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NEW Zealand hooker Andrew Hore has been banned for five weeks for striking Wales lock Bradley Davies.

Hore's suspension will run until February 24 of next year, which means he will miss Saturday's end of year Test against England at Twickenham.

Davies was admitted to hospital after he was hit from behind by Hore, just 30 seconds into the All Blacks' 33-10 win at the Millennium Stadium last Saturday.

The International Rugby Board's judicial officer, Professor Lorne Crerar, deemed the swinging arm offence to be "inherently dangerous" but accepted Hore had not intended to strike Davies in the head.

Hore was initially handed an eight-week ban for a top-end offence but it was reduced to five when taking into account mitigating factors.

A statement from the hearing read: "The Judicial Officer held that the act of foul play was inherently dangerous, being a deliberate swinging of the arm, delivered with significant force, causing serious injury to the victim player, Bradley Davies, who was unsighted. However, the Judicial Officer found that the player had not intended to make contact with the victim player's head.

"In categorising the seriousness of the offence the Judicial Officer held that it was worthy of a top end entry point under the IRB's sanctions table, and that the entry point should be eight weeks.

"The Judicial Officer held that there were no aggravating factors.
"The Judicial Officer acknowledged the mitigating factors of acceptance of guilt by the player, his genuine remorse, as evidenced by his daily contact with the injured player, his exemplary disciplinary record, and his conduct throughout the hearing and imposed a suspension of 5 weeks. "

As well as Saturday's tour finale at Twickenham, the ban also includes three Super Rugby pre-season matches for the Highlanders.

Andrew Hore gets five weeks ban for striking Wales lock Bradley Davies

ABERAVON MP Hywel Francis has won backing for an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss devastating job losses at Port Talbot.

It comes after Tata Steel confirmed it was carrying out a UK-wide restructuring that would see 900 jobs go across the country, including 500 at its steelworks in South Wales.

Now the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Steel has unanimously agreed to call for an urgent meeting with David Cameron to discuss the redundancies.

Dr Francis said: "I was pleased the meeting agreed unanimously to call for an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss problems facing the steel industry, particularly the high energy costs it faces.

"A meeting has already been agreed with the Welsh Secretary David Jones, who has also agreed to visit the steelworks at Port Talbot."

The proposals are part of a strategy to turn Tata Steel into an "all-weather producer" capable of succeeding in difficult situations.

But it means restructuring management and administrative functions, leading to the 500 job losses at the Port Talbot-based production hub.

In terms of high energy costs, the Government will tomorrow publish its long-awaited Energy Bill, which will seek to exempt "energy intensive" industries from costs associated with new low carbon targets.

The coalition government is proposing a minimum alcohol price of 45p per unit in England and Wales to tackle irresponsible drinking. The consultation says multi-buy offers and two-for-one promotions in supermarkets and off licences "that encourage people to buy more than they otherwise would" could also be banned. Unveiling the measures, Home Office minister Damian Green told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The point of having a minimum unit price rather than, say, increasing taxation, is that you can target ... the shops that do deliberately sell very strong drink very cheaply. "It is just a fact of economics and indeed of life that if you put the price of a particular product up, demand for it goes down." A ten-week consultation on the proposals is expected to launch within days. Officials believe the move could reduce total alcohol consumption by 3.3 per cent, while also cutting crime and lowering hospital admissions. The news comes after Scotland legislated to impose a 50p minimum cost of alcohol per unit.

THE fashions have changed, the cars are now vintage and the streets are no longer as quite as they were then.

These black and white photographs of the Swansea area provide a glimpse into life in 1950s Swansea.

Robert Rees, 55, reminisces of a time when his dad, Richard John Rees, would keenly photograph the local transportation and people of Pontardawe, in a time when not many people owned a camera.

Robert, who has recently unearthed the photographs, said: "Dad started taking pictures in 1937 and would develop and print them himself. He was an avid photographer and liked taking pictures of trains and buses."

Many of the photos were taken during family holidays to Pontardawe when Robert, sister Jennifer and brother Norman would visit their Grandad on Gwyn Street.

A glimpse into 1950s Swansea

FORMER Wales captain Paul Thorburn reckons Andrew Hore can consider himself a lucky man after the New Zealander was banned for just five weeks for striking Bradley Davies in last Saturday's Test in Cardiff.

Hore will miss only two competitive games because of the suspension.

Davies needed to be taken to hospital after being hit from behind by the hooker just 30 seconds into the All Blacks' 33-10 win over Wales at the Millennium Stadium.

The International Rugby Board's judicial officer, Professor Lorne Crerar, deemed the swinging arm offence to be "inherently dangerous" but accepted Hore had not intended to strike Davies in the head.

Hore was initially hit with an eight-week ban for a top-end offence but that was reduced to five when Professor Crerar took into account mitigating factors.

Those included Hore's daily contact with Davies since the incident, his "genuine remorse", as well as his exemplary disciplinary record.

The incident, which was missed by referee Craig Joubert and his assistants, left Davies with concussion that has ruled him out of Wales's final autumn Test against Australia.

Hore will miss his country's game with England on Saturday, three pre-season matches in New Zealand and the first round of the 2013 Super Rugby tournament.

But Thorburn, who was playing for Wales when Kevin Moseley received a 32-week ban for a stamping offence against France in 1990, feels there will be plenty of raised eyebrows over the leniency of the ban.

"I'm surprised he has received only five weeks because what he did came across as cynical and dangerous," he said.

"People have pointed out that Bradley may have been blocking him with his line of running, but that is still no excuse for launching a blow that connects with the neck and head area.

"Hore was damn lucky that he did not catch Bradley on the temple because that would have been altogether more serious.

"As it was, it was an outrageous and disgraceful way to behave on the pitch, so in that respect he is fortunate the punishment hasn't been more severe.

"There is a problem with inconsistency across the board in rugby, whether it be with refereeing or the handing out of bans.

"New Zealand are an attractive side who play great rugby, so what Hore did was in many ways out of keeping with the modern All Blacks.

"There is no place for it on a rugby field.

"It sends out a terrible message to youngsters who are thinking of taking up the game."

Hore's ban will run until February 24 of next year to ensure he misses the three Super Rugby pre-season matches for the Highlanders.

Earlier this week, Wales declined to officially rule Davies out of contention for Saturday's encounter with Australia, but the lock was badly concussed immediately after the New Zealand game, since revealing he had a three-day memory loss.

"My last memory before the game was last Wednesday and my mind has pretty much gone blank since then," he said.

"I was in college doing a plumbing course and I cut my finger with a hacksaw. That was the last thing I can remember.

"I was actually only out cold for a couple of seconds on Saturday, but when I came to, I had lost all my short-term memory.

"That was strange because that had never happened to me before. After the game I was gone and I did not have a clue what was going on."

Reaction to the ban has been mixed.

Ex-Wales captain and coach Clive Rowlands, himself at the heart of a controversial incident which saw him carried off in the 1963 Test against the All Blacks, said: "The most important thing is that Andrew Hore has been punished. He did wrong, he has been suspended and that should be the end of the matter."

But former Wales hooker Bobby Windsor took an old-school line, saying: "Bradley shouldn't have been trying to block him.

"If you do that it's your own fault if someone gives you a dig.

"And don't get me started on suspensions. Twenty-odd years ago Kevin Moseley had a 32-week ban for stamping when he had actually missed the bloke he was stamping on.

"Thirty-two weeks for missing — that was a ridiculous ban.

"The All Blacks have always been likely to punch you in the mush if you let them. It is a physical game and you have to be physical back."

Thorburn's surprise as New Zealand's Andrew Hore handed five-week suspension for striking Bradley Davies

SCARLETS backs coach Mark Jones believes under-fire fly-half Rhys Priestland will return to the region a better player for his autumn struggles. Priestland has been the target of sustained criticism for his displays during Wales's so-far winless Test series campaign. And after last weekend's 33-10 defeat by the All Blacks, the Scarlet admitted he had consulted a psychologist in an attempt to rediscover the form that lit up Wales's charge to the World Cup semi-finals in New Zealand. It has been a traumatic few weeks for the 25-year-old. But Jones believes Priestland will emerge from the most testing time of his career stronger for it. "One thing Rhys will learn from all of this is about mental toughness," said the former Wales wing. "And he will be a better player for it. "You can't always see that sometimes. I have been there myself, you take a lot of flak, some of it deserved, but you do learn to handle that pressure and manage yourself better on and off the field and I am sure the Scarlets will have a better player coming back here because of those experiences. "I have spoken to Rhys and exchanged texts with him through the autumn and I am confident that when he comes back here he will enjoy coming back into the environment. "Perhaps having different voices and different coaches will give him a new focus. "But he is a determined character under it all. He is very proud as well and he will be doing everything in his power to ensure his performance is tip top this weekend (against Australia). "By his own admission he is not playing at his best and when things aren't going for you — the touch judge perhaps gives a dubious decision — it just adds to the pressure. "The good thing for me is that he looked like he was sticking to his principles in the New Zealand game. "He was trying to execute what the coaches were asking of him. If he can keep to his principles I am sure he will be fine. He will be 100 per cent focused with Wales this week and I am sure he will do an excellent job." Meanwhile, the Scarlets are hoping No. 8 Kieran Murphy (hip) and wing Kristian Phillips (groin) will overcome injuries ahead of Sunday's top-of-the-table Pro12 clash with Ulster. Ulster welcome back eight players, including skipper Johann Muller and hooker Rory Best, but Springbok star Ruan Pienaar is rested.

'Wales fly-half Rhys Priestland will be better for his troubles'

Environment Agency Wales will hold a public drop-in session for people living and working in Penclawdd, Swansea, to find out more about the agency's proposals to reduce flood risk in the area. The agency say there are 133 properties in Penclawdd at risk of tidal flooding from the Loughor Estuary in extreme weather conditions combined with high tides. Following a detailed investigation into flood risk in the area, the agency proposes to raise the level of the local car park and construct a flood wall behind properties backing onto the estuary on Glanmor Terrace and Daltons Point. They say raising the level of the car park will stop tidal flooding reaching the road and properties across from the car park. The wall behind properties backing onto the estuary will act as a barrier to flood water. People can find out more about these proposals by visiting the drop in surgery on Tuesday 04 December at Penclawdd Community Centre, Banc Bach Penclawdd, between the hours of 3pm – 7pm. It is likely that an application for planning permission for the proposed scheme will be made late 2013. Steve Brown, from Environment Agency Wales said: "We've seen only this week the devastating impact a flood can have on a community. "These new proposals mean that people living with the threat of flooding in Penclawdd would have a better standard of flood protection for the future. "I'd encourage people to visit our drop in session and find out more about our proposals to reduce risk flood risk in the area and how they could benefit from them." People can find out if they are at flood risk, and if a free flood warning service is available in their area by calling Floodline on 0845 988 1188 or visiting www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood

A MAN has appeared in court charged with two counts of common assault and committing a public order offence. Stephen Jones was arrested after armed police sealed off Belvedere Avenue in Carmarthen on Tuesday morning. Jones pleaded not guilty to assaulting Jodie Samantha Evans and Gareth Evans on Tuesday morning while appearing before Llanelli magistrates from police custody the next day. But the 36-year-old, of Gomer Road, Townhill in Swansea, admitted a count of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour during the same incident. He will now reappear at Llanelli Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, January 30 at 2pm. Until then, he has been given conditional bail, and must not directly or indirectly contact Ms Evans or Mr Evans. He must also not go near Belvedere Avenue in Carmarthen.

THE Ospreys are confident of making a Heineken Cup-quality signing "within days" after welcoming back a familiar face to the Liberty. Cai Griffiths has returned on loan from London Irish until the end of the season and will go straight into the side that faces the Blues in tomorrow evening's Pro12 encounter in Swansea. But with the 28-year-old North Walian cup-tied in Europe after playing for the Exiles in the Amlin Challenge earlier in the campaign, the Ospreys still have a void to fill in their front row, with Aaron Jarvis, Adam Jones and Joe Rees all sidelined by injuries. The situation is desperate, not least because Steve Tandy's side are in Toulouse in the Heineken Cup a week on Saturday and would not want to go there with an inexperienced prop. Andy Lloyd, rugby operations manager at the region, confirmed that the Ospreys were closing in on a signing for Europe. He said: "We are very close to competing a deal for an experienced tight-head to slot into our ERC squad on his arrival. "To lose our three main tight-heads to long-term injuries at the same time is unprecedented, and while Adam is pencilled in to return early in the new year, we expect to lose him again for the Six Nations. "With Joe and Aaron out for the entire season that leaves us bare in a crucial position. "When you factor in that we are likely to also be contributing two tight-heads to Wales Under-20s for a couple of months as well, then the need for cover in that position becomes critical." An Ospreys original back in 2003, Griffiths made 115 appearances for the region spread over nine years before moving to the Madejski Stadium in the summer. He has played six times for London Irish, including three outings in the Aviva Premiership. Lloyd added: "While Cai is ineligible for us in the Heineken Cup, he will have a big part to play over the remainder of our Pro12 campaign, particularly during the international period. "He will provide experienced cover in a key position, one where we have been stripped of all our senior options, and importantly he is already familiar with the Ospreys way having been a loyal servant for nine years previously." Sides are allowed to bring in two replacements for Europe, provided one of them plays in the front row. Moldovan Dimitri Arhip will fill one of the spots, with the Ospreys confident of securing another signing within the next few days.

Ospreys: The cavalry is on its way

RAIL passengers are set to "feel the pain" of the latest price hike in season tickets. Passenger Focus, the official consumer organisation representing the interests of rail users nationally, is warning passengers to book ahead to avoid painful price rises coming into force in 2013. The group has highlighted the likely increases including a 5.4 per cent rise in the price of a season ticket from Llanelli to Swansea which will jump from the current rate of £592 to £624 next year. A season ticket from Swansea to Cardiff currently stands at £1,468 for 12 months. Next year that price will increase to £1,560. A year-long season ticket from Neath to Swansea currently sets passengers back £452. This will increase to £472 next year. Passenger Focus said it appeared train companies were exercising restraint but added that price rises will still feel steep in some places. Passenger Focus chief executive Anthony Smith said: "Passengers will feel this pain. "After years of above-inflation fare rises, fresh increases are piling pressure on already high fares. "The Government and the rail industry must now work together to deliver on the welcome promise to get fare rises in line with inflation." Regulated fares account for around 40 per cent of total fares. Train companies can raise non-regulated fares by as much as they like. Details of all fare rises are expected in the next few days. A spokesman for independent campaign group Railfuture said rail users are being priced off the railways by the latest round of price increases. Bruce Williamson of Railfuture said: "Rail users won't be happy about this because they have been hit with above inflation increases year after year after year. "Rail use is getting more expensive in real terms and goes against the Government's claim it wants to be the greenest government ever, if that were true they would be trying to get people on the trains instead of trying to discourage them by pricing them off. "I fear we will see more price increases. "The Government has a policy of shifting the burden from the tax payer to the fare payer but we think they have gone too far with that. "We do have the highest rail fares in Europe. I think we have got to look at how other European countries do it as a model of best practice." Swansea West MP Geraint Davies said the Government should be doing more to ease the burden on rail users and stimulate growth in the economy. He said: "As you get closer to Wales and Swansea on the train from Paddington the volume of people gets less so we should not be having increases in fares for the last leg of the Paddington to Swansea line. "The Government already spends millions of pounds of tax payers money subsidising the rail companies. "It should target support to help people take up local jobs so we should not be seeing such dramatic increases. "The extra cost of going from Bristol to Swansea should be minimised." News of the rail fare increases comes six months after a multi-million pound facelift of Swansea's High Street railway station. Funding for the £7million project came from Network Rail, the Welsh Assembly Government and the National Stations Improvement Programme. The work included installing a glass screen wall to cut draughts on the station, canopies over the platforms, ticket barriers and a ticket office as well as two buildings inside the station circulating area and a new information point.

South Wales rail passengers told to book early or feel the pain of fare rises

AN inspirational former head teacher who spent his 33 year teaching career at the same Port Talbot school has died. Tony Miskell was one of the original 20-member teaching staff appointed at St Joseph's when the new Catholic comprehensive school opened its doors in September 1964. The 71-year-old (right) was educated at Dyffryn Grammar School and had just completed his degree and teacher training qualification at Aberystwyth when the then parish priest at Port Talbot, Canon Quilligan, was recruiting staff for the new comprehensive. He was appointed head of English teaching, and in 1969 Mr Miskell was awarded the deputy-headship, a role which he retained until 1994 when he became head teacher. The school's head of sixth form Arthur Gwynn, who was a pupil when Mr Miskell taught at the school, and also worked alongside him, said he was a very popular. "He was quite an inspirational figure," he said. "People would say he was a wonderful English teacher. He was someone who knew every child, their names, and their brothers and sisters. All the staff are saddened to hear of his death." Aberavon councillor Tony Taylor said Mr Miskell was a true gentleman. "He helped build the tradition of St Joseph's and made it into a very good school," he said. During his time at the school he built up the library from scratch, directed the first ever school play in 1966, and helped develop an active parent teacher association. It was also at St Joseph's that Mr Miskell met his wife of 45 years, Patricia Farrell, who joined the staff as a chemistry teacher in 1966. He was treasurer of Port Talbot Town Cricket Club for many years and a regular swimmer at the Afan Lido. He took up running during 1980s, joining Neath Harriers and completed Cardiff marathon in 1985 and the London marathon in 1987. Mr Miskell, who died peacefully at Ty Nant Nursing Home in Cymmer last Friday, leaves behind his wife, Pat, daughters Elaine and Louise, sons Peter and David, and four grandchildren. His funeral will be held at noon at Wednesday, 12pm at Margam Crematorium.

Tributes flow for inspirational Port Talbot head teacher Tony Miskell

PLANS for a minimum price for alcohol have been welcomed by the Welsh Government — though Cardiff Bay has said they do not go far enough. Westminster has launched a public consultation on introducing a minimum 45p per unit price for alcohol in Wales and England in an attempt to curb binge drinking and booze-fuelled anti-social behaviour. The Home Office is also considering banning multi-buy promotions in shops. The 45p proposal is 5p higher than the figure suggested by ministers in March — but the Welsh Government has said it would like to see a 50p minimum introduced, as the Scottish Government is proposing. A Welsh Government spokesman said: "Whilst the UK Government proposals to introduce a minimum price of 45p per unit of alcohol is a step in the right direction, we believe they do not go far enough and need to be set at a level that will have most impact on those vulnerable groups who consume alcohol excessively, namely 50p per unit of alcohol. "As devolution of alcohol licensing is not devolved to Wales, we will be feeding into the consultation to make our views known." He added that Cardiff Bay was also running a campaign called "Don't let drink sneak up on you" to raise awareness of the dangers of drink. The Home Office said the targets of the proposed policy were "harmful drinkers and irresponsible shops", adding that "those who enjoy a quiet drink or two have nothing to fear from our proposals." The 45p minimum would mean a can of strong lager could not be sold for less than £1.56, and a bottle of wine below £4.22.

AN 18-year-old girl has told a jury she had been involved in a relationship with a 38-year-old since being a schoolgirl. Georgia Grace's father and grandfather are on trial accused of assaulting the man she claims was her former boyfriend after discovering about the relationship. Kenneth James O'Keefe, 71, and his son, also Kenneth James O'Keefe, aged 38, deny assaulting Neil Morgan, then aged 38, after allegedly discovering Miss Grace had been seeing him and visiting his home. Miss Grace, now 18, took to the witness stand and told Swansea Crown Court she had known Mr Morgan since she was aged five — a claim he denies. Mr Morgan had already told the jury he had never met her face-to-face but admitted the pair were friends on Facebook and he had been sending her text messages. Miss Grace told defence barrister James Hartson she had been in a "consensual relationship" with Mr Morgan but could not recall for how long, although said it had been since she was at school. She said she visited his home in Southville Road, Port Talbot three times a week, without her parent's knowledge. Her father and grandfather, both from Crimson Avenue, Port Talbot, deny using a baseball bat each to repeatedly hit Mr Morgan. He was left with bruising to his face and body as well as a broken ankle. He has also lost 50 per cent of the hearing in his left ear. O'Keefe senior denies a charge of possessing an offensive weapon, namely the metal baseball bat, and said the metal bat belonged to Mr Morgan, who had brought it from his house to attack O'Keefe senior. The father and son admit going to Mr Morgan's house to talk to Mr Morgan about the relationship with Miss Grace but they say a scuffle started when Mr Morgan brought a metal baseball bat out of his house and approached O'Keefe senior and began attacking him, before O'Keefe junior intervened. O'Keefe senior had marks to his back, the jury have been told, but Mr Morgan denies inflicting them. In his police interview O'Keefe senior said he was "disgusted" when he found out about the relationship. His son was described as being "furious" when he found out. O'Keefe senior said he butted Mr Morgan during the incident, but denied inflicting more than 12 blows across his body. He said he did not go to the house with the intention of violence, but said he felt he needed to protect himself against Mr Morgan. O'Keefe senior said he put his head down as Mr Morgan approached him and Mr Morgan "came straight into it, head first." When he was told the list of injuries Mr Morgan had received, O'Keefe senior replied "Oh dear" and "Good God". His son has already admitted he took a wooden baseball bat to the house after pleading guilty to a charge of possessing an offensive weapon. Miss Grace said she had seen the bat in Mr Morgan's house on several occasions, and that it belonged to him — a claim Mr Morgan had already denied. Both men deny a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and an alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm. The trial continues.

Boyfriend claim in baseball bat attack trial

EXTREMELY violent drug users high on the drug meow meow are lashing out at frontline staff at a Swansea hospital. Mike McCabe, accident and emergency consultant at the city's Morriston Hospital, has revealed workers were being attacked and some had been lucky to escape serious injury as the drug made people so agitated. He said it was not only workers at the A&E department who were at risk but those working on its wards. Mr McCabe said he was concerned about the situation and added that those taking mephedrone, known as meow meow, were often completely unaware of their actions. "We have had one or two near misses where staff have avoided having serious injuries," he said. "They are very, very difficult patients to deal with in A&E and in the intensive care ward. "When patients do withdraw from this drug they are still agitated for a few days. "The drug stays in the body for some time." He added: "The problems are not just in the A&E department but in other wards too and on other general medical wards where people are recovering from the toxic effect of the drug." The accident and emergency consultant said he believed the drug had changed over the last 18 months, as back then patients were more placid. He said: "I think the drug they are taking nowadays is a different style of drug. It's much more toxic and it makes people more violent." He added that the cocktail of mephedrone and alcohol was a potent mix for users. "People should avoid drug use with alcohol as it's so dangerous," he said. Meow meow has become more popular in Wales than anywhere else in Britain after being made illegal two years ago. Mr McCabe said people were accessing the drug through online dealers. He said in some cases there were those who had not fallen into trouble with the police in the past who were now doing so because of the drug. "Sometimes there are people who have never been in trouble with the law before who take this drug and now become violent unexpectedly," Mr McCabe said. "They can't remember having caused all this violence until they find they are in a police cell. The risk is, if you take this drug you could end up being charged with a violent crime you don't know you have done." Swansea-based drug agencies have been told meow meow is on sale to school children for just 10p. Staff working for Swansea's Substance Misuse Action Team (Smat) have previously revealed they too are seeing increasing reports of the drug being used by the people they see. Mr McCabe said the impact of meow meow was very different compared with Class A drugs including cocaine and heroine, which could kill. He added: "I am concerned, the key thing is the violence it inflicts on people. "We don't know why it's more of a problem here but it's also a problem in Barry and Carmarthenshire. We hope people move on and it stops the supply and they all calm down."

Violent meow meow users lashing out at staff in Swansea's Morriston Hospital

Swansea City 3, West Brom 1. SWANSEA City turned on the style at the Liberty last night to reach 20 Premier League points before December. Michael Laudrup's men produced perhaps their best 45 minutes of football this season to storm into a 3-1 lead and then held on after the break to halt West Bromwich Albion's four-game winning streak. Michu set the ball rolling early on with his ninth goal of the season, and Wayne Routledge's first ever top-flight double put Swansea firmly in charge. Romelu Lukaku scored completely against the run of play to make for a nervy second half, but Swansea stood strong to chalk up a rousing victory. Albion have been rightly lauded as the Premier League's most unlikely success story so far this season, but Swansea have not done too badly either. This was a meeting of two sides in form, but that did not stop both managers making changes in this three-game week. Laudrup recalled Nathan Dyer and Ki Sung-Yueng, with Itay Shechter and Jonathan de Guzman dropping to the bench. That meant a reshuffle up front, with Michu leading the line and Routledge occupying the No. 10 role. Nice move. Albion boss Steve Clarke rested talisman Shane Long, with Lukaku taking over up top. But the focus was on the home attack right from the outset as Swansea took charge in spectacular fashion. Two minutes had not passed by the time Michu, played in by a fabulous Pablo Hernandez pass, smashed a low shot against the base of the post. The Baggies had been warned. Seven minutes later Swansea pressed again, 30th birthday boy Angel Rangel playing a clever ball to Dyer down the right. His deep cross reached Hernandez, who steered the ball back across the face of goal for Michu to fire home first time. Remarkably, this was Swansea's first goal in the first half of a league game in 11 matches. London buses sprang to mind two minutes later when Laudrup's team doubled their advantage. More sharp passing meant more space for Hernandez on the left, and this time he worked a neat exchange with Ben Davies before picking out Routledge with a low centre. In truth the goalscorer's first touch was a heavy one, but Jonas Olsson's attempted clearance hit Routledge and flew into the net. West Brom were shellshocked, Swansea were in dreamland. The early pattern continued as the half went on, with Swansea playing some of the best football of the Laudrup era to leave Albion chasing shadows. Another delightful home move ended with Hernandez seeing a shot blocked by McAuley, but Clarke's team were clinging on. And Swansea were 3-0 up six minutes before the break when yet another slick set of passes ended with Davies, overlapping on the left, firing in a low cross which Routledge belted home. At the other end, Gerhard Tremmel was redundant until the third minute of stoppage time at the end of the first period. Albion won their first corner of the evening on a very rare foray into Swansea territory and, frustratingly for Laudrup, Chris Brunt's delivery led to a goal. After Jonas Olsson and Ki rose at the near post, the ball ricocheted to Lukaku, who swept home smartly from eight yards. Here was a lifeline for Albion, and it meant the second half began with a different feel. Suddenly Swansea appeared a little less confident, and the visitors almost capitalised when Lukaku got behind Chico Flores, only to blaze into the crowd. Suddenly Swansea could not keep the ball as they had so expertly in the first period, and that meant they had to soak up pressure. The hosts stood firm, though, and finally came back into the game as an attacking force in the last quarter. Hernandez's last contribution before limping off with a worrying muscle injury was to cross for Michu, who flashed a header wide. Michu tried his luck again from distance, forcing Boaz Myhill into a sprawling save, before Ki's free-kick rippled the side netting. No matter, for there would be no late West Brom surge. Swansea, with 20 points from just 14 games, take a bow.

Scintillating Swansea City sweep stunned West Brom aside

PARENTS are being urged to make sure their children receive the MMR vaccination as Public Health Wales investigates an outbreak of measles in South West Wales.
Twelve cases of probable measles and four confirmed cases have been diagnosed in individuals living in Swansea, Port Talbot and Haverfordwest. Two individuals have been hospitalised but have since been discharged.
The cases are believed to be associated with people who stayed at a holiday camp in South West England during the second half of October. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) in South West England is working closely with the holiday camp to investigate.
Letters are being sent to five schools in the affected areas advising them that measles is circulating.
A vaccination catch up session is also being arranged for all unimmunised pupils at Pentrehafod Comprehensive School, Swansea.
Parents of pupils at other affected schools are being asked to ensure that children aged between one and 16 who have not received two doses of the MMR vaccine should contact their GP to arrange vaccination.
Dr Jorg Hoffmann, consultant in communicable disease control for Public Health Wales, said: "Measles is a highly infectious disease that can cause complications including pneumonia, meningitis and encephalitis, particularly in children under five years of age, those with weakened immune systems and children with a poor diet. It can even be fatal in rare cases.
"Many people who catch measles will have a fever, cough, red eyes, and blocked nose and feel generally unwell. The blotchy rash appears a few days later beginning on the face and spreading downwards to the rest of the body over several days. Typically, people will be infectious from a few days before the onset of their rash until four to five days after the onset of the rash. "Most people make a full recovery but there is a rare possibility of severe complications including serious eye disorders, deafness, brain damage and even death. "If your child is unwell and you suspect it is measles you should contact your GP or NHS Direct Wales on 0845 46 47. Your child should not attend school or nursery for five days after the rash starts.
"Measles can be prevented by use of the safe and highly effective measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. "Parents can easily protect their children by having them immunised with the MMR vaccine. After completing a two-dose course of MMR, 99 per cent of children will be protected against measles."
Children should receive their first dose of the vaccine at 12-13 months of age and the second dose at around three years and four months of age.
Arrangements have been made with GPs in the affected areas to ensure that the likely increase in demand for MMR can be met.
Dr Hoffmann continued: "Most of the cases under investigation could have been prevented by MMR vaccine.
"The only way to prevent outbreaks of measles is to ensure that at least 95 per cent of children in Wales have received two doses of the MMR vaccine.
"Although more children are having the vaccine now, we still have some way to go before we can guarantee the safety of children in Wales from measles."

CAI Griffiths will start for the Ospreys in their derby against the Blues on Friday night.
The prop, who is back at the Liberty on a season-long loan, figures in the front row alongside Scott Baldwin and Duncan Jones.
Kahn Fotuali'i will captain the side from scrum-half.
Ospreys: Richard Fussell; Ross Jones, Tom Isaacs, Andrew Bishop, Eli Walker; Matthew Morgan, Kahn Fotuali'i (capt); Duncan Jones, Scott Baldwin, Cai Griffiths, Ian Gough, James King, George Stowers, Joe Bearman, Sam Lewis. Reps: Matthew Dwyer, Marc Thomas, Dmitri Arhip, Lloyd Peers, Morgan Allen, Rhys Webb, Sam Davies, Jonathan Spratt,

Ospreys team to face Cardiff Blues

WALES have made four changes for Saturday's final autumn Test against Australia — but Rhys Priestland has kept his place ahead of the returning Dan Biggar.
Ospreys fly-half Biggar is on the bench after recovering from a shoulder injury, but Warren Gatland has opted to keep faith with under-fire Scarlet Priestland.
Up front, Ryan Jones drops to the bench to make room for Scarlets back-rower Aaron Shingler at blindside flanker, while Ospreys lock Ian Evans returns from injury to replace Bradley Davies, who is out with concussion.
The other two changes are in the front row, with Gethin Jenkins replacing Paul James at loose-head and Scott Andrews coming in at tight-head for Aaron Jarvis, who has been ruled out for the season with a knee injury.
Uncapped Scarlets prop Samson Lee, who turns 20 tomorrow, could make his debut after being named on the bench.
With George North still unavailable because of a hip problem, his Scarlets colleague Liam Williams retains his place on the left wing after impressing in last weekend's 33-10 defeat to New Zealand.
That was Wales's sixth successive loss and their third from three Tests this autumn. They must beat Australia on Saturday to be sure of their place in the top eight of the IRB world rankings.
"We need to pick up again where we left off in the second half last week," said Gatland.
"We managed to retain 73% possession after the break against the All Blacks and win the territory battle, and we need to put Australia under similar pressure from the outset.
"Both sides have had injuries to cope with, but there is every reason for optimism. The Millennium Stadium crowd will be in full voice again, they were outstanding last week, and we are aiming to reach the end of a tough series on Saturday and finish off on a high."
Wales:Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, Liam Williams; Rhys Priestland, Mike Phillips; Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees, Scott Andrews, Ian Evans, Luke Charteris, Aaron Shingler, Toby Faletau, Sam Warburton (capt).
Replacements:Ken Owens, Ryan Bevington, Samson Lee, Ryan Jones, Justin Tipuric, Tavis Knoyle, Dan Biggar, Scott Williams.

Rhys Priestland to start for Wales against Australia despite Dan Biggar return

DAVID Pocock will return to the Australia side to face Wales on Saturday — but Nathan Sharpe will keep the captaincy.
A calf injury ruled Pocock out of the Wallabies' matches against France and England earlier this month, after the openside flanker had been missing since August because of knee surgery.
Pocock is usually Australia's skipper, but the team will be led out by Sharpe at the Millennium Stadium, with the lock making his 116th and final appearance for his country.
Michael Hooper, who had been brilliant in Pocock's absence, drops to the bench.
The two other changes see lock Kane Douglas return from a knee injury to take over from the suspended Sitaleki Timani, while Tatafu Polota-Nau replaces Stephen Moore at hooker.
Australia: Berrick Barnes; Nick Cummins, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Ben Tapuai, Drew Mitchell; Kurtley Beale, Nick Phipps; Benn Robinson, Tatafu Polota Nau, Ben Alexander, Kane Douglas, Nathan Sharpe (capt), Scott Higgibotham, Wycliff Palu, David Pocock.
Replacements: Stephen Moore, James Slipper, Sekope Kepu, Dave Dennis, Michael Hooper, Brendan McKibbin, Mike Harris, Digby Ioane.

SCARLETS lock Jake Ball has been banned for two weeks.
The Australian received the suspension following an incident in the 13-6 victory in Munster last week.
A statement by Celtic rugby said: "The disciplinary committee found that the player had committed the act of foul play and found that it merited a low-end entry point.
"After applying aggravating and mitigating factors, the committee imposed a sanction of two weeks."
Ball will miss Sunday's RaboDirect Pro12 clash with Ulster at Parc y Scarlets and the Heineken Cup clash against Exeter on December 8.

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