Match Report – Saturday 21 November 2015
LLANTRISANT 36 – PENARTH 10
It was captain Scott Mackie’s 100th appearance for the club on Saturday but despite his putting in his usual 100% effort there wasn’t much else to celebrate.
After a couple of weeks weather-induced lay off the teams had bright, dry conditions to play in although the ground was still soggy and the breeze across the Cefn Mably park was bitter.
There was a young look to the Penarth starting line up with a number of the experienced players on the bench. Whilst it’s sensible to give young blood a chance the inexperience showed ominously from the first set scrum, Penarth being shoved emphatically backwards. This problem wasn’t resolved in the first half so the back division didn’t have the chance to show its’ capabilities.
Early exchanges were even-stevens despite a penalty to the home side but the first signs of their most successful tactic were evident. They possess a lively set of backs who move the ball slickly but more tellingly have in outside half Lewys Montague a very good judge of the chip into space.
The breakthrough score came on twenty minutes. The struggling Penarth eight were pushed off their own put in and after spreading ball wide the home backs fed supporting second row Ryan Harrison who crashed over at full tilt.
Not disheartened Penarth stuck to the task with half backs Rhys Morgan and Nathen Smith either encouraging the troops forward with solid clearance kicks or using centre Tom Luck to gain hard yards up the middle. So territory was gained along with a penalty to allow Penarth to drag the score back to 10 – 3.
At this juncture Penarth looked to be grafting back into contention. But fate had other plans. Out of defence home full back Jack Bunyan failed to gather a pass cleanly and as he succeeded at the second attempt the defence stood off waiting for a knock on to be awarded. But the judgement was contact off the leg not the hand so there was no whistle and a delighted Bunyan sped past his audience to touch down unopposed.
This set back was compounded immediately by desperate defence on the Penarth line being judged as sufficiently illegal for the immediate award of a penalty try and a yellow card to Alex Thau.
So in ten minutes from looking back in the match Penarth found themselves going in at half time 24 – 3 down.
The second half saw Penarth take the precaution of introducing Elliot Smith, Simon Barry and Stuart Clarke. This steadied the scrum as well as helping Rhys Morgan with Elliot Smith doing his trade mark tidying up around the base of the set piece.
So for a long period the home attack was blunted by solid defence and the possession gained worked upfield by the Penarth back row and centres. Confidence steadily increased and the home 22meters area was where the game was being. Defence became steadily more urgent and penalties were conceded and sensing Penarth ascendency Scott Mackie steadily declined easy three point offerings in favour of quick tap penalties.
As so often happens this brave policy backfired, Llantrisant kicked and chased a relieving penalty and Montague, inevitably, capped the move with an irresistible side step to gain their bonus point try.
Penarth heads did not drop and the long siege of the home line was recommenced, reaping reward at last with wing Rhys Goodfellow squeezing in at the corner.
The home side added a breakaway score at the death to gain themselves a merited but flattering 36 – 10 result and a distinctly chilled crowd trooped off to be greeted by a most welcome promotion by the local Glamorgan brewery dispensing samples from the back of a commandeered milk float.
Penarth:- Sean O’Sullivan; Mason Good; Alan Doyle; Lloyd Huxton; Jerome Bryan; Scott Mackie (capt.); Tom Bartlett; Alex Thau; Rhys Morgan; Nathan Smith; Ben Hill; Tom Luck; Mike Gubb; Rhys Goodfellow; James Docherty. Substitutes used Elliot Smith; Simon Barry; Stuart Clarke
Next Fixture; 2:30 pm Saturday 28th November at home versus Dowlais
