WRU Division 4 East

CRUMLIN 14 GWERNYFED 24  

Gwernyfed travelled to Newbridge RFC in midweek for a re-arranged fixture, the hosts electing to play at Newbridge where floodlights are available. That was not the only strange thing about this fixture – some of the opposition were unfamiliar faces, playing on permit, etc., from more senior teams. It mattered little to Jack Williams and his green, white and blacks, their unbeaten season continuing with a well-earned victory over the title-challengers.

After a tough semi-final at the weekend, the coaching team rotated the squad, cup-tied Ryan Davies returning at full back, Scott Rees coming in at lock, a welcome sight for the Gwernyfed faithful with Rees recovering from a terrible injury, and Luke Eckley starting at nine. All three acquitted themselves admirably in a tight game in which both defences were dominant.

Up front, honours were even at the set piece, though Gwernyfed’s pack was more mobile with Lloyd Powell always prominent and props Prys Eckley and Cellan Skyrme regularly making hard yards. However, it was behind where Gwernyfed held sway, Eckley’s swift service from the ruck allowing Joe Winfield to direct traffic to superb effect throughout the game.

All of the three-quarters, wings Will Lloyd and skipper Williams and centres Gethin Davies and Dylan Skyrme, went close only to be held up by a determined and sizeable defensive line. Crumlin made little headway in attack, but as half-time approached with the scoreboard still untroubled, Gwernyfed finally took the lead when the ‘home’ defence overstepped the line allowing Joe Winfield to put over the penalty that separated the teams at the break.

Within two minutes of the restart Crumlin took the lead with a try that owed a lot to brawn, a series of rucks five metres out eventually generating a try under the posts.  Crumlin were dominant for the next ten minutes and it took some sound defence to hold the lead to four points. From a scrum under their own posts Gwernyfed ran the ball to the 22 courtesy of Gethin Davies and Craig Parry, allowing Winfield to execute a long clearance kick. The error that Crumlin committed regularly was to return kicks to full back Ryan Davies. The flyer had regularly beaten several tackles and made big runs and this occasion was no different. When brought down after a mazey fifty metre gallop, he released jack Williams on the left wing. He was also tackled, but Gethin Davies was on hand to collect and run in from twenty metres. The ever-reliable Winfield added the conversion.

For twenty minutes Gwernyfed assaulted the Crumlin defence. Inevitably legs tired and an experienced crew resorted to infringement to slow affairs down. The referee was alert to the ploy and regularly penalised offenders, Winfield adding further pain with three penalties to open up a 19-7 lead.

The hosts had generally based their game upon the pack, but, stung by the prospect of a defeat which damaged their promotion ambitions, mounted an expansive move by way of retaliation, the backs completing the job with an excellent try that saw the ball travel through a dozen pairs of hands.

The conversion looked to guarantee at least a losing bonus point, but the green, white and blacks had other ideas, returning to Crumlin’s 22 where strong drives from Prys Eckley and Rhys Price set up a ruck from which Jordan Curran emerged to carry the defence over from five metres.

The final whistle was a welcomed by Jack Williams’s tired side who nonetheless played wonderfully to beat a bigger side bolstered by players from more senior clubs, in the process maintaining the challenge towards the league title. The Talgarth side welcome Whiteheads to The Brian Jones Memorial Field on Saturday, following which three games on the road in quick succession will be critical in surmounting that challenge.