Seasiders share 89 points
Cowbridge 53-36 Penarth (HT 34-15)
In an ominous echo of last season’s opening phase, that’s now four defeats out of four league games, but how much trouble are Penarth really in? Part of the problem is that they’ve had to play three teams who’ve hit the ground running and are already in a leading group putting some distance between them and the rest of the division.
Added to this, there’s been a high degree of early-season experimentation, with 31 players having already made an appearance for the first team and this may go some way to explaining why the Seasiders are shipping four tries a game.
On the other hand, the eight tries they conceded in this bizarre try-fest at the Broad Shoard (to which they added five of their own to claim a bonus point) didn’t help the stats.
While the perfect playing conditions suited the hosts’ attacking style, they found themselves an unlikely 10 points up inside nine minutes. Firstly a chip ahead for Jimmy Crothers from a Penarth penalty took a crazy bounce and full-back Josh Thomas had only one defender to beat in his run down the tramlines. Then scrum-half Adam Dix broke free from a ruck and sprinted 40 metres to score in the opposite corner.
Morgan Smith pulled back three points after 15 minutes, but Cowbridge, always with an eye on gaps in the defence, ran in another long-range score four minutes later as openside Joe Davies came off a scrum 50 metres from the line.
The next ten minutes belonged to the Seasiders as they did much better with their possession and Cowbridge finally lost a player to the bin. The comeback began on 23 minutes as Crothers ran a tasty angle on to a short pass and Chris Mortimer powered his way to the line.
15-10 looked a lot healthier, but unfortunately the hosts were to score another three tries before half-time. Two short-range tries, from captain Ross Gibbons were followed by yet another long-range effort from flanker Davies before Penarth got back on the scoreboard after a siege by the pack, with Alan Doyle putting Crothers in at the corner.
Nineteen points adrift at half-time, the Seasiders fell further behind after 43 minutes as the home forwards combined to work hooker Craig Boxall over the line. Worse was to come three minutes later as a loose pass in a Penarth attack allowed wing Rhydian Williams to run it in from 60 metres.
Game over with 34 minutes to play, but the rest of the game pretty well belonged to the Seasiders. Owain Lord scored his side’s third after a break by Ben Hill and although flanker Davies was to complete his hat-trick on the hour after good work by outside-centre Sam Stephens on the hour, a brilliant solo try minutes later from Tom Smith put Penarth in sight of any unlikely try bonus.
This finally arrived with four minutes to go as a long build-up led to a trademark long pass from Kevin Maddox to Hill on the left. The wing cut inside before delivering a superb offload to Lord who scored his second behind the posts.
The Seasiders appear to have all the ingredients in place for success at this level of rugby, but need to cut out the errors if they are going to turn things around. The Swalec Bowl second round takes Penarth to Pentyrch next Saturday, before they return to league action a week later at home to Pontyclun.
PENARTH – Tom Smith, Ben Hill, Owain Lord, Kevin Maddox, James Crothers, Morgan Smith, Rhys Morgan, Richard Merrett, Liam Richards (Iwan Baker), Alan Doyle, Ryan Jones, Harrison Pugsley, Alex Fulton (Owain George), Jack Hughes, Chris Mortimer. Unused Sub – S O’Sullivan
Scorers –Mortimer (T), Crothers (T), Lord (2T), T Smith (T), M Smith (P, 4C)
