Moore makes the difference

Caerphilly 23 Neath 41

The Caerphilly coach Mark Ring watched the Neath replacement Andy Moore snatch the game from the Virginia Park side's grasp on Saturday and declared: "That guy should be captaining Wales." The match, played in atrocious conditions, was in the balance until Neath's Lyn Jones cleared his bench midway through the second half. Moore's chip-and-chase break gave replacement back rower Rowland Phillips the space to put the third member of the Neath bench, the winger Shane Williams, over the tryline.

The reserve goal-kicker Lee Jarvis slotted the conversion, added a penalty goal and then converted Dave Tiueti's late try – turning a four-point margin early in the second half into a comfortable 18-point victory.

Ring, frustrated at his side's inability to capitalise on playing with the wind and rain at their backs in the second half, said the 34-year-old Moore was the best scrum-half in Wales.

As skilful as Williams' try was in the making, it was overshadowed by the work of Caerphilly's Karl Hocking in the first half.

The big No 8, on loan from Bridgend, sprinted 40 metres before chipping the Neath fullback Adrian Durston and winning the race for the ball. The try helped narrow the gap to 15-19 in the opening minutes of the second half.

The Neath coach, Jones, said the driving rain turned the match into a lottery. "After 10 minutes in that stuff, all our plans went out the window. We could easily have lost this one."

Both coaches had kind words for the experienced Australian referee Stuart Dickinson, who controlled an entertaining match despite the conditions. His only moment of controversy was the first-half penalty try he awarded to Neath when the Caerphilly scrum collapsed on their try-line.

Caerphilly remain winless this season, and the Virginia Park side are desperately missing the goal-kicker Luke Richards, out with a broken collarbone. On Saturday, Ring was forced to go to the rugged back rower Kati Tuipuloto and ask him to kick at goal.

In contrast, Jones has two of the best kickers in European rugby at his disposal, with Shaun Connor and Lee Jarvis supplying 16 of his side's points.

Caerphilly: Tries Hocking, Boobyer, Taufahema; Penalties Tuipuloto 2; Conversion Thomas. Neath: Tries Durston, Marsden, Williams, Tiueti; penalty try; Penalties Connor, Jarvis; Conversions Connor 3, L Jarvis 2.

Caerphilly: S Tuipulotu, R Howells (O Ashman, 13-25), R Boobyer, S Cox, T Taufahema, J Thomas (J Murphy, 49), A Chilten, L Manning, C Ferris, R Skuse (D Sweet, 70), N Watkins, N Rouse, G Jones, J El Abd, K Hocking (G Williams, 77).

Neath: A Durston, K James (S Williams, 59), J Leyshon, D Tiueti, S Marsden, S Connor (L Jarvis, 63), Horgan (A Moore, 33), Millward (P James, 39-40, 70), B Williams, A Jones, A Newman, S Martin (L Bateman, 77), A Mocelutu (R Phillips, 59), S Tandy, H Jenkins.

Referee: S Dickenson (RFU).