SLICK SEASIDERS CLAIM BONUS

Penarth 38-18 Clwb Rygbi Cymry Caerdydd (14-6)

This must have felt good for all concerned. Having conceded 39 points in the Pentyrch twilight last time out, the Seasiders changed nothing for the visit of Clwb Rybi, but instead opted for getting just about everything right.

High-tempo was once again the order of the day, urged on from start to finish by scrum-half Spencer Robinson, who was clearly a man in a hurry. Despite going behind to an early penalty, Penarth responded with ambition. A solid scoring chance was impressively butchered, as was an early penalty, but a steady session of putting it through the phases suddenly erupted as two sharp passes out from a ruck put Harry Williams in at the corner.

The Seasiders were totally dominant in the tight, but gaining little actual advantage from this, which allowed Clwb back over half-way to convert another penalty to draw ahead.

The second quarter was played out in the visitors’ half, but Penarth were frustrated by the lack of continuity in play, as the referee got increasingly involved. However, as spell of consistent place-kicking by Josh Hurley and James Docherty resulted in a healthy 14-6 lead at half-time.

The second half started with a bang as the Seasiders settled into a rhythm. A trademark Rhys Beynon line-break as the centre steamed through to the visitors’ 22 yielded a penalty which was tapped and chipped through the posts with Harry Wood following up smartly for the score. More pressure from the restart and Robinson once again raised the tempo, whipping the ball wide for Harry Williams to cut through for the third try.

By the end of the third quarter, Penarth were fully in control and cruising. A solid scrum in the Clwb 22 was inexorably driven towards the posts with Beynon in possession and as the padding was skewed sideways, the centre was credited with the score and the bonus point was in the bag.

At this point, the host emptied the bench, but now fate took a crazy turn as not one but two Penarth players suddenly incurred match-concluding injuries, leaving the hosts with 13 players and twenty minutes remaining.

The final quarter told us everything about the character of this Penarth squad. With a scrum bolstered by a depleted back division beginning to struggle, they conceded twelve late points as Clwb’s impressive right wing Elis Bedwyr ran in two tries, but instead of simply running the clock down as they picked and drove under the visitors’ posts, the ball was again shipped rapidly wide for Beynon to score his second.

Injuries notwithstanding, the Seasiders looking as if they are in the best nick possible for next Saturday’s visit to second-placed Pontyclun, who dropped points with an 18-18 draw at Fairwater last time out. The 12-39 result at the Athletic Field back in October was mostly a reflection of the visitors’ excellence in the back division, so a high-scoring 80 minutes may be on the cards.

PENARTH:

Rhys Morgan ©, George Roberts, Harry Williams, Rhys Beynon, Josh Hurley (Ben Hill), James Docherty (Andy Richards), Spencer Robinson, Harry Wood, Mason Good, Ryan Jones (Geraint Williams), Andy Lang, Alex Shore, Thaine Baker, Miles Jones, Richie Bowen

Scorers:  Harry Williams (2 tries), Rhys Beynon (2 tries), Harry Wood (1 try), Josh Hurley (2    penalties), James Docherty (1 penalty, 2 conversions).