Glam.Wands v Rumney 22.10.2011

SWALEC League Division 1 East

GLAMORGAN WANDERERS v RUMNEY

The Memorial Ground, Ely, Cardiff
Saturday 22nd October 2011, k.o. 2.30 pm

Glamorgan Wanderers v Rumney 20.02.2010
Past playing record : played 12, Glamorgan Wanderers 9 wins, Rumney 3 wins

Rumney : 15.Dan Millward  14.Gareth Stoppani  13.Paul Niblett  12.Luke Fear  11.Solomon Matthews  10.Danny Clark  9.Chris Milton   8.Michael Kelly  7.Simon Barry  6.Chris Jones  5.Michael Young  4.Paul Bull  3.Darren Fenton   2.Michael Feneck (Capt)  1.John Leadbeatter
Replacements : 16.Colin O'Donoghue  17.Carl Fish  18.Matthew Way  19.Michael Neale  20.Lewis Andrews

Glamorgan Wanderers : 15.Owen Marshall  14.Joe Xiberras  13.Harry Appleton  12.Charlie Johnson  11.Dan Lovell  10.Gareth Cull  9.Tim Cronin   8.Gareth Knight  7.Andrew Bradbury  6.Will Rees  5.Chris Scarf  4.Josh Sheehan  3.Mel Lewis   2.Mike Catris  1.Chris Hole
Replacements : 16.Chris Greenfield  17.Joe Russell  18.Dan Richards  19.Rhys Griffiths  20.Sean Coughlin

Referee : Jason Bessant, Bridgend

Glamorgan Wanderers 23   Rumney 27

Scorers for Rumney :  Danny Clark try and 2 penalties and 3 conversions, Gareth Stoppani try, Solomon Matthews try

Scorers for Glamorgan Wanderers  : Dan Lovell try, Owen Marshall try, Joe Xiberras try, Sean Coughlin conversion and penalty, Gareth Cull conversion

This eagerly anticipated local derby proved to be as tense and exciting as had been expected and despite a large number of errors and penalties, still produced six quality tries and plenty of open play. Rumney came close to scoring in the first minutes, power play from second rows Michael Young and Paul Bull, and the first of many battering runs from flanker Chris Jones, put them in a strong attacking position, but a try for Bull was disallowed because of a forward pass. Wing forward Simon Barry gained good lineout ball and from the start No8 Michael Kelly drove hard at the opposition, outside half Danny Clark contributing neat chip kicks and, in the eighth minute, opening the scoring with a forty five metre penalty when the Wanderers killed the ball. The visitors' offensive continued with a brilliant midfield break by talented scrum half Chris Milton and the intense contests in the contact area went mostly with the team in possession, but in the tenth minute the Wanderers won a turnover and scrum half Tim Cronin counterattacked at speed, feeding No8 Gareth Knight, who set up the ball well for the threequarters, and putting right wing Dan Lovell over unopposed for the first try of the game. Rumney pressed again, Kelly taking two or three tacklers with him every time he had the ball, but the home side defended well, outside half Gareth Cull gaining territory through accurate line kicking. The Wanderers' lineout was well organised and secure, flanker Andrew Bradley and the impressive Knight making no mistakes in acquiring and using clean possession, but the scrummages were completely dominated by Rumney from the opening stages and were where Bull, Jones and Barry harassed the home pack, disrupting planned forward moves. The destructive scrummaging power of props Darren Fenton and John Leadbeatter and hooker Michael Feneck, was matched by their play in the loose where they contested every breakdown and carried well to gain important yards, but Rumney were beginning to give away a surprising number of penalties, some for indiscipline and others for unforced errors. Clark's linekicking was again exceptional and kept the Wanderers on the backfoot, the visitors' defensive line functioning well and preventing Bradbury and second row Josh Sheehan from getting into scoring positions, and were fortunate that as the indiscipline mounted, Cull was unable to kick the resulting penalties. In the thirty second minute, with Bull and Leadbeatter rampant in the loose, winger Gareth Stoppani pounced at a breakdown, snapped up the ball and raced into the home twenty two where Milton worked the ball to Jones whose neat pass back in to Clark sent the outside half through for a try, his own conversion putting Rumney into the lead at 5-10. The visiting backs showed that they could match home three quarters, centre Paul Niblett coming up with crunching tackles and taking the ball forward, while co-centre Luke Fear and Stoppani combined well in a fine handling movement which took play well into the Wanderers' half where the home defenders conceded a penalty. Relishing the scrummages, Rumney chose the set piece and drove over the tryline only for Cronin to be first to dive on the ball and save the certain try. Young made a great steal in a lineout but it was at the lineout that the Wanderers were most confident, and in the thirty eighth minute hooker Mike Catris threw the ball long in their own half, Cronin and Cull released the backs and winger Joe Xiberras cut through midfield in a well planned move where he linked with centre Harry Appleton and fullback Owen Marshall, who covered the final twenty five metres for a fine try. The remaining minutes of the half found the Wanderers making more, good running attacks and Rumney defending sternly, Jones, Stoppani, wing Solomon Matthews and Leadbeatter putting in vital tackles, Clark steady in defence and fullback Dan Millward solid under the high ball and ready to counterattack at speed, but there was no more scoring and the half time scoreboard read 10-10.

Rumney started the second half at speed, Fenton snapping up loose lineout ball and Stoppani cutting infield from the wing, and a rattled Wanderers immediately conceded another penalty which Clark slotted expertly. Cull continued to orchestrate the dangerous home threequarters but it was the visitors who were profitting most at the contact area, Young gaining more excellent turnover ball, Barry countering in the loose, Milton kicking well and Clark running confidently out of defence, creating a spectacular handling movement with Niblett and Fear which was unfortunately called back for a forward pass. Knight kept up his workrate as the Wanderers' outstanding forward and Cull spread the ball wide, knowing that it was in the wide open spaces that his side threatened most, and in the fifty second minute the outside half levelled the scores at 13-13 when the visitors were penalised for offside. The Rumney forward drive at the set scrum gave Milton plenty of opportunities to show off his skills, and in the sixty first minute a huge push forward released Kelly from the base of the scrum to gain ground and win a penalty. The inevitable choice was a new scrummage, followed by a tight drive from Feneck, Fenton and Leadbeatter, before Stoppani once more raced in from the wing, collected a perfectly delayed pass from Clark, and burst through tacklers to score at the posts. Clark converted for a 13-20 lead and sent play back into the Wanderers' territory following Young's clean take from the restart, but Rumney's persistent infringements led to even more penalties and hard fought gains were once more lost, Captain Feneck and Fenton soon being sentenced to time in the sin bin. The visitors rang the changes, Lewis Andrews coming on at scrum half, Mike Neale in the second row, Colin O'Donoghue at prop, Carl Fish hooking and Matthew Way in the back row, and despite more heroic lineout work from Young and Way, and determined defense from Niblett and Millward, Rumney conceded their fifteenth penalty and Wanderers' replacement outside half Sean Coughlin narrowed the gap to 16-20. Two minutes later, in the seventy fifth minute, Coughlin put in a speculative kick from a scrum on the home twenty two, the awkward bounce favouring his speedy backs and setting up a good handling movement which resulted in Xiberras touching down under the sticks. The conversion put the Wanderers into the lead at 23-20 and with only five minutes left on the clock and Rumney down to thirteen men, the result seemed to be a foregone conclusion, but the visitors remained highly competitive, especially at the breakdowns, and Neale, on his return from injury, was already putting in an oustanding performance, thundering through the midfield. A successful lineout gave Rumney quick possession and Stoppani again cut in from the wing, shattering the opposition defensive line and allowing Fear and Millward to set up a position ten metres from the Wanderers' line. Andrews fed Clark who sent out a perfectly timed pass to Neal on the burst, whose excellent ball retention set up Matthews for a difficult, match winning try in the corner. Clark's superb touchline conversion reclaimed the lead at 23-27 and as the game moved into injury time, the Wanderers attacked again through their threequarters, but a storming burst from Jones took the visitors back downfield and their hosts were unable to rescue the situation in the dying seconds, Rumney sealing a remarkable comeback and victory with a four point winning margin.

Matt Silva, Coach Rumney 1st XV : "First of all I have to say what a relief it is to be finally playing in local derbies again. These games just have something about them with both sides having to approach the match with a must win attitude. Neither side disappointed in serving up a great game of rugby with the winning try being scored in injury time. For our boys, they gave a hundred percent and I feel they deserved the victory. An important aspect of Division One is the fact that sides in this league do not give up and will play for eighty five minutes, as we have found to our detriment on many occassions, but this week Lady Luck was on our side after a poor clearance kick fell favourably into our hands, and we took our opportunity well to score the winning try. I can't single anybody out as it was a great team effort, with all the players giving equally to the cause. There were two players who went the extra mile, in John Leadbeatter and Luke Fear, with Luke just shading it for Man of the Match. We  look forward to the return fixture when I am sure the Wanderers will want to even up the score. We now face Mountain Ash on Saturday who have made a smooth transition to Division One and we will have to be at our best to win the game."

Paul Bull, second row Rumney 1st XV : "It was the kind of game I like playing in because it was exciting and we gained a last minute win. The boys didn't drop their heads when they went behind and were down to thirteen men, it is the start of things to come for us. The front row were immense, Clarky's kicking was great and the whole team did really well."

Above, left : Matt Silva, right : Paul Bull

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