WRU Division 4 East Central

TONYREFAIL 29 GWERNYFED  22

Gwernyfed’s season of travels continued with a lengthy trip to the Rhondda where their exertions fell just short of bringing the reward that their sterling efforts deserved back up the A470.

A bright day and an excellent pitch offered the opportunity for open rugby and green, white and black half backs Levi Phillips and Will Lloyd took full advantage of their pack’s go forward gear, releasing centres Rhodri Williams and Tom Morgan at every opportunity. Wings Zac Snape and Ryan Meredith looked for work and a score looked inevitable, but, as was the case for the full eighty minutes, the referee had other ideas.

After various sorties ended in the award of a defensive penalty, the host finally penetrated Gwernyfed territory and fully capitalised by scoring out wide after a series of rucks, the conversion rubbing salt into the wounds.

Not discouraged, the visiting pack set the scene for further attacks and with front row Will Nicholls, Craig Parry and James Brute in full control of the scrum and Sam Stephens and Lewis Meredith dominating the line out, the chance to equalise was not long in coming. It was Lewis Bowen who set the try up with a rumbustious run down the centre, allowing Phillips to release the backs. The ball travelled at speed through the hands of Lloyd, Snape and Ryan Meredith whose final pass was timed to give full back Gerwu=yn Williams just the opening he loves. His conversion from the touch line re-instated the status quo.

It was all Gwernyfed and when Chuck Norris took the game back to the home defence whose last ditch efforts prevented a score, quick thinking Lewis Meredith picked up from the back of the ruck and ploughed straight through the static opposition to touch down between the sticks, the conversion a formality for Williams as was the penalty that opened up a ten point lead as the half-time whistle blew.

With the breeze and slope at their backs and egged on by a decent crowd, the experienced home side tore into the work in the second half. Staunch defence was needed and delivered but inevitably a hole open here and there and on one such occasion the old heads in the Tonyrefail pack exploited the opportunity. The conversion was swiftly followed by a successful penalty to bring the scores level.

Penalties against Gwernyfed were the order of the day but particularly the order of the second half. The upshot was that the Talgarth men were penned into their own 22 for much of the period. Even successful clearances were regularly penalised for failure to retreat even though Brute’s men certainly applied the ‘once bitten, twice shy’ principle.

The tide was too strong to resist and the last twenty minutes saw the hosts add two tries, one converted to take the game away from Brute’s gallant side. However, they showed their resilience by camping in the home 22 for the last five minutes, their resolve rewarded when young Huw Thompson plunged over for his first senior green, white and black try, securing the bonus point that Gwernyfed more than deserved.

Next week sees yet another trip to the Rhondda when Wattstown, old and robust foes, ar the hosts. Gwernyfed have earned plenty of travel miles rewards in the first month of the season but a repeat of this performance should see those supplemented by league points.