A four-try burst in 11 second half minutes took this hard-fought game out of the Vikings' hands as the Tigers won their way to the Shield Final.

The Vikings were well-served by player coach Sean Fanning who opened the scoring on 3 minutes with a penalty and converted Dean Whiting's close-range score for an 8-0 lead after ten minutes.

Tries from Gareth Davis and Damien Smith put Torfaen 12-8 up but the sides were level in the 29th minute thanks to Edward Lashley’s fine run. A sensational Gareth Jenkins try in the corner after an 80-metre run had the Tigers 16-12 ahead at the break but Andy Vance profited from an error to give the Vikings the advantage shortly after the restart.

They hung on to that slender lead until Jenkins collected his second try after the

Vikings had coughed up possession deep in their own half and tied the scores at 20-20. The Tigers' took the ascendancy as Gareth Davis scored twice and Jason Hill crossed to open up a 16-point advantage and they held on for victory despite a late consolation score from Chris Thompson.

Game star: Gareth Davis ran strongly and defended solidly throughout. His hat-trick was due reward for a great display.

Game breaker: Gareth Jenkins' second try to level the scores at 20-20 seemed to inspire the Tigers and from then on there was only one winner
Men of the match:
Tigers - Gareth Davis.
Vikings - Sean Fanning
Half Time 16-12
Referee - Steve Davis (Hertfordshire)

article by Chris Wilson