Pembrokeshire 20 Rhymney Valley 20
Pembrokeshire had some effective players at the breakdown and made life hard at times particularly for the away side to build momentum. It was them who started the brighter and managed their 2nd from close-range after a period of pressure. The unconverted try made it 15-10. Rhymney Valley then applied themselves and after their own period of pressure saw a well crafted 3rd try. An attacking lineout saw Dan Howorth take the ball at the front. The pack then drove towards the home line and Captain Josh McCarthy peeled away and dropped over for his first try for the district which was just reward for his efforts on the night and over the course of the pre-season.
At this point the game seemed to be going the Rhymney valley way at 20-10. However, the remainder of the half belonged to the home side who picked up the pace and dominated, for which there wasn’t enough reaction from the Rhymney valley boys to try and change the tide. The scrum was starting to become a real issue for the RV and the home number 8 was a constant threat with his ball-carrying and work at the breakdown. They clawed back another score to make it 20-15 when their 8 sped through some weak defence. Yet again going into what should have been the last minute of play the referee indicated that there were 8 minutes left which seemed to bamboozle both players and coaches considering the were only a few injuries and none took very long to clear up. To their credit the home side took the game to the RV and many of the valley boys struggled to cope and react to the home sides aggressive approach. They had opportunities to get out of their half, however choose to run as opposed to play the territorial game, however further good work from their impressive 8 won more good turnovers and good field positions. The referee penalised the away team continuously going into the final phases and the all important equalising score came right at the death for the home team and they came away with a 20-20 draw after it seemed that we were the likely winners early in the second period.
A very frustrating evening and a disappointing start to our Dewar-shield campaign. Good in patches but overall were outmuscled and at the end outplayed which was a bit disappointing. The team showed what they are capable of but will rue the great opportunity they had to close the game out going into the final quarter. Credit to Pembrokeshire who fought until the death and on reflection deserved their draw. Their celebrations at the end and our flat mood probably summed up the feelings of both sides. I guess we should be thankful that their kicker missed all 5 kicks at goal also. The biggest frustration however was the referee, who played 38 minutes in the first half, and 39 in the second half which resulted in a try at the end of each half for the away side. Isn’t it 30 minutes each way at this level? He was adamant it was 35 injury!! Although it was fair to say our performance in the second half did not warrant the win and the time duration is in no way an excuse. We now need a big performance in two weeks against the vale to ensure we are contenders in this group. There were plenty of decent individual showings. Josh McCarthy led well again, Corey Greenway made a big impact off the bench, Nathan Hudd was a nuisance at the breakdown and regional centre Conor Kidner scored and made some telling linebreaks.
A game of two long halves, decent start, good lead and a poor 2nd half resulted in a draw game in our first Dewar-shield game.
The game started evenly with both teams having their moments. The home side were having the better of the territory and their powerful number 8 was prominent early on and through the game. The games first score came after 10 minutes when after a period of pressure a penalty was awarded and flyhalf Roy Furnival slotted the penalty for a 3-0 lead. Midway through the half the team scored the game’s opening score. From a half-way line scrum the team ran a decoy and put Conor Kidner into space. He hit a gap went through, and showed electric pace to outstrip the home defence and in under the posts. Furnival added the extras for 10-0. It seemed the RV side were now starting to get on top and from a turnover Furnival kicked across field and turned the winger. The home player made a mess of it and prolific wing Lewis Phillips picked it up and went over to make it 15-0. Half time should have arrived moments later, however it went on for a further 9 minutes and in this time the home side benefited and went over for their first points of the night. (HT 15-5)Pembrokeshire had some effective players at the breakdown and made life hard at times particularly for the away side to build momentum. It was them who started the brighter and managed their 2nd from close-range after a period of pressure. The unconverted try made it 15-10. Rhymney Valley then applied themselves and after their own period of pressure saw a well crafted 3rd try. An attacking lineout saw Dan Howorth take the ball at the front. The pack then drove towards the home line and Captain Josh McCarthy peeled away and dropped over for his first try for the district which was just reward for his efforts on the night and over the course of the pre-season.
At this point the game seemed to be going the Rhymney valley way at 20-10. However, the remainder of the half belonged to the home side who picked up the pace and dominated, for which there wasn’t enough reaction from the Rhymney valley boys to try and change the tide. The scrum was starting to become a real issue for the RV and the home number 8 was a constant threat with his ball-carrying and work at the breakdown. They clawed back another score to make it 20-15 when their 8 sped through some weak defence. Yet again going into what should have been the last minute of play the referee indicated that there were 8 minutes left which seemed to bamboozle both players and coaches considering the were only a few injuries and none took very long to clear up. To their credit the home side took the game to the RV and many of the valley boys struggled to cope and react to the home sides aggressive approach. They had opportunities to get out of their half, however choose to run as opposed to play the territorial game, however further good work from their impressive 8 won more good turnovers and good field positions. The referee penalised the away team continuously going into the final phases and the all important equalising score came right at the death for the home team and they came away with a 20-20 draw after it seemed that we were the likely winners early in the second period.
A very frustrating evening and a disappointing start to our Dewar-shield campaign. Good in patches but overall were outmuscled and at the end outplayed which was a bit disappointing. The team showed what they are capable of but will rue the great opportunity they had to close the game out going into the final quarter. Credit to Pembrokeshire who fought until the death and on reflection deserved their draw. Their celebrations at the end and our flat mood probably summed up the feelings of both sides. I guess we should be thankful that their kicker missed all 5 kicks at goal also. The biggest frustration however was the referee, who played 38 minutes in the first half, and 39 in the second half which resulted in a try at the end of each half for the away side. Isn’t it 30 minutes each way at this level? He was adamant it was 35 injury!! Although it was fair to say our performance in the second half did not warrant the win and the time duration is in no way an excuse. We now need a big performance in two weeks against the vale to ensure we are contenders in this group. There were plenty of decent individual showings. Josh McCarthy led well again, Corey Greenway made a big impact off the bench, Nathan Hudd was a nuisance at the breakdown and regional centre Conor Kidner scored and made some telling linebreaks.
Gareth Richards
Player development in the Dragons Region - In Association with:
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