Thunder hold on to beat Lightning in Welsh derby

Brython Thunder (7) 7

Tries: Metcalfe Cons: Marshall Pens:

Gwalia Lightning (0) 0

Brython Thunder came out on top in an attritional Welsh Celtic Challenge derby against Gwalia Lightning, but will still travel to face league leaders Wolfhounds in the semi-finals.

Thunder made a late surge into the play-offs with four victories on the bounce and needed a bonus-point win in Llanelli to leapfrog Lightning into third.

Wales back row and player of the match Branwen Metcalfe got them off to a perfect start, but unlike the west Wales drizzle, the tries soon dried up.

Lighting almost snatched a draw at the death when an ill-disciplined Thunder were reduced to 13 players, but the ball was knocked on over the try-line.

It means Lightning, who have now lost five games in a row, will face second-place Clovers, with both semi-finals taking place in Galway on 21 March.

The grand final will be hosted by Edinburgh's Hive Stadium a week later.

The Welsh rivals had already guaranteed their places in the knockout stages after Edinburgh defeated Glasgow on Friday night.

And while there was still third-place to play for, for most parts the game felt more of a dead rubber than a derby.

Despite dominating possession and territory in the first half, Thunder could only muster a single try in the 13th minute.

It came after a spell of forward pressure, with Metcalfe wrestling free of the tackle to cross from a metre out.

Hannah Marshall added the extras to make it 7-0.

Further Thunder tries should have followed, especially when covering defender Caitlin Lewis almost confused freshly painted football lines – which had been used in Wales' 6-1 victory over Montenegro on Saturday - with the tryline after Seren Singleton's hack through.

Singleton then found herself in a two-on-one scenario after a break down her wing, but indecision saw the chance go begging.

Lightning continued to defend resolutely, and even with Wales lock Abbie Fleming in the sin bin, they held Thunder out until half-time.

Both sides made changes at the break with fit-again Bryonie King returning to Lightning's back row, while Thunder introduced another Wales international in centre Hannah Bluck.

And while Lightning were more competitive, it took until 75 minutes for them to string some meaningful phases in attack.

With Thunder losing Jess Rogers and Singleton to the sin-bin, Lightning looked almost certain to score under the posts.

But the ball was agonisingly knocked on during grounding with Thunder holding on for the win.

Brython Thunder: Tromans' Evans, Picton-Powell, Keight, Singleton; Marshall, Lockwood; Orrin, S Williams, Jones, Crabb (capt), John, Metcalfe, Isaac, Aiono.

Replacements: Bowden, L Williams, Lewis, R Davies, Wakley, Rogers, Bluck, F Davies.

Sin bin: Rogers, Singleton

Gwalia Lightning: Richards (co-capt), Greenway, Webster, Anderson-Thomas, Lewis; Hughes, Jones; Thomas-Bradley, Reardon (co-capt), Scoble, Pyrs, Fleming, Pearce, Owen, Hopkins.

Replacements: Korsak, James, Cuming, Stewart, King, Williams, McMullen, Prothero.

Sin bin: Fleming

Referee: Jess Kavanagh