WRU Division 4 East

HAFODYRYNYS 10  GWERNYFED 23

Gwernyfed travelled to territories new when visiting Hafodyrynys, west of Pontypool, where the home club offered a convivial welcome but failed to register a home win as Gwernyfed took the points at something of a canter.

Fly half Zac Snape was at the centre of events, potting eighteen points to make certain that the points came back to Talgarth. However, a combination of over-exuberant use of the whistle and an uncharacteristically downbeat Gwernyfed performance made the victory one of routine rather than celebration.

The pitch, weather and ground conditions lent themselves to good rugby and initial sorties by Sean Waldeck, Will Lloyd and evergreen Gareth Dodd suggested that a bonus point might be in the offing. However, rather than keeping ball in hand to take advantage of Gwernyfed’s superior fitness, the kick through was deployed, by and large unsuccessfully.

The hosts were losing set pieces and opted for shortened line-outs. Nonetheless, Sam Stephens still stole opposition ball and use of forwards in the back line saw Sam Clegg, Will Eckley and Andrew Norris punch big holes in the home defence. From one such incursion the attack was stopped only at the expense of a penalty which livewire scrum half Luke Eckley took quickly, passing to Snape on his elbow, the number 10 going over unattended from twenty metres, converting his own try.

Penalties were the order of the day with the referee appearing to have an aversion to anything beyond two phases of rugby. Hafodyrynys took advantage and before half-time had recorded two unconverted tries out wide to turn around with a lead that rather flattered the home side but did suggest that the green, white and blacks need to galvanise themselves in the second period.

Galvanisation subsequently ensued. However, it was never easy and it was certainly never pretty. The home side frustrated both the opposition and the referee and a stream of penalties saw Snape and Dodd pushing the ball into the corners only for the referee to penalise what was a dominant Gwernyfed line-out to maul move. By way of variation, Snape used two penalties to level the scores and then open up a three-point lead.

While Hafodyrynys didn’t look like snatching the lead back, the substantial Gwernyfed touchline support couldn’t rest easy until Lewis Bowen ploughed over after yet another penalty, Snape extending the lead to ten points with the conversion. Another Snape three-pointer closed the scoring but, while this was a comfortable win, a bonus point was on offer and coaches East, Thomas, Dodd and Lewis will be pressing their charges to put that to rights when Blackwood Stars visit Trefecca Road next Saturday.