Merthyr v Rumney 15.10.2011

SWALEC League Division 1 East

MERTHYR v RUMNEY

The Wern, Merthyr Tydfil
Saturday 15th October 2011, k.o. 2.30 pm

Rumney v Merthyr 05.03.2011
Past playing record : played 25, Merthyr 12 wins, Rumney 10 wins, 3 draws

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

Merthyr : 15.Daniel Butler  14.Greg Plant  13.Matthew Trowbridge  12.Adam Williams  11.Aaron Howard  10.Neil Burnett (Capt)  9.Ryan Harries   8.Andrew Murphy  7.Matthew Rees  6.Robert Sweeney  5.Geraint Edmunds  4.Nick White  3.Rhys James   2.Darren Harris  1.James Howe
Replacements : 16.Jonathan Bevan  17.Jonathan Taylor  18.A.N. Other  19.Malachy Mullins  20.Josh Fly

Referee: Gareth Saunders, Rhydyfelin, Pontypridd

 

Merthyr 27   Rumney 21

Scorers for Rumney : Gareth Stoppani try, Danny Clark try and 3 conversions, penalty try

Scorers for Merthyr  : Daniel Butler try, Aaron Howard try, James Howe try, Neil Burnett 3 conversions and 2 penalties

Rumney made a snappy start to the game with winger Gareth Stoppani gathering neatly and causing problems for tacklers with his first break, and scrum half Lewis Andrews firing out quick passes to small organised groups of his forwards, but the visiitors conceded an early penalty and Merthyr kicked their way downfield. Powerful work by No8 Chris Jones, flanker Anthony Wilson and second row Mike Young soon regained useful positions for Rumney, setting up the backs to spread the ball, but more penalties were conceded and in the eleventh minute Merthyr outside half and Captain Neil Burnett opened the scoring with a successful place kick. The big, young Merthyr pack did well in the set pieces to hold the Rumney eight and in the first lineouts the visitors were less clinical than usual, losing ball and giving away more penalties. In the nineteenth minute the Ironmen secured a defensive lineout and a dynamic burst by impressive hooker Darren Harris gained fifteen metres before scrum half Ryan Harries and Burnett found centre Adam Williams who sliced through the midfield, sending out a long pass to Aaron Howard for the winger to collect at speed and go all the way to score in the corner. Burnett added the awkward conversion for a 10-0 lead, and following good possession from a long restart kick, the outside half then sidestepped and sliced through the centrefield before moving the ball wide to the right again, where the attack was carried on by flanker Matthew Rees, Howard and hooker James Howe, who brushed aside weak tackles and finished off the fine handling movement with a second corner try, only three minutes after the first one. Burnett added the extra points and after the restart he launched a huge touchfinder, Rumney's woes increasing when following the lineout, important centre Paul Niblett received a yellow card. The Ironmen's second rows Nick White and Geraint Edmunds efficiently controlled their lineouts and drives but the home side were now conceding penalties themselves and the visitors gaining ground in midfield and more territory from outside half Danny Clark's outsized kicks to touch. Rumney's outstanding front row scrummaging unit, hooker Michael Feneck and props John Leadbeatter and Darren Fenton, ensured excellent possession from the set piece and the breakdowns, Jones continued to cause havoc from the base of the scrum and flankers Wilson and Matthew Way propelled themselves forward, Way also securing precise ball in the lineouts. In the threequarters, centre Luke Fear and wing Joe Offside looked dangerous in what was becoming a good period for Rumney, full back Dan Millward coming in on the burst, and Andrews, quick to the contact area, seeking out second row Joe Mills who made superb gains with his forceful running. Merthyr were strong in defence but the pressure from the visiting forwards was starting to tell and they were reduced to fourteen men when Mr. Saunders brandished his yellow card for killing the ball, and when the Ironmen then pulled down an advancing scrum, he had no hesitation in going under the sticks to award a penalty try. Rumney attacked again through more driving runs from Young and Mills and a fine break out of defence by Offside, and reached half time with the scoreboard reading a more respectable 17-7.

   

Merthyr pressed forward in the early part of the second half and Rumney gave away further penalties, but a very promising attack by the Ironmenn was cleverly anticipated by Jones, who intercepted and sprinted and dummied his way over forty metres, connecting with Stoppani and taking play right to the home tryline. There followed a long period of Rumney pressure close to the posts but from the base of a defensive Merthyr scrum, No8 Andrew Murphy made a snappy blindside break, interpassing with full back Daniel Butler and Harries, the scrum half finally passing back to Butler to run in the try and finish of an excellent handling movement, which had gone the length of the pitch. With only three minutes of the second half gone, and following Burnett's conversion, Rumney again found themselves well behind at 24-7, and although they quickly got back to an attacking position near the Merthyr line, indiscipline crept in and unwanted advice to Mr Saunders was rewarded with a penalty which relieved the threatening situation for the home side. The visitors again showed attacking potential as Millward, Fear and Niblett all found gaps, and in the sixtieth minute a crunching tackle on Murphy by Jones created a Rumney turnover, and Andrews was on it like a flash, whipping the ball out to Stoppani, who still had a lot to do but shrugged off tackles to storm over in the corner. Clark slotted the difficult conversion and sensing that a comeback was now on the cards, Rumney made tactical changes, bringing on Simon Barry at flanker, Paul Bull in the second row, Dan Holliday at prop and Chris Milton at scrum half. The visitors did, however, concede another penalty and in the sixty fourth minute Burnett added three more points to stretch the gap to 27-14. This was followed by a passage of scrappy play with both sides dropping passes and conceding possession, but it was Rumney who gave away an increasing number of penalties, including a further one for indiscipline, although they defended well to keep the Ironmen out, home hooker Harris continuing to put in an outstanding performance. Clark made massive clearance kicks when the homeside were in striking distance of another score, Mills repeatedly battered the opposition defences and Carl Fish took over at hooker in the visitors' pack, and along with Holliday, Leadbeatter and Bull drove hard and deep into the Merthyr twenty two. At a scrum on the Ironmen's five metre line, Rumney created a turnover and Milton was on it like a shot, bringing in Barry, Bull and Leadbeatter to set up phases and then feed Clark who jinked his way passed despairing tacklers to score a fine try under the posts. Only six minutes remained but the visitors were playing some of their best rugby, launching all out attacks to try and win the game, dominating the scrummages and coming very close to getting the score they needed when Leadbeatter was held just short of the line, but Merthyr consolidated their defence and with the final turnover of the game going in their favour, ran out 27-21 winners. 

Matt Silva, Coach Rumney 1st XV : "In this game we were so near, yet so far, the scoreline may suggest a close contest but in all fairness we were virtually nonexistent for the first sixty minutes. I am not being critical, just stating the facts. If we had played for the first sixty minutes like we did for the last twenty, we could have won this game comfortably. Even though the win eluded us, the boys are desperate to put things right on the field, next week's game against Glamorgan Wanderers could really kick start our season and I know the players are relishing a local derby. We need to start games well and gain momentum, as opposed to starting slow and chasing games. Even though it was a poor game technically and structurally, there were some good performances, Danny Clark, Joe Mills, John Leadbeatter, Chris Jones, Gareth Stoppani to name a few, these boys do not take the field to lose matches or do badly, but in rugby you do have difficult patches. We must now consolidate and work our way through this period, starting next week with a big performance against The Wanderers. Today's Man of the Match was Joe Mills. It is with great sadness that I have to announce that Graham Daley, Rumney Forwards Coach, has decided to resign his post. I know that personally, and on behalf of Rumney RFC, we would like to give our heartfelt thanks to Graham for the huge amount of work and dedication he has shown in his two and a half years in this role, and wish him all the best for the future."

Anthony Wilson, flanker Rumney 1st XV : "We had a fairly slow start and took our time progressing ino the game. I thought the boys came out in the second half with plenty of belief and courage and we were very unlucky not to come away with a win. Looking ahead we need a strong performance against Glamorgan Wanderers next week. John Leadbeatter had an outstanding game in the loose today and so did Joe Mills and Chris Jones."

Above, left : Matt Silva, right : Anthony Wilson

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