Bridgend head coach Scott Baldwin described the ending of his side’s epic 33-30 Super Rygbi Cyrmu Wild Card win over Swansea as like “the lunatics running theasylum” as the Ravens bagged a quarter final clash with Cardiff.
A brilliant game swung firstly in Swansea’s favour and then back to Bridgend when Corey Lewis bagged his second try with five minutes left to play. But back came Swansea and they ended agonisingly short of winning.
They bravely turned down a penalty in front of the home posts to take the game into added time with four minutes left on the clock and instead opted for a scrum. Having backed their attack to pick up a fourth, and what would have been matchwinning try, they got up to the line but not over it.
In the end, a long pass from full back Harri Houston missed its target on the left wing and the ball went into touch to bring a pulsating contest to an end. The Ravens will now head to the Arms Park on Saturday, 4 May for their clash with the No 1 ranked side in the play-offs.
“It was like the lunatics running the asylum at the end there. I feel for Swansea because they showed great heart and desperation throughout the game,” said Baldwin.
“They made a brave call at the end not to kick for goal and backed themselves to win it with a try. Our boys never gave up and the defence at the end was fantastic.
“We were 16 points down on the hour mark and we needed to look to play in the right areas. We did that and it turned the game for us, but we’ve got to stop so many errors.”
Swansea were denied the opening score in the 15th minute when an inside pass from wing Tom Edwards to scrum half Matthew Aubrey was ruled out for a forward pass. They then got the scoreboard moving with a Josh Phillips penalty before the Ravens struck back with the first of two tries from scrum half Chris Williams.
Ben Burnell added the extras but the home lead would last for only 10 minutes and wouldn’t be restored until the 74th minute. Home wing Jake Thomas picked up a yellow card and by the break Swansea were back in the lead.
Hooker Wills Austin converted a driving maul for a try that Phillips improved and then on the stroke of half-time the former Wales U20 outside half stepped up again to hammer home a 40 metre penalty to make it 13-7 to the Whites at the interval.
The lead was stretched early in the second half with another Swansea try from No 8 Cai Davies and the Phillips conversion made it 20-7. A second home try for Williams cut the gap, Luke Price this time adding the extras, but Phillips kicked a third penalty and then brilliantly converted an Edwards try in the right corner off the touchline to take the gap to 16 points with 19 minutes to play.
With their season hanging in the balance, the Ravens needed to find a response and they found it with three tries to win the game. Two came from replacement hooker Corey Lewis with the other coming from Burnell.
Price converted the last two to edge his side into a three point lead with four minutes to play. Swansea went for the jugular, refusing to play for extra-time, and came up just short.