Garin Jenkins was last night sent off for stamping by the World Cup final referee, Derek Bevan, and will miss the first two matches in the Five Nations' Championship.
The Swansea forward's offence carries a statutory six-week suspension, no less than he deserves for deliberately kicking out at his opposite number, Andrew Lamerton, as the action hotted up at St Helens.
Llanelli arrived knowing that another defeat would effectively end their title hopes for another season. It was, confessed the Scarlets' skipper, Rupert Moon, time for his patched-up side to stand up and be counted.
Emyr Lewis, the fit-again Welsh back-row international, took no time to prove he is back near his best, after a two month lay-off, with some characteristic charging runs. He made the dents in the Swansea defence, while his back-row colleague Mark Perego stopped the home attackers in their tracks with some devastating tackling. Even so, it was Swansea, the reigning champions and First Division leaders, who struck first when Aled Williams kicked a wide-angled penalty after a line-out fracas.
With the wind at their backs all the advantages appeared to be going Swansea's way, but when Perego stole the ball from Robert Jones on the Llanelli 10-metre line it sparked an expansive move that ended with Nigel Davies crossing for a try that put the visitors ahead.
That score certainly took the wind out of Swansea's sails, but as the home pressure mounted, so the bumps and bruises that had bedevilled Llanelli's selection began to take their toll.
Then, 10 minutes before the interval, Jones scampered up a narrow passage on the right touchline to dupe the Llanelli defence and pave the way for Williams to cross for a try which he also converted.
The dapper outside-half could have wrapped the game up had his goal-kicking been more proficient, but four penalty misses either side of the interval cost dear. His opposite number, however, wasn't having any better luck. Huw Williams also missed with four penalties and that early conversion, but more than made amends midway through the second half when he converted a shock try by wing Wayne Proctor off the left touchline.
There seemed no danger when Lyn Jones kicked aimlessly ahead, and over, the Swansea line. Proctor, however, had other ideas, faithfully following up and beating the defence to the touchdown.
Llanelli: Try Williams; Conversion Williams; Penalty Williams. Swansea: Tries N Davies, W Proctor; Conversion H Williams; Penalty H Williams.
Swansea: A Clement; M Titley, J Ball (K Hopkins, 16), S Gibbs (D Weatherley, 76), Simon Davies; A Williams, R Jones; I Buckett, G Jenkins, K Colclough, P Arnold, R Moriarty, A Reynolds (R McBryde, 65), Stuart Davies (capt), R Webster.
Llanelli: I Jones; N Boobyer, S Davies, N Davies, W Proctor; H Williams, R Moon (capt); R Evans, A Lamerton, L Delaney, P Davies, A Copsey, M Perego, E Lewis, L Jones.
Referee: W D Bevan (Clydach).
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