PONTYPOOL’S run in this season’s WRU National Cup is over after Cross Keys ran out deserved winners in this all-Gwent quarter-final.

Pooler had beaten Llanelli and Cardiff in rounds one and two but Keys proved a step too far for the Championship leaders.

Darren Hughes and Nathan Trowbridge got the Keys tries either side of the break, while Josh Prosser kicked the remaining nine points.

All Pooler could muster was a solitary Matthew Jones penalty which had got them back into the game at 14-0 down.

A packed Pandy Park saw both sides start the tie with all the gusto of a typical Gwent derby, though it was quite scrappy in the early stages.

The first two penalties went the way of the hosts, and the second, within kicking range, was converted by fly-half Prosser on the 10-minute mark.

Probably as expected, there were a few scuffles off the ball in the opening exchanges, while muddy conditions made handling difficult.

With the pitch the way it was, the forward battle took on extra significance, as running rugby on a very sticky surface never go hand in hand.

The first half became something of a slugfest, dominated by scrums following knock-ons from both teams.

Keys full-back Leon Andrews did his best to get the hosts on the front foot with a couple of abrasive runs.

Prosser was also accurate with the boot, and one of his pinpoint touch finders led to Keys going further in front.

A pre-set lineout move ended in hooker Hughes crashing over from close range. Prosser missed the conversion.

Pooler responded well and might have got themselves on the scoreboard but for good Keys defence at a lineout.

Keys old boy Rob Nash then made matters worse when he gave away a penalty for speaking out of turn to referee Aled Evans.

The travelling supporters, who outnumbered their hosts, didn’t have much to cheer before the break, and another Prosser penalty on the stroke of half-time made it 11-0 to Keys.

Keys enjoyed the better start to the second period with centre Phil Williams making a rare line break as he gathered a bouncing ball before beating Pontypool full-back Kieran Meek.

And the chances of Pooler claiming another Premiership scalp suffered another blow on 49 minutes when Prosser landed his third three-pointer.

The visitors, now two converted tries in arrears, knew they had to go for broke to put their name in the hat for the semi-finals.

They did try their best to make a breakthrough after Prosser’s penalty but infringed again at a ruck and Keys cleared to touch.

Pooler finally moved off zero on the hour mark courtesy of a Jones penalty – it would have been further out had Keys not been pinged for kicking the ball away after the whistle.

Keys knew their opponents were going to come on strong in the last quarter and the visitors tried their hardest to put some phases together.

But you had to hand it to Keys, who tackled everything that moved and frustrated the Championship leaders.

Andrews and winger Trowbridge did superbly to get their side out of danger at one point.

And, after absorbing all Pooler had to throw at them, Keys registered their second try to all but seal victory.

Having already made the crucial break, number-eight Ieuan Jones then showed his football skills with a chip over the top that Trowbridge picked up to score. The conversion went wide.

The damage had been done and, despite a bit of late pressure, there was no way back for Pooler.

“I think they came up against a true Premiership team,” said Keys head coach Greg Woods after the match.

“I thought we dominated the game up front and I was really pleased with how we did playing up the hill in the first half.

“We were 11 points up at half-time and never going to lose that game, and I was just pleased we got that last try, I felt we deserved that.

“Our defence was excellent. We let them have the ball because we knew they wanted to play and we defended with great discipline.

“It was a Gwent derby and Pontypool gave it their all in front of their supporters but I just felt we dominated them physically.”

He added: “I thought it was a fantastic advert for Gwent rugby.

“People say Gwent rugby is dead but it certainly wasn’t looking at this game with 2,000 people supporting their clubs.

“Gwent is a hotbed of rugby and what a great spectacle it was for the fans – the players should be very proud of that.”

Keys, winners of the cup in 2012, will now look forward to a fifth semi-final appearance in the last six seasons.

“We’re not over-celebrating because we know we’ve got two more tough games coming up if we want to win the cup,” added Woods.

“The priority for the club every year is the cup. Forget tier one and tier two, we want to be in the big games at the end of the season.

“Players are coming back from injuries now and our squad is getting stronger, so the boys know they will have to play for places ahead of the semi-final.”

For Pooler, after a magnificent run to the quarters, they will now be able to focus solely on clinching the Championship – that shouldn’t take long given their 100% record and 16-point lead at the top.

Reflecting on Saturday’s defeat, head coach Leighton Jones said there were mixed emotions in the camp.

“We were disappointed in a couple of areas of our game and Cross Keys were better than us,” he admitted.

“But we’re also really proud of the boys over the last two games in the cup, and I think they can take a lot from what they’ve done.

“We’ve had three games against Premiership teams and beaten two. That’s a standard for us now and we can look forward to building on it.

“We can definitely hold our heads up high and the boys can be massively proud of their achievements.

“The fans were out in numbers again and what the club has done has created a good vibe around the town and in the local community.”

Assessing the tie in greater detail, Jones said: “Cross Keys play a certain way and they were very streetwise in and around the contact area and with driving lineouts.

“They stopped us playing and doing what we’ve done over so many games where we’ve had momentum and an edge about us. I think they took that away from us.

“All credit to Cross Keys, they definitely deserved the win.

“It’s a tough place to go and when they are on form it’s always going to be a big ask.

“After beating two Premiership teams, Cross Keys probably looked at our game a lot closer and targeted certain areas to disrupt us. They did it well and full credit to them really.

“Errors and discipline were massive for us and we definitely gave away too many penalties.

“We made too many errors in the first half and if we could have sorted that out then it would have been a closer game.”

Cross Keys: L Andrews; M Powell (J Goodchild 79), L Barnett (B Nightingale 77), P Williams, N Trowbridge; J Prosser, J Leadbeater; L Smout (C Hewlett 59), D Hughes (R Jones 80+5), R Cornock, D Hodge, S Andrews, A Powell (T Lampard 77), S Matthews (capt) (R Fitzgerald 77), I Jones.

Reps not used: G Carpenter, O Leonard.

Pontypool: K Meek (T Hancock 80); J Hurley (B Kent 80+3), C Gullis, S Tu’ipulotu, R Usher; M Jones, A Quick (R Dyer 68); A Coundley (J Jeune 73), B Parry (capt) (A Watkins 73), R Harford (O Drake 41), R East (C Davies 73), M Thomas, J Williams, R Nash, B Sparks.

Rep not used: A Gibson.

Scorers, Keys: tries – D Hughes, N Trowbridge; pens – J Prosser (3)

Pontypool: pen – M Jones

Referee: Aled Evans (WRU)

Argus star man: Scott Matthews (Cross Keys)