WRU Division 4 East

GWERNYFED 25  NEW PANTEG 25

The new season was greeted by a glorious day with a large crowd, including a very healthy visitor contingent, enjoying an excellent game of rugby with honours shared, rugby the winner.

With Gwernyfed being moved into the East Division, new opponents present new challenges and so it proved with the visitors from Pontypool. For the first ten minutes a robust pack and speedy set of backs put Gwernyfed under pressure, though back rowers Will Eckley, Lewis Bowen and new skipper Sam Stephens blunted the threat with great tackling and constant pressure at the breakdown.

Once the initial surge was repelled, Gwernyfed’s new look side, including top class youngsters Cameron Shine and Brad Aven getting their first taste of senior rugby, took the game back to the visitors. Props James Brute and James Holmes-Powell punched holes in the defence and once the sword had done its job, the rapier in the form of evergreen fly half Gareth Dodd dived in for the first five points of the new term. Will Lloyd converted and the season was underway.

New Panteg showed all afternoon what a good side they are. When their long clearance offered a hugely fortunate bounce to present their openside flanker with the ball, from the ensuing, sparsely populated, ruck speedy full back Lewis Bury swooped in as the ball saw daylight, stepped over the ruck and showed his turn of foot from 25 metres, the conversion a formality. The green, white and black lead had lasted for a full minute!

On the half hour Lloyd put Gwernyfed back in front with a penalty, a product of some good work involving Shine and centre Zack Snape, but once again the visitors bounced back, equalising with a three pointer from distance potted by Dan James. As half-time beckoned, it looked as if the sides would turn around on level terms until another cruel bounce, this time in Gwernyfed’s favour, offered Tom Morgan a chance out wide which the Llandefalle centre took with aplomb.

The second period started much the same as the first with New Panteg taking the initiative, their efforts rewarded with a penalty that brought them within two points of the home side.

Whilst Gwernyfed’s pack was dominant, the visitors backs were swift and handled well, qualities demonstrated in full when Bury made a break on the outside, releasing Ethan ‘Smiley’ Edmonds who touched down, the lead extended to five points by James’s conversion from wide out.

When, on the hour, Sior Gibbs took advantage of some uncertainty at the breakdown on the green, white and black 22 and strolled in with the defence waiting for the whistle, a ten-point lead looked to have sealed the win for the Pontypool outfit. However, skipper Stephens rallied the troops and with fresh legs in the form of Messrs Parry, Norris, Clegg and Skyrme up front and speedster Sean Waldeck taking over at 15, the stage was set.

First an excellent move initiated by Will Lloyd and Gareth Dodd, the latter delivering a masterful display all afternoon, allowed Will Powell the ghost of a chance on the right. The New Panteg tackling had been fierce all through, and so it proved again, but somehow Powell resisted the challenges and rolled over the tacklers to touch down, Lloyd’s long distance conversion shaving the post.

With ten minutes to go, pressure created by Dodd finding space caused what had until then been a sound defence to panic, the result a penalty which Dodd prodded just inside the 22 metre line. The throw was unerring, skipper Stephens plucked the ball out of the blue sky and his pack returned the compliment by propelling him towards the line. Craig Parry tok over, touching down to bring the scores level and bag the try bonus point. Once again, Lloyd’s kick from wide out was agonisingly close.

The last few minutes had Gwernyfed on top and when Jack ‘Sol’ Williams took a clearance kick wide out he looked to have an opportunity to score the winner until the otherwise excellent referee, Gareth Johns, considered that Williams had knocked on, a decision queried even by the large visiting contingent. Nonetheless, honour was served when a marvellously entertaining game was brought to an end with the spoils shared.

Meanwhile, Gwernyfed Athletic travelled to Newport to play their Pill Harrier counterparts in the Dragons Athletic XV League and notched up a fine 21-5 victory. The first half-hour saw Pill win a stream of possession but they were thwarted as Gwernyfed’s superb defensive performance limited them to a single try. As the big home forwards tired, Gwernyfed gained ascendancy, scoring a converted try to lead 7-5 at half time. The second half was all Gwernyfed, and they scored a further two seven-pointers.

This was an excellent first match of the season for this young side, although it was Darren Rowe, twice the age of a number of his teammates, who pipped them to the man of the match award.



With the Athletic XV winning at Pill Harriers, a hostile venue at the best of times, and returning with a win, the coaching team of Messrs Dodd, East, Lewis and Thomas professed themselves to be moderately pleased with the start – but they hope for more from next week’s visit to St Julians and the visit of Abergavenny Quins to take on the Athletic at The Brian Jones Memorial Field.