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Ystrad
Rhondda 8 Blackwood 13
Blackwood
understandably went into last Saturday’s Gelligaled
Park clash as hot favourites with them having lost only
one league game at the hands of Newbridge, but the look
of disappointment on the Ystrad players at the final whistle
was visible for all to see & had they shown better discipline
the Rhondda outfit arguably did enough to overwhelm the
league leaders.
The home side started positively with quality lineout ball
being provided by second rows Nathan Hughes & Chris
Hanly with Dylan Jones relishing the opportunity to start
at outside half, Jones varying play well in the early stages
& pressure on the Blackwood half backs by Jones &
flanker Masin al Azzawi enabled the latter to steal ball,
Masin showed his pace by storming into the visitors half
& but for an unkind bounce when he chipped over the
last defender the youngster would surely have opened the
scoring.
Despite Ystrad’s pressure it was Blackwood who used
their experience & a turnover ruck inside the visitors
half saw left wing David James race down the touchline for
a converted try.
The early setback seemed to make the home side more determined,
after going through six phases where prop Neil Jones was
heavily involved & Blackwood were caught offside on
three occasions the referee finally lost patience &
gave Ystrad a penalty a couple of yards from the opposing
try line. Full back Geraint Shalton slotted over for three
points.
Blackwood looked to further their lead with a period of
pressure as half time approached & may have but for
a good tackle by Masin when number eight David Brake picked
up & went up the narrow side from an attacking scrum,
Blackwood penalised at the ensuing ruck which allowed outside
half Jones to send a relieving kick up the half way line.
Half Time 3 - 7 Blackwood.
Blackwood’s inside centre added to his team’s
lead with a penalty before Ystrad’s discipline again
let them down, match official awarded the home team a kickable
penalty only for the decision to be reversed for backchat.
The Blackwood scrum gradually got the upper hand & was
helped by a chronic decision by the referee to yellow card
replacement number eight Thomas Hetherington when the ref
deemed Hetherington, who had been on the field for only
five minutes, made no attempt to roll away from a tackled
player.
The away side completed their scoring with a penalty in
front of the posts after Shalton, who had been receiving
medical treatment & was in the process of getting back
into position, was singled out as a lazy runner.
Ystrad battled to the end & many will argue they deserved
more than a losing bonus point & they managed to achieve
that when Hetherington set off on a trademark run off the
back of a midfield scrum, after making his way passed three
defenders he found scrum half Mark Jones in support, Jones
did well to draw the Blackwood wing & send Jamie Wicks
over in the corner. Shalton narrowly missed with the conversion.
This Saturday Ystrad travel to Rumney Bus leaves 12.15
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