Thunder secure bonus-point win over Edinburgh

Brython Thunder (19) 33

Tries: Bowden, Lockwood 2, penalty, Singleton Cons: Williams 3

Edinburgh (7) 14

Tries: Marlow, Ferrie Cons: Ramsay, MacRae

Brython Thunder completed the double over Edinburgh to keep their Celtic Challenge play-off hopes alive.

Thunder hooker Rhian Bowden and Edinburgh fly-half Nicole Marlow exchanged tries in the early stages at Llanelli's Parc y Scarlets, before Thunder pulled away with a scrum-half snipe from Seren Lockwood and a penalty try.

Seren Singleton's solo effort off her wing secured the bonus-point after the break while Edinburgh hit back through lock Adelle Ferrie.

Lockwood's second of the afternoon sealed Thunder's second and most impressive victory of the campaign.

They leapfrog Edinburgh into fifth, with the top four teams making the semi-finals after two more rounds.

Thunder will have a close eye on Sunday's fixture when reigning champions Wolfhounds take on fourth-placed Glasgow.

The hosts, who beat Edinburgh 14-7 at the Hive two weeks ago, enjoyed plenty of early possession and territory.

The breakthrough came on 10 minutes when a hack through from Ffion Williams set up a five metre lineout, with Bowden driven over by her pack.

Edinburgh hit back just before the half hour mark with Marlow showing footballing skills Lionel Messi would have been proud of to cut open the defence.

Thunder re-took the lead when a solid lineout set up a platform for Lockwood to throw a dummy and dive over.

Another try followed just before the break, with flanker Branwen Metcalfe tearing down the wing before passing inside to Singleton who was hacked down illegally a metre short of the line.

Referee Jess Kavanagh had no option but to show a yellow card to high tackler Hannah Ramsay and award a penalty try, which gave Thunder a 19-7 lead.

The hosts took advantage of the extra player after the break with Singleton the quickest to pounce on a loose ball in open play before embarking on a meandering run to the try line.

Edinburgh refused to roll over and a surging run from the skipper Hannah Walker set up Ferrie's close range effort.

Thunder rode the momentum shift with the bench breathing some fresh life, and it was replacement prop Stella Orrin's barnstorming run which created space for Lockwood to throw yet another dummy and crash over for her second.

Thunder continue their quest for the play-offs when they host Wolfhounds next Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Brython Thunder: A Williams; Neumann, Bluck, Picton-Powell, Singleton; F Williams, Lockwood; L Williams, Bowden, E Jones, R Davies, John (capt), B Metcalfe, Isaac, Aiono

Replacements:A Morgan, Orrin, Watkins, Wakley, Rogers, F Lewis, Wilkinson, M Evans

Edinburgh: MacRae; Bell, Philipps, Ramsay, Walker (capt); Marlow, Love; Wilson, Ronald, Sutherland, Ferrie, Logan, McGrotty, Stewart, Moody

Replacements: Whitehouse, Tawake, McMahon, Russell, Prokopenko, Benson, Brown, Haddow

Referee: Jess Kavanagh