Former Ebbw Vale fly-half Shaun Connor sank his old club with an injury-time penalty to secure Neath the spoils at Eugene Cross Park.

Connor stepped up to kill off the Steelmen after they had battled back to lead 26-24 with time running out.

Aaron Takarangi and Adam Black scored second half tries for the hosts as a shadow Neath side struggled to hold on to their advantage.

For Vale, scrum half Bryan Shelbourne supplied 11 points, while Connor amassed 12 for Neath.

The win was a boost for Neath as they warmed up for next weekend's Celtic League final against Munster in Cardiff.

Playing with the wind, the Welsh All Blacks led 24-8 at the break after a keenly fought first half.

They claimed their first score on seven minutes when scrum half Ricky Richards burrowed over from a close-range ruck.

And before Vale could fashion a response, Richards darted through a huge gap in the home defence to extend Neath's lead.

But Vale gradually began to up the tempo with lock Neil Edwards prominent in the rugged exchanges.

Shelbourne claimed a fine solo try from 15 metres only for Neath to counter through a score from Rowland Phillips.