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)