SEASIDERS DENIED IN WEIRD MATCH

BARRY 15 PENARTH 10 – Saturday 17 December 2016

Having won their previous three games, the Seasiders dominated a one-sided game in wonderfully murky conditions, yet lost. Of course there were reasons for this and there was no real mystery to solve even though the home side never once threatened the visitors’ try-line.

Each side came with its own irresistible weapon. Penarth turned with a well-drilled pack in devastating form and this really should have been decisive. Barry relied entirely on the monstrous boot of full-back-turned-scrum-half Kyle Baros. This actually decided it and here’s how.

Barry attacked from the kick-off, but the Seasiders kicked their way out of trouble and into the home 22. The hosts cleared from their own goal-line, but Penarth ran it back wisely, setting up a ruck on the line. The ball was worked back to the lurking Elliott Smith who crashed straight through the dispersing ruck to score. The conversion was missed, which didn’t seem significant at the time.

The first scrum was always going to be interesting and so it proved. The Penarth eight motored through the Barry pack on their own put-in and the pattern was set. Barry survived to put some pressure on the visitors, but as a grubber kick was sent though we saw the first evidence that the Seasiders weren’t on the referee’s Christmas card list as Alex Thau was off with a yellow card after ten minutes’ play. Scrum-half Baros converted the penalty.

More pressure from Barry, as his boot enabled his team to move from their own 22 to Penarth’s with a single clearance kick. Another penalty was converted from some way out and the hosts eased into a one-point lead after 16 minutes.

The visitors now took control of the game as they won a critical turnover on half-way and Nathan Smith drove the penalty into touch for a 5m lineout. Caught and driven, Barry infringed. Penalty Penarth, put back into touch. Second drive held up, penalty in front of posts, which Smith drives into the left-hand post. Catches the rebound, but scrum conceded. Seasiders push the Barry eight off their own put-in, but ref does them for wheeling! You get the picture.

With half-time approaching, Barry managed to get into the away half twice and on both occasions were rewarded with penalties. Baros was able to convert both from long range and the home side eased into a 12-5 lead against the run of play. However, Penarth were eventually able to secure a penalty of their own out of the blue; Smith put it neatly into touch with the catch-and-drive seeing Mason Good over the line for another try.

The Seasiders clearly fancied their chances as a gloomy second half commenced on the floodlight-free Reservoir Field, but they again conceded a penalty as the hosts crossed the half-way line and Baros converted his fifth out of five.

With 36 minutes remaining, the rest of the game was all about Penarth surely overcoming the five-point deficit as they launched wave upon wave of attacks in the Barry half. Penalties a-plenty and injury stoppages as the home defence gradually tired. Despite all the pressure exerted, the Seasiders managed to avoid scoring, mainly by routinely turning over possession at the breakdown. Even then, Barry still managed to break out as far as half-way and were presented with three more penalties, all of which a clearly tiring Baros failed to convert from 45 or so metres, thus saving Penarth’s first bonus point of the season.

The next fixture is the traditional Boxing Day match against Old Penarthians, this year at Cwrt-y-Vil.

PENARTH Huw Elias, Tom Smith, Rhys Morgan (Chris Mortimer), Tom Luck ©, James Crothers (Dylan Hansen) Nathan Smith, Gareth Mathias, Sean O’Sullivan, Mason Good (James Docherty), Alan Doyle, Matt Allen, Anthony Pine, Scott Mackie, Elliott Smith, Alex Thau

Scorers: Elliott Smith, Mason Good (tries)

SEASIDERS’ LATE SHOW

CLWB RYGBI CYMRY CAERDYDD 24 PENARTH 25 – Saturday 26 November 2016

This game was never as close as it was at the final whistle. With both sides struggling to find consistent form this season, each score came as a bit of a surprise and none more so than the winning try.

The first half was eminently forgettable, except for some bizarre interventions on the part of the referee. Clwb Rygbi took an early lead with a penalty and the Seasiders, while failing to exploit a number of scoring opportunities, took until the 27th minute to equalise with a Tom Smith penalty.

The Cymry had been trying the referee’s patience for a while and he soon consigned their number 8 to the bin and Smith moved Penarth into the lead. The visitors made most of the running up to half-time, but when an Alex Thau surge to half-way broke down for lack of support, Clwb Rygbi counter-attacked, but with little real pattern until their left wing found a gap. Gareth Mathias caught him on the line, but he reached out to touch down, putting his side into a 10-6 lead at the break.

The hosts made a spirited start to the second half and the Seasiders found themselves back-pedalling. Despite gaining a couple of penalties, they couldn’t relieve the pressure and Clwb’s outside centre was put through a gap to score under the posts. It was already beginning to look grim for Penarth as they trailed by eleven points.

Just as the Cymry seemed to have taken a decisive grip on the game, the Seasiders briefly woke from their slumbers and gained a toe-hold in the opposition 22 when replacement outside-half Nathan Smith drilled a penalty into touch. A ferocious line-out drive took Mason Good to a touch-down in the corner and the converted try pulled the score back to 17-13.

Clwb could see the writing on the wall and came back strongly. Penarth lost a player to the bin and found themselves under immense pressure. They held out bravely for some considerable time, but as the match approached its last ten minutes, the hosts finally broke through as their scrum-half squeezed through a gap and under the posts.

Again leading by eleven points, the Cymry couldn’t have seen what was coming, any more than the Seasiders probably could at the time. With another five-metre line-out, Penarth clearly fancied the catch-and-drive, but the referee took exception to something Clwb had been up to as the throw went in. While the hosts were still pondering their misfortune, Alex Thau tapped quickly and went over in the corner.

Although the conversion was missed, there were still six minutes remaining and six points separating the teams. All the late pressure was coming from a rejuvenated Seasiders as they laid siege in the Clwb 22. A last-gasp penalty was clearly not going to be kicked and the scrum option was taken. With the clock running down and a couple of thrusts to the line, Aaron Ellis crashed over from a couple of metres and Penarth had completed a remarkable come-back.

Rising to eighth on the table, they now welcome 6th-placed Gilfach Goch to the Athletic Field next Saturday. The visitors have also secured four wins and beat Llantrisant 33-11 last Saturday.

PENARTH Rhys Morgan (Huw Elias), Paul Collett, James Crothers, Tom Smith, James Thatcher, Tom Smith (Nathan Smith), Gareth Mathias, Jerome Bryan (Richard Merrett), Mason Good (James Docherty), Alan Doyle, Matt Allen, Anthony Pine (Aaron Ellis), Scott Mackie, Elliott Smith, Alex Thau

Scorers: Mason Good, Alex Thau, Aaron Ellis (tries), Tom Smith (2 pen), Nathan Smith (2 conv).

Division 2 East Central

Saturday 3rd December 2016

PENARTH v Gilfach Goch

The Athletic Field, Lavernock Road

Kick-off 2.30pm

SEASIDERS SLIP AGAIN

ABERDARE 47 PENARTH 15 – Saturday 22 October 2016

After a minute’s silence to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster before the kick-off, Penarth again found themselves up against in-form opposition at the top of the table and this time third-placed Aberdare were the hosts. The recently-promoted Cynon Valley club had won their last three games and were able to put the Seasiders under intense pressure from the off.

Penarth kicked off in dry and sunny conditions, but Aberdare opted to run it right back at them and exerted intense pressure for 10 or so minutes before finally gaining a penalty and a 3-0 lead. The Seasiders seemed well up to the challenge and although they were unable to break out of their own half in the first 20 minutes, they nevertheless conceded no further scores.

Better than that, when they finally did gain field position and launched an attack of their own from loose play, Elliott Smith touched down for the first try of the game and Penarth had a 3-5 lead after 25 minutes. The lead didn’t last long, though, as further Aberdare pressure yielded them another kickable penalty and they edged in front by a point.

Penarth were by no means discouraged and established themselves in the Aberdare half from the restart. Having secured their position, they moved the ball wide to the right where Paul Collett scored in the corner. Tom Smith added the extras this time and soon converted a penalty after the next restart, making the score 6-15 as half-time approached.

This all-action first half was finished yet. Aberdare struck back with an unconverted try for 11-15 and then, at a time when the Seasiders were pressuring the clearly rattled hosts, a pass was intercepted in the backs and one of the Aberdare forwards ran 50 metres for another unconverted try and an unlikely 16-15 half-time lead.

With the game finely balanced, Penarth approached the third quarter where they’ve shown a tendency to come unstuck before, and once again, the game got away from them in a decisive fashion. Two tries in quick succession from the hosts transformed a close contest into a 28-15 lead for Aberdare and although the Seasiders pack never let up, the hosts had rumbled their visitors’ defence and proceeded to take full advantage.

A further three tries were duly run in as the expected Penarth come-back failed to materialise.

The Seasiders’ arrival at the bottom of the table is a bit of a puzzle, as all the necessary components of a successful league campaign appear to be in place. The squad is as strong as it’s been for some time and the new coaching team are giving every impression of being in control of the situation, but seemingly minor errors in attack or defence have nevertheless led to five defeats out of the seven games played.

As we enter the Autumn International series, the next league fixture is not until Saturday 12 November 2016 when Penarth entertain Pontyclun at the Athletic Field, kick-off being at 1.00pm in advance of Wales’ kick-off against Argentina at 5.30pm.

PENARTH Tom Smith, Paul Collett, Tom Luck ©, James Crothers, Huw Elias (James Docherty) Rhys Morgan, Richard Merrett (Jerome Bryan), Mason Good, Alan Doyle (Sean O’Sullivan), Owen Thomas, Anthony Pine, Scott Mackie, Elliott Smith, Alex Thau

Scorers: Elliott Smith, Paul Collett (tries), Tom Smith (1 pen, 1 conv)

Division 2 East Central

Saturday 12th November 2016

PENARTH v Pontyclun

The Athletic Field, Lavernock Road

Kick-off 1.00pm

Parking at Club

Following complaints can everyone please take notice of the following especially on Sundays and match days:

Penarth RFC welcomes all members and visitors but in doing so would ask all vehicle drivers to respect parking regulations in the roads near our ground. We have limited parking within the ground.

Please note that if you park on any grass verges, park on the pavement, park in a bus stop, obstruct any resident’s driveway, park in any way which causes an obstruction or leave a vehicle in a restricted parking zone then you may commit a road traffic offence.

In doing so you will be liable to enforcement action and fixed penalty tickets being issued.