With a home tie against RTB Ebbw Vale in the last 16 of the WRU Cup a week away, green, white and black Club Captain Sam Stephens and his team looked to loosen the muscles against Forgeside from Blaenavon.

The home supporters were not to be disappointed, with Gwernyfed running in 10 tries to maintain their unbeaten record in their 60th season.

It’s not often that the first moments suggest the route that a game of rugby will take. On this occasion, when the visitors transgressed from the kick-off and Joe Winfield put his pack within five metres of the line, Cellan Skyrme’s unerring throw found skipper Stephens. Forgeside stood off the rolling maul, the pack trundled forward and Stephens touched down, the referee adjudging that the green, white and blacks had executed the move perfectly. Joe Winfield added two points to compound Forgeside’s dismay – and the direction of travel for the next 80 minutes was firmly established.

From the restart Lloyd Powell made yards to offer his backs a platform. Gwernyfed’s three-quarters need no second invitation. Winfield and Gethin Davies released quickly, left wing Calum Fergusson looped round, making yards before finding Dylan Skyrme who timed his pass to right wing Will Lloyd perfectly. The Clyro man ran in unattended to complete a sublime try from 60 metres out. Winfield’s task was simple, though in potting nine out of 10 conversions from every angle through the afternoon, the fly half’s contribution was magnificent.

14 points down within five minutes, the visitors rallied and attempted to blast their way to a try down the middle. The home defence stood absolutely firm, Tom Lloyd and Prys Eckley amongst those with notable tackle counts. When the ball was turned over, defence turned to unstoppable attack when centre Gethin Davies beat all before him from 40 metres to touch down under the posts.

If fault was to be found at all it was that at times the Gwernyfed attackers were too ambitious, ‘wonder passes’ not always finding their man. However, adventure was the winner when a flowing move involving Winfield, Davies and Fergusson found winger Lloyd looping around to deliver the bonus point try.

The forwards were determined that the speedsters behind wouldn’t steal all of the glory and, when Stephens plucked the ball out of the air from a five-metre lineout, lock Will Eckley collected to run around the front of the maul and touch down, Winfield bringing the first half score to 35-0 with a conversion from wide out.

Having been very much second best up front, Forgeside opted for uncontested scrums in the second period and for a time the ploy paid off, if only by way of slowing the onslaught. However, when Gethin Davies made one of his trademark runs, converting defence to attack, replacements Tom Griffiths and Jordan Curran were prominent in taking the ball to the five-metre line from where the ball was spread to another impact player, Kyle Davies, to touch down wide out.

After an hour the result of the plucky visitors’ efforts began to show with tackles being missed. That is not to be recommended with Gwernyfed’s back line in this mood - swift-footed centre Dylan Skyrme going over from distance for the seventh try.

With the light fading, the last 15 minutes saw the Gwernyfed pack drive home their dominance, Tom Lloyd and Jordan Curran scoring from close range, their tries sandwiched by the sight of Will Lloyd arrowing in from the wing for his hat-trick. That the referee blew up a few minutes early spoke volumes.

The neutral observer would have seen this as a bloodless victory for a rampant Gwernyfed squad. That may have been the case, but the manner of the performance was important in maintaining momentum in the run-up to Christmas with two vital home games at Trefecca Road over the next two weeks. RTB Ebbw Vale come over the hills in the hope of continuing their own cup run and then Crickhowell renew acquaintances in the league, hoping to reverse the win delivered by Stephens and his men by the Usk back in September. It should be an exciting December.