BLACKWOOD STARS 5   GWERNYFED 48

The green, white and blacks trod new territory in their first ever trip to Blackwood Stars in the first of the ‘round robin’ series of the WRU Cup. A six try victory was the reward for the Talgarth men, a win marred by a serious injury to ever-willing utility player Rhys ‘Mole’ Price.

An unfamiliar line-up forced upon Gwernyfed by various absences and injuries saw Levi Phillips moving from the back row to scrum half, regular 9 Gerwyn Williams retreating to 15 and re-arrangements throughout the pack. It made little difference to the outcome, indeed the changes spurred the travellers on, within five minutes Tom Morgan collecting a clearance in his own half and taking full advantage of defensive disarray to run in from fifty metres.

It was the turn of the Gwernyfed pack to turn the screw, front rowers Will Nicholls, Joey Jones and Cellan Skyrme offering scrum half Phillips an armchair ride by delivering solid ball from the scrum, Tom Lloyd and Lewis Meredith winning the line out with aplomb. The Stars’ only remedy was to slow the ball down, a tactic rewarded by a series of penalties, two of which Gerwyn Williams turned to points as part of a faultless, eight out of eight place kicking display.

Further scores were inevitable. From another solid scrum Rhys Price picked up at the base and was unstoppable from five metres out. That effort was soon complemented when a rolling maul, Lewis Bowen and Scott Rees prominent, offered Lewis Meredith opportunity to collect five points. Meredith needed no second invitation.

The twenty-seven point half time lead could have been more, Joey Jones being stopped on the line twice in the last few minutes of the first period. However, with the slope and breeze against them in the second period, stand-in skipper Williams reminded his side that it was vital to deliver a tight start. The green, white and black forwards performed according to script and it was not long before the Talgarth side regained the upper hand, a really slick move initiated by fly half Will Lloyd involving Zac Snape and Rhodri Williams putting the skipper clear for a try out wide – once again converted with aplomb.

Amidst triumph, disaster struck when an innocuous tackle had Rhys Price screaming in agony, players and spectators alike hearing the snap of bone. A lengthy delay had home and visiting physios tending to Price, eventually and carefully placing Price on a stretcher, carrying him to the sideline to await professional medical care.

Price’s injury put rather a dampener on the rest of the game. Blackwood Stars, though well beaten, never gave up and got a consolation try on the hour. However, further tries from Scott Rees and Rhodri Williams extended the winning margin, the fifty-point landmark beckoning in the last minute when Zac Skyrke intercepted in defence, releasing Ryan Meredith whose seventy metre dash was valiantly brought to an end on the line by a Stars defence that never gave up in spite of the clear gap in class and delivery.

The stuttering start to the season sees Gwernyfed return to league duty at Tonyrefail next week while the Youth XV travel to Merthyr for what promises to be an exciting contest. Coach Dave Roberts hopes to have a good complement from which to choose, though serious injuries to Price and Matthew Price (broken shoulder) mitigate against the list being full. The injuries underlining the commitment offered by players week in, week out, putting their bodies on the line for the love of the badge.