WRU Women's Division One: Haverfordwest Ladies 40-36 Lampeter Ladies

Four tries from Mari Jenkins helped Haverfordwest to a second win of the season against west Wales rivals Lampeter on Friday night.

The Blues started the game bottom of division one with last month’s 40-5 thrashing in Lampeter still fresh in their minds.

They got off to a blistering start under the floodlights with Jenkins running in two early tries from the wing after some good work from the formidable centre partnership of Scarlets duo Awen Prysor and Stephanie Harries.

Jenkins was playing on permit from Burry Port alongside scrum-half Keely Evans, and it was not long before captain Prysor got in on the try scoring action, bagging herself a brace in a first-half dominated by the Blues.

Joanna Price added one conversion in her farewell game, with Evans successful with the other three attempts. But Price’s night was to be tinged by injury and her early exit left the home side a man down for much of the game with no substitutes available.

Lampeter took advantage and finished the half strongly, powering over for two unconverted tries to go into the break trailing 28-10.

They found the whitewash early in the second half and set about clawing back Haverfordwest’s lead with three converted tries. But two more from Jenkins and another Evans conversion kept the Blues’ score ticking over.

Price’s brave return steadied the ship and allowed the Blues some go forward ball, with man of the match Jana Neumann’s 40 metre bulldozing run giving the home crowd something to cheer for.

With just four points in it, Lampeter threw everything at Haverfordwest in the final minutes, but the Blues defence held firm.

The win saw Haverfordwest leapfrog Ynysddu to move up to seventh in the table, and the Blues will look forward to a reunion with Jenkins and Evans when they face Burry Port in the next fixture.

Haverfordwest: Ceri Coleman-Phillips; Mari Jenkins, Awen Prysor (Capt), Stephanie Harries, Joanne Bolland; Joanna Price, Keely Evans; Claire Lawrence, Hayley May Thomas, Natasha Thomas, Jana Neumann, Katy Lewis, Emily Carrington, Delyth Foster, Emily Banner.