MAKESHIFT SEASIDERS OUTPACED

PONTYCLUN 38 PENARTH 21 – Saturday 27 February 2016

A patched-together Penarth side took the field for the first time in February at Mill Fields Pontyclun last Saturday. Hooker Mason Good was pressed into service in the second row, while centre Tom Luck packed down on the blindside flank. Both gave an excellent account of themselves. The hosts, starting the day at the bottom of the table, were welcoming back several players and fairly tore into the game.

They gained early control of the breakdown and put the Seasiders under real pressure, racing into a 6-0 lead after 11 minutes. Then two things happened: Penarth got into their stride as Nathan Smith converted a couple of penalties to bring the scores level and the referee finally worked out how the home side were doing so well at the breakdown and started penalising them. Just before half-time, with the score 9-9, Pontyclun tight-head Morgan Bosanko received his marching orders and things were looking up for the Seasiders.

The Badgers came roaring out of the traps in the second half and received due reward as they wheeled a five-metre scrum and sent number eight Jack Theaker over for the game’s first try and a 16-9 lead. This lead was short-lived, as the Penarth back division sprang into life with Gareth Mathias, Nathan Smith and James Thatcher combining to threaten the Pontyclun line. A penalty yielded a line-out and although the first drive was pushed back, Mathias whipped the ball inside to Adam Lewis, who skipped past the first tackle and dashed over under the posts.

With the match finely poised, Pontyclun eased their noses in front on the hour with a fourth penalty from full-back Jamie Theaker and the score was still 19-16 with twelve minutes to go when the roof fell in on the Seasiders in spectacular fashion. Three tries in seven minutes brought the hosts a winning bonus point and it was game over. Firstly centre Rory Woodland ran unchallenged in at the right-hand corner and then partner Luke Rose followed the same route three minutes later. Tight-head Bosanko completed the hat-trick from a scrum four minutes later.

As if waking from weird dream and now trailing 38-16, Penarth went on to dominate the last five minutes as normal service was restored. A searing break from Alex Thau set up a consolation try by Rhys Morgan in the corner and the visitors were left to ponder what on earth had happened in those seven minutes in an otherwise evenly-contested match.

Fifth-placed St.Peters are the visitors at the Athletic Field next Saturday and a home win would take the Seasiders up to fifth place in Division 2 East Central.

PENARTH Huw Elias, Paul Collett, Adam Lewis, James Thatcher, James Crothers (Ben Hill) Nathan Smith, Gareth Mathias (Rhys Morgan), Jerome Bryan, Simon Barry (James Docherty), Alan Doyle (Sean O’Sullivan), Mason Good, Richie Howells, Tom Luck, Alex Thau, Louis Chandler (Mike Clare).

Scorers: Nathan Smith (Try, Conversion, 3 Penalties), Rhys Morgan (Try)

Division 2 East Central

Saturday 5th March 2016

PENARTH v St.Peters

The Athletic Field, Lavernock Road

Kick-off 2.30pm

SEASIDERS PROVIDE FITTING SPECTACLE

CLWB RYBGI CYMRY CAERDYDD 30 PENARTH 28 – Saturday 23 January 2016

Cardiff Arms Park has seen many spectacular games of rugby and this game, removed from a sodden Llandaff Fields, turned out to be as fascinating a contest as any of them.

The perfect playing surface was an open invitation to running rugby and both sides grabbed the opportunity with alacrity. The Seasiders kept the ball in hand from the kick-off, moving the Clwb defence from side to side before Nathan Smith sold an outrageous dummy, bursting through the line with Tom Luck at his shoulder. The scoring pass was perfectly weighted and the inside centre surged round behind the posts for a second minute try. 

It didn’t take the hosts long to strike back as outside half Oliver Jenkins drove a penalty to touch for a five-metre line-out. The drive was perfectly excuted and the Cymry’s number eight crossed in the corner. A string of decisions in the home side’s favour then led to a further penalty which Jenkins converted for an 8-7 lead.

Despite having gone behind, Penarth were dominating proceedings, while Clwb were depending almost entirely on Jenkins’ howitzer boot to keep them out of trouble. The Seasiders almost registered a second try after half an hour as Smith and Luck worked a clever scissors, but had to wait another eight minutes before they got their noses in front again. A five-metre scrum was going quite tidily as the Clwb front row popped up, but before the referee could intervene, Elliott Smith had already broken down the blindside for a well-taken try.

Jenkins slotted over a second penalty for the hosts from the restart, as the Seasiders were judged to have been offside on their own 22.

Leading by three points at the beginning of the second half, it was all slick handling and hard running from Penarth, but all to no avail as the referee continued to punish them. Further penalty conversions from Jenkins on 51 and 55 minutes pushed his side back in front 17-14, but the game was nevertheless heading for a stunning climax. 

A third try for Penarth soon arrived as Alex Thau burst through the cover on half-way before releasing Huw Elias on the left wing as they crossed the 22. Easily rounding the last defender, Elias swung round behind the posts and the lead changed hands again as the Seasiders led 17-21. 

The hosts’ dependence on Jenkins’ boot was again rewarded as the outside-half exploited yet another kickable penalty award to bring the score back to 20-21 and then the match turned on a single incident. It was hard to tell whether it was good fortune or a sublime skill, but as Nathan Smith burst clear in his own half with only the home right-wing to beat, his opponent dislodged the ball, juggled it and sprinted clear himself for a decisive nine-point lead with 9 minutes to go.

A neat drop-goal by Jenkins from a rare visit to the Penarth 22 seemed to have cost the visitors even the consolation of a bonus point, but the Seasiders had kept the best ‘til last and played out the remaining minutes in the home 22. With the visitors needing a penalty which was never going to come for a bonus point and deep into injury time, Jenkins managed to heave the ball into the Penarth half only for Paul Collett to burst through the advancing cover and feed Nathan Smith on his own 10-metre line. The outside-half accelerated smoothly towards the right-hand corner flag, dumping the left wing with an expert hand-off on the way. James Docherty converted from the touchline to complete an exhilarating come-back, claiming two bonus points from a two-point losing margin and four tries.

Despite this bizarre setback, the Seasiders have held on to fifth place are now in an excellent mood to welcome undefeated leaders Porth Harlequins to the Athletic Field next Saturday.                   

PENARTH         James Docherty, Huw Elias, Adam Lewis, Tom Luck, Paul Collett, Nathan Smith, Gareth Matthias, Jerome Bryan (Owain James), Mason Good, Sean O’Sullivan, Richie Howells Stuart Clarke (Lloyd Huxton), Scott Mackie, Elliott Smith, Alex Thau.

Scorers:            Tom Luck, Elliott Smith, Huw Elias, Nathan Smith (Tries) James Docherty (4 conversions).

Division 2 East Central

Saturday 30^th January 2016

PENARTH v Porth Harlequins

Athletic Field, Lavernock Road

Kick-off 2.30pm

SEASIDERS RISE TO FOURTH

PENARTH 24 ABERCYNON 13 – Saturday 12 December 2015

The wind divided this rearranged fixture into a game of two halves, but the Seasiders carried on where they’d left off last week in Talgarth and expertly navigated the conditions to secure a seventh win of the season and climb to fourth in the table.

The visitors started with the wind at their backs and it took them only seven minutes to work themselves into a scoring position. Wing Liam Cooper-King brushed past some worryingly ineffectual defence to touch down in the corner.

Penarth weren’t simply content to sit it out though and took the game to Abercynon for most of the first half. The only problem was that they couldn’t gain any momentum at the breakdown, where the visitors’ superior technique snuffed out most of the Seasiders’ attacking moves. Despite being penned in their own 22 for long periods, Penarth kept their line intact and Abercynon were only able to add a couple of penalties to lead 13-0 at half-time. The wind continued unabated and certainly looked as if it was more than a 13-pointer. So it proved.

Within 2 minutes of the restart, the Seasiders had gained a 35m penalty, which Nathan Smith duly converted. Still no joy at the breakdown, but then a rare Abercynon fumble allowed Scot Mackie to launch a break and while Nathan Smith seemed to have put James Crothers in from 15 metres out, the winger was tackled into touch.

A further Smith penalty on 53 minutes closed the gap to 7 points, but Penarth had to wait until well into the final quarter before they finally got into their stride. Tom Luck made the decisive break, but got turned over in the tackle, yet continued pressure yielded a 5 metre scrum, from which Alan Doyle scored the equalising try.

At 13-13 it made perfect sense to wait for the penalties to come, rather than attempt anything too ambitious and this is how the Seasiders played it.. The only problem was converting them, but at the third attempt Smith popped one over from 20 metres and Penarth had their noses in front for the first time with four minutes remaining. Three minutes later the outside half pushed them a further three points ahead and Elliott Smith finally entered the fray with little time to make his mark. As usual, he made all the difference, setting up two mauls near the line, the second of which led to a second try, this time by Mike Clare.

This coming Saturday, 2^nd-placed Barry are the visitors to the Athletic Field in another re-arranged fixture, having lost their SWALES Plate tie away at Porth Harlequins 6-38.

A week later, the traditional Boxing Day fixture this year against the Old Penarthians will be held at the Athletic Club on the 26th with an 11.30am kick off. This year, the game will be played for the Richard Thomas Memorial Trophy, in memory of the sad and unexpected loss of Richard ‘Dickie’ Thomas who starred for both clubs in the 80’s and 90’s. Added spice is given to the fixture this year as both clubs (having very successful seasons) have agreed to play full first XV’s in a fully competitive match.

PENARTH         Huw Elias, Paul Collett (James Docherty), Adam Lewis, Tom Luck, James Crothers (Ben Donovan), Nathan Smith, Gareth Matthias, Jerome Bryan, Simon Barry, Alan Doyle (Sean O’Sullivan), Owain James, Mike Clare, Scott Mackie, Matt Allen, Tom Bartlett (Elliott Smith).

Scorers:            Doyle, Clare (tries), Nathan Smith (3 penalties, one conversion).

Division 2 East Central

Saturday 19^th December 2015

PENARTH v Barry

The Athletic Field

Kick-off 2.30pm

SEASIDERS OUTWITTED – Saturday 28 November 2015

PENARTH 8 DOWLAIS 15

The Seasiders played well and kept their line intact for 40 first-half minutes in appalling conditions, but ultimately lost the plot with the wind at their backs in the second and were decisively beaten by a better-organised Dowlais side.

When you play a game like this with high winds and torrential rain, it’s usually a game of two halves, but not like this one. Best to take it in chronological order.

Dowlais made first use of the weather and The Seasiders were pretty well unable to get out of their half, as it was impossible to make more than 10 metres with the boot. With such an advantage and their opponents stuck for long periods in their own 22, it should have been a matter of how many points Dowlais could rack up and whether it was too much for Penarth to overhaul in the second half.

The answer, as it turned out, was none at all. Superb last-ditch defence by the Seasiders kept the visitors out and thirty half-drowned players made their way back to dressing rooms at half time.

No change to the conditions in the second half and Penarth clearly fancied themselves as Nathan Smith returned the kick-off 60 meters down-range and James Docherty put the hosts in front with a well-struck penalty.

The promise of more to come was soon dashed as Dowlais began to experiment with what little opportunity playing into the teeth of a gale presented. As it turned out, they were quite good at it. First it was the short-passing game, followed by a garryowen which Nathan Smith cleverly marked, but then they struck gold with a 30-metre maul which ended 5 metres short of the line with Alex Thau in the bin. Dowlais chose to scrummage from the penalty and drove over for the opening try.

In a brief show of defiance with the wind at their backs, the Seasiders pressured Dowlais in their own 22 as the outside half’s clearance slewed into touch ten metres behind where he’d kicked it from. Penarth lost the line-out, but recovered the ball in the ensuing ruck and hurried it along the threequarter line to Huw Elias, who skilfully drew the defence before accelerating to the corner.

8-5 was a good as it got. The Seasiders rang the changes as a complete new front row entered the fray in spotless kit and Elliott Smith came on to steady up the base of the scrum. Also making a welcome return after injury was Gareth Mathias.

Meanwhile, Dowlais had perfected their playing-into-the-wind technique and mauled their way to a further two unconverted tries to lead 15-8 with thirteen minutes to go. By this time, Penarth were in disarray, their scrum beaten and the backs making all sorts of weirdly wrong decisions in a vain attempt to get back into the game. In the end, there was no question as to which team had adapted better to the conditions, just a little puzzlement as to why they made such hard work of playing with the wind at their backs in the first half.

Hopefully better conditions await Penarth at Talgarth next Saturday as they travel to meet 10^th-placed Gwernyfed, who were beaten 15-13 at the Athletic Field on the opening day of the season and have since lost another seven games.             

PENARTH         James Docherty, Huw Elias, James Candy, Tom Luck, Paul Collett, Nathan Smith, Chris Mortimer [Gareth Mathias], Jerome Bryan [Owain James], Mason Good [Simon Barry], Sean O’Sullivan [Alan Doyle], Richard Howells, Stuart Clarke, Scott Mackie, Alex Thau, [Elliott Smith], Tom Bartlett

Scorers:            Elias (try), Docherty (penalty).

Division 2 East Central

Saturday 5^th December 2015

Gwernyfed v PENARTH

Trefeca Road, Talgarth, Powys

Kick-off 2.30pm