Division Three West A: Neyland 15-21 Milford Haven

It was a derby clash that lived up to the billing, and again it was Milford Haven who retained the bragging rights.

But only after another intense 80 minutes at The Athletic Club that finished in frantic fashion as Neyland, who at one point looked down and out as they trailed 21-3, rallied strongly with The Mariners forced withstand a barrage of late pressure.

And yet they did so, maintaining their unbeaten league start with a display built around a dominant set piece.

The size of the crowd that poured through the gate reflected the sense of expectation around the clash and it was the home side who struck first as No 10 George Evans landed a 35 metre penalty.

Milford meanwhile, struggled to settle and Efan Morgan shanked a routine kick to the corner from a penalty while skipper Jamie Lewis was forced off early with injury.

Neyland pressed again as Evans made a clean break in midfield and when a penalty came from the pressure that followed, the outside half kicked for a close range lineout.

A rehearsed move saw hooker Richard Jones go over in the corner, but the try was disallowed as the return pass to him strayed forward.

But soon Milford got a grip on things, and their intentions at the scrum were clear as they went for the eight man shove at every opportunity.

And Nathan Williams' team soon led as full back Steve Martin, against the side he coached last season, found space out wide and when his final pass to Lee Riley was knocked forward by Patrick Bellerby, referee Gareth Butler had no hesitation in signaling a penalty try. Bellerby was inevitably yellow carded for his troubles.

The frantic pace continued as Neyland full back Tom Hughes cut into the Milford 22 but his final pass to Codd went to ground, and the No 15 was later denied by a superb try saving tackle by Martin.

But the visitors soon took control as Jones overthrew at a lineout in his own half and after a series of drives by the Milford pack, it was second row David Round who forced his way over by the posts. No 9 Dan McClelland converted.

Just before the break though away flanker Ryan Mansell was yellow carded for hands in the ruck, yet the All Blacks failed to capitalise and it was their arch rivals who started the second half the stronger. 

And they duly extended their lead when a clever inside pass from No 8 Mark Wonnacott set up Morgan to dive over, and McClelland nailed the conversion.

But Neyland responded via another Hughes break, and this time it paid dividends as Bellerby, who switched from wing to centre at half time, took the scoring pass in the corner.

Then followed a bizarre period as Milford camped on the Neyland line, but the home side, still under immense pressure at every scrum, bravely held out with Codd later denying Riley with a last ditch cover tackle in the corner. 

Referee Butler then appeared to miss a late tackle from Round on home scrum half Jack Richards, tempers flared and Neyland flanker Owain Evans and replacement Sam Cataki were sin binned, while head coach Graham Richards also appeared to be sent from the sidelines.

The Milford pack then twice scrummaged from close range with eight men against six, but Wonnacott knocked on as they approached the line and when the next chance came, they were penalised for not binding properly when a try seemed certain.

And somehow, with just 13 men again Neyland came back, and it was winger Henry Mcbeth whose strong run and off load put Evans in to score - and he also added the extras to bring his side back to 15-21.

The final 10 minutes were chaotic as Neyland returned to 15 men, while Milford went down to 14 after Round saw yellow for a dangerous tackle, and this time it didn’t escape Butler’s attention.

The home side tried to attack from everywhere but when a chance came from a 10 metre lineout, again their set piece let them down as Wonnacott took a vital steal against the throw.

Still Neyland pressed and from the last play, anything could have happened as after several phases and multiple off loads, a loose pass in midfield nearly fell into the hands of Milford winger Riley, but he couldn't hold on as an interception try beckoned.

But still, it was Milford who took the spoils, while Neyland's long wait for a league win over their neighbours goes on.

Nathan Williams (Milford head coach):

"I'm happy as it's a result I would have definitely taken beforehand but we made hard work of it.

"We knew they had a young side who could play so we wanted to push them hard up front.

"But we can still improve. They are a good side and came into this top of the league, and although we've won I still feel we left three or four tries out there."

Graham Richards (Neyland head coach):

"I'm frustrated because we had chances. They are a very good, hard team but I felt our youngsters stood up well to the physicality.

"And to finish in the way we did was outstanding."

Man of the match: Mark Wonnacott.

The Milford scrum was the defining feature of this, and for 40 minutes prop Mike Cockburn in particular was dominant in getting under his man, and also prominent in open play. Fellow prop Adam Rees and replacement Aaron Mayne were equally on top in that department.

But controlling everything up front again was Wonnacott. The No 8 has always been able to mix physicality with composure, and today he brought a calm head to proceedings when others were losing theirs.

Ironically, the one time his ball skills let him down at the back of the scrum was when a try beckoned in the second half, but his neat inside pass to put Morgan, and his late steal at the lineout, were both critical moments.

I've lost count of the amount of times I've heard 'when Wonners finishes.....', but one thing is certain, when (if) he ever does, Milford will miss him.

Milford lay the foundations:

More so than ever in recent seasons, Neyland ran out at 2.25pm this afternoon with a real belief they could take their rivals - and the way they have performed this season, justifiably so.

But for now, the familiar pattern continues. They will reflect on a derby defeat knowing that they are not far away.

Nathan Williams and co turned up with an obvious plan. Even at defensive scrums and lineouts, there was no panic to clear upfield, they tried to turn the screw with forward drives every single time. I wouldn't go as far to say that they stopped Neyland playing, but they certainly limited their space and possession. 

In their two crunch league games so far, Haverfordwest and today, Milford have gone from being in the driving seat second half to having to hold out in a manic finale. Williams will want his team to close games out better, but with five league wins from five, he won't be complaining too much.

No need for Neyland to panic:

In truth, both sides can look back at key moments that got away from them today. Milford will feel a bonus point went begging, while twice Neyland failed to take advantage of playing 14 men.

But if nothing else, the All Blacks showed real resolve. Their six man scrum somehow held out in the second half when they were on the brink, and to come back like that with only 13 men showed tremendous character.

Centre George Williams was a miss for them, but Tom Hughes and Bellerby (his sin bin aside) were constant threats and George Evans stepped in at No 10 impressively. 

After today, coaches Richards and Steve Evans have an obvious area to work on. The loss is a setback, but nothing else. There is plenty more to come from this team.

Derby day delivers:

When the old boys harp on about the good old days round here, when all rugby was local and you kicked bells out of the bloke you worked with, this is the kind of day they glorify.

A big crowd, a ferocious battle, a derby in the balance until the final play, and then enough beers afterwards to flood Neyland Marina.

But on a serious note, it was 80 minutes that made for compelling viewing, perhaps more so by both sides being riled by decisions late on.

It's always easy to knock a referee from the sidelines - but the two yellow cards for dissent looked harsh, and then having been dominant in the scrum all day, penalties and free kicks in that area started going against Milford.

It did all add to a frantic finish though, and while five yellow cards is probably par for the course when these two meet, both teams should take credit for the spectacle.

Neyland: Tom Hughes, Patrick Bellerby, Alex Codd (capt), Mark Riley, Henry McBeth, George Evans, Jack Richards, Eugene Grice, Richard Jones, Jack Harries, Mark James, Luke Griffiths-Dawes, Iestyn Evans, Owain Evans, Ben Williams. Replacements: Gavin Campbell, Delme Bateman, Andrew Slark, Ben James, Sam Cataki.

Milford Haven: Steve Martin, Lee Riley, Jamie Lewis (capt), Dan Birch, Dan Jenkins, Efan Morgan, Dan McClelland, Mike Cockburn, Luke Ryan, Adam Rees, David Round, Chris Hall, Dewi Williams, Ryan Mansell, Mark Wonnacott. Replacements: Aaron Mayne, Ben Groves, Brandon Cooper, Garin Gardner, James Trueman.

Referee: Gareth Butler.