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FOURTEEN
MAN YSTRAD JUST FAIL
Ystrad
Rhondda 16 Penallta 20
One
could have been excused for thinking Ystrad may have hoped
this top of the table clash be called off with recent injuries
to key players James Davies, Dan Phillips, Captain Chris
Hanly, the late withdrawal of Dan Hitchins due to a virus
& inspirational number eight Thomas Hetherington taking
a mid season holiday & the Saturday morning weather
looked like taking its toll on a pitiful looking Gelligaled
park.
The current squad however have a belief that whoever dons
the Ystrad jersey will be more than a match for all this
league has to offer & it is testament to this belief
which saw the coaching staff, along with the club Chairman
(Ted Griffiths) & several of the players working vigorously
to clear the surface water off the field in the hours leading
up to kick off.
Conditions dictated the game was never going to be a ten
try thriller & it was more a case of a "roll your
sleeves up job" for hard but honest eighty minutes
of rugby, tighthead prop Chris Waygood standing out in the
early minutes cleaning up a loose ball & driving into
the heart of the Penallta pack from which the home team
were awarded a penalty when the table toppers creapt offside.
Captain for the day Wayne Jervis stepped up & kicked
the penalty.
Ystrad gained a useful foothold in the Penallta half by
going through phase play & a pick up & drive tactic
used effectively by powerful second row Hywel Stoddart,
the home team looked to further their lead when from third
phase ball scrum half Chris Rees fed outside half Jervis
whose angle of running allowed him to breach the defensive
line & only a sound cover tackle by the visiting full
back kept the points machine out.
Turnover ball is paramount in these type of matches &
with Ystrad seemingly in control of the ball with a ruck
formed on the half way line Penallta's scrum half somehow
came away with it & sent it along the line for their
number eight to claim a touchdown out wide.
Jervis questioned the ref's decision & the Ystrad outside
half was given a red card.
The determination & controlled aggression shown by the
home side for the remaining 75 minutes was second to none
& no one deserves more credit for this than the man
who switched from full back to outside half, Dylan Jones,
Jones slotting over a well angled penalty to restore Ystrad's
narrow advantage.
Good character by the home team aided by a phase of driving
play where Stoddart, prop Paul Dunning & flankers Neil
Walker & Nathan Hughes were to the fore allowed scrum
half Rees to release his threatening back line, a dummy
scissors between Dylan Jones & eye catching centre Harry
Allen saw the former smuggle his way under the posts for
a try he also converted.
Though Ystrad will bow to the fact Penallta had the better
of the lineout exchanges the home team had the upper hand
in the scrum department even when flanker Hughes defended
in the centre to combat being down to fourteen men. Jones
kicked another penalty when the away team were disciplined
after a infringing at a commanding Ystrad scrum.
Ystrad went in at the break with a comfortable 16-8 lead
& missed a couple of try scoring chances in a first
half they dominated with fourteen men, on one occasion good
interpassing between backs & forwards culminated in
hooker Carl Facey neatly offloading to Hughes only for the
flanker's arm being held back before receiving the ball
forcing him to knock on when going over the line & another
time a hack through by number eight Masin al Azzawi meant
Penallta's full back had to be at full speed to just win
the foot race for the touchdown.
The second half meant Ystrad played up the Galed slope &
looked to further their lead when a cheeky chip over the
fast advancing threequarters by Jones nearly sat up for
centre Allen but Penallta scrambled back & managed to
clear their lines.
Ystrad introduced prop Neil Jones hooker John Watkins &
flanker Tom Hocking & looked in control going into the
last quarter with Penallta pinned deep in their own half.
Two moments of magic by Penallta's outside half turned the
game on its head, firstly when receiving the ball behind
his own line from a scrum he dummied Rees & Walker who
were applying pressure assuming he was going to kick for
touch, he then spun the ball wide for Penallta to score
a length of the field try. Secondly with the clock ticking
down & his team 13-16 behind he noticed Ystrad had no-one
in the full back position he sent through a well executed
grubba kick for his centre to touch down under the posts
& scrum half added the conversion to seal a hard fought
win.
The Ystrad players were noticeably dejected at the final
whistle but can take great heart from the fact they were
on top for the majority of the game with fourteen men &
both coaches Alan Roberts & Mike Griffiths were full
of praise for their efforts. The result leaves Penallta
six points in front at the top of the league but Ystrad
have two games in hand.
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