Penarth edge thriller
Clwb Rygbi Caerdydd RFC 38-43 Penarth RFC
After last weeks disappointment in the Bowl it was back to league action for Penarth this week and a trip to Pontcanna to face old foes Clwb Rygbi. In a match that could best be described as a “cracker for the neutral” Penarth once again showed glimpses of brilliance mixed in with periods that are best forgotten in edging a 12 try classic.
After an edgy start Penarth got on the front foot and asserted forward dominance that was to last throughout the game, the scrum in particular was in devastating form whilst the lineout was operating efficiently. This allowed Penarth to establish good field position from which they worked the ball well for Alex Shore to cross for his first 1st team try. Shortly after Mason Good got in on the act after good yards from James Crothers had split the home defence to extend Penarth’s lead, followed by a James Docherty penalty.
A lapse of concentration and a ragged kick chase allowed Clwb back in as their backs showed what they could do with space and time as they ran from deep inside their own half to score in the right corner. But Penarth’s response was immediate as a good kick chase saw the Clwb number 8 spill the ball in midfield and skipper Rhys Morgan was ready to pounce, three perfectly weighted kicks ahead saw him over the line and under for Penarth’s third try to open up a 5-24 lead.
Just as the Seasiders appeared to have opened up a decisive lead and established complete control a loose phase of play saw the ball turned over and Clwb back on the counter attack some good handling and fast feet saw them under the posts to make the half time score 12-24.
The first 15 minutes of the second half was little less than a disaster for Penarth as Clwb piled forward with renewed confidence to lay siege to the Penarth line. When Penarth did get hold of the ball they couldn’t hold onto it and before long the scores were tied and it looked as though the game had gone.
A raft of changes brought new life to the Penarth attack, Harry Wood, Tom Griffiths, Ryan Jones and Kevin Maddox entered the fray and the Penarth stemmed the tide. And then as quickly as they had descended into mediocrity Penarth turned on the style, in a 10 minute period they scored 3 tries and looked unplayable, man of the match George Roberts lit the touch paper and Matt Allen, Kevin Maddox and Josh Spragg all crossed the whitewash with Docherty adding the extras to open up a 24-43 lead with 13 minutes to go.
Game over you’d presume, but that’s just not the Penarth way. Clwb had nothing to lose so had everything to gain from running the ball from anywhere on the pitch, Penarth were just not quick enough to realise that and over-commitment to rucks saw space open up in the wide channels which the homes side needed no invitation to attack and two quick tries later the lead was just 5 and there was still 3 minutes on the clock. To their credit Penarth found the resolve to battle through the closing stages even coming close to a seventh try before finally knocking the ball off the pitch to come away with 5 pts and a jump to fourth in the league table.
There were many positives from this performance but still plenty to work on this week as next weekend see the visit of high flying Pontyclun who are the early pace setters in the league and who were 71-0 victors over Penarth in March.
Penarth: G Williams (H Wood), M Good (T Griffiths), A Doyle, A Shore, M Allen, J Spragg, S Davies, M Jones (R Jones), S Robinson, J Docherty, J Crothers, R Morgan (c), G Roberts, B Hill, G Kynaston (K Maddox)
Scorers: A Shore (t), M Good (t), R Morgan (t), J Spragg (t), M Allen (t), K Maddox (t), J Docherty (5c/1p)
Athletic Fall Short in Tight Finish
Penarth Athletic 12-17 Taffs Well
In a break from the horrendous weather that has engulfed south Wales over the last week Penarth’s Athletic XV made their seasonal debut on the main pitch against unbeaten Taffs Well in Division 1 of the SA Brain & Co East District League.
After two very easy wins over Old Pens and Llantwit Major this was always going to be a bit of an acid test for the newly formed 2nd XV and so it proved as they came up agonisingly short in a close and competitive game.
Despite having a somewhat mixed bag of a team due to unavailability through injury, holiday and work commitments Penarth started the stronger of the two sides and dominated possession and territory in the opening stages. The scrum was anchored by Chairman Sean O’Sullivan and Lloyd Ellis whilst line out ball was taken with consummate ease by the towering presence of Ben Heywood with delivery from the ever reliable Liam Richards.
Unfortunately Penarth were just not able to turn their dominance into points and on the rare occasions when the visitors did manage to get hold of it they looked dangerous. Indeed with half an hour on the clock Taffs Well got their chance and took it against the run of play and they then consolidated their position with another try on the stroke of half time to lead 0-12.
Taffs Well compelted their scoring in the opening salvoes of the second half to establish a 0-17 advantage from where it looked increasingly like the game was lost. However, this Penarth Athletic team is made of stern stuff and they picked themselves and took the fight back to the opposition.
The back row of Tom Rhys Jones, Elliot Smith and Anthony Hirst provided forward momentum which allowed scrum half Tom Parkinson to provide quick ball to the increasingly dangerous looking back line. Deklan Grotz got the ball moving from 10 and Penarth were back in it with a try out wide from fullback Luke. Centres James Walsh and Dex Trivett made plenty of hard yards and with 10 mintues to go speedster Leon Appiah crossed the whitewash to give Penarth hope of a stunning comeback win.
Alas, time was against them and the final whistle brought relief and victory to the visitors who close within a 2 points of Penarth, albeit with a game in hand at the top of the league. Next week sees the visit of Pentyrch in a double header weekend with both 1st and 2nd XV’s at home.
Team
1. S. O’Sullivan
2. L. Richards
3. L. Ellis
4. D Bennett
5. B. Heywood
6. A. Hirst
7. T. Rhys Jones
8. E. Smith
9. T. Parkinson
10. D. Grotz
11. L. Appiah
12. J. Walsh
13. D. Trivett
14. L. Banaszak
15. O. Lucas
