Two big leads lost: Swansea face Cardiff with closing stages to fix
Swansea’s next home game against Cardiff comes with a clear problem to solve: two substantial leads have become a draw and a defeat. The All Whites led Bridgend by 21 points on 3 October, then led Ebbw Vale 26–10 a week later. Neither position produced a win.
Two leads that did not become wins
- 3 October at Bridgend
- 21-point lead, 26–26 finish
- 3 October second-half points
- Swansea 0, Bridgend 14
- 10 October v Ebbw Vale
- 26–10 lead, 26–27 finish
- 10 October second-half points
- Swansea 5, Ebbw Vale 17
- Swansea tries across both games
- 8
- Next home game
- Cardiff, 15 October, 7.30pm
Four tries were not enough at Bridgend
Matthew Aubrey scored twice, with Jamie Cox and Lewis Edwards adding Swansea’s other tries in the 26–26 draw. The visitors went into half-time 26–12 ahead but did not add another point. Bridgend scored 14 points after the interval to level the game. Swansea’s late attempts to go through the corner and maul did not bring a winning score. The club’s report records a stolen attacking lineout among those missed opportunities.
Ebbw Vale turned the homecoming around
At St Helen’s on 10 October, Swansea again scored four tries. Mat Protheroe crossed twice, with Aubrey and Josh Phillips also scoring. Swansea’s 21–10 half-time lead became 26–10 when Protheroe scored again. Ebbw Vale answered through Ieuan Morris and Luke Garrett before Cai Evans’ late penalty put Ebbw Vale ahead 27–26. Swansea still had attacking opportunities, but the club’s account describes a dropped pass near the line and a forward pass that ended the match. Across those two games Swansea scored eight tries, yet came away without a victory. Swansea’s second-half points totals were zero at Bridgend and five against Ebbw Vale, compared with 14 and 17 for their opponents. The issue is what happens after the early scoring, not an absence of tries altogether.
What the Cardiff game will test
Swansea’s official fixture list has Cardiff visiting St Helen’s on Thursday 15 October at 7.30pm. The list records four defeats and a draw from Swansea’s first five Super Rygbi Cymru matches. For supporters, the useful comparison on Thursday is whether Swansea can turn sustained scoring and territory into a result in the closing stages. The club reports show how both advantages disappeared, but do not establish a single cause for the lost leads.
Background and supporting figures
Where this sits
Bridgend halftime 12–26 and fulltime 26–26 yield second-half points Bridgend 14, Swansea 0.
Swansea–Ebbw Vale halftime 21–10 and fulltime 26–27 yield second-half points Swansea 5, Ebbw Vale 17. Both reports list four Swansea tries, totalling eight.