Rumney v Gilfach Goch 10.09.2011

SWALEC League Division 1 East

RUMNEY v GILFACH GOCH

Riverside Park, Rumney
Saturday 10th September 2011, k.o. 2.30 pm

 
Gilfach Goch v Rumney 26.03.2011
Past playing record : played 2, Rumney 1 win, 1 draw

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

Gilfach Goch : 15.Ian Davies  14.Adam Priday  13.Nathan Walters (Capt)  12.Adam Williams  11.Ryan Evans  10.Gareth Walters  9.Josh Hughes   8.Matthew Llewellyn  7.Johnny Myatt  6.Andrew Williams  5.Paul Llewellyn  4.Damian Adams  3.Ricky Priday  2.Steve James  1.Michael Hughes
Replacements :16.Lee Jones  17.James Locke  18.Matthew Parker  19.Matthew Howells  20.Adam Wray

Referee : Phil Fear, Blackwood

Rumney 21  Gilfach Goch 33

Scorers for Rumney : Dan Millward try, Danny Clark try and conversion and 2 penalties and drop goal

Scorers for Gilfach Goch  : Nathan Walters try, Paul Llewellyn try, Matthew Llewellyn 2 tries, Ian Davies try and 4 conversions

Rumney suffered a second league defeat when they went down to a spirited Gilfach Goch side, whose outstanding performer, No8 Matthew Llewellyn, scored two tries and contributed to his side's other scores. For Rumney, hooker Colin O'Donoghue started powerfully and outside half Danny Clark soon got his eye in to send accurate touch finders down the field, while Gifach, targetting Llewellyn in the lineout, brought their backs straight into play, requiring stout defence from the home threequarters and a particularly strong counterattack by fullback Dan Millward, which lead to a successful Clark penalty when the visitors were caught offside, the outside half landing the brilliant shot from the half way line. Rumney were hesitant at the restart and Gilfach claimed clean possession allowing outside half Gareth Walters to immediately spin the ball wide to Llewellyn on the burst, the speedy back row running thirty five metres before supplying centre and Captain Nathan Walters with a perfect scoring pass. Full back Ian Davies' conversion gave Gilfach Goch a 3-7 lead after twelve minutes and the visitors returned to the offensive with second row Damian Adams and Llewellyn again driving forward and linking with their backs, once more putting Rumney under pressure and on the defensive. The Rumney lineout functioned efficiently, flanker Matthew Way supplying quick, steady ball, and half backs Lewis Andrews and Clark benefitting from the good delivery, bringing in No8 Michael Kelly, second rows Mike Neale and Mike Young and O'Donoghue to drive forward in the midfield. The home set pieces were all rock solid, props John Leadbeatter and Dan Holliday unmoveable and usually gaining the upper hand, but in the eighteenth minute a scrummage malfunction saw the ball squirt out of a Rumney scrum to be seized on by Gilfach flanker Andrew Williams, who released the strong running backs once more. Rumney recovered but then conceded a turnover and Gilfach scrum half Josh Hughes linked with the ever present Llewellyn, who made another massive break, before the ball went wide and Davies crossed for a corner try. Davies added the extra points and within minutes the visitors were attacking again, a quick burst from prop Ricky Priday putting centre  Adrian Williams racing clear towards the posts, but spilling the ball forward a metre from the line. Rumney centre Luke Fear, supported by co-centre Anthony Jones and Millward, took the forwards into their first serious attacking position but an indecisive drive and lost lineout prevented a try being scored but still led to a lengthy period of intense pressure and a penalty in front of the posts, which Clark happily put over. The homeside continued to enjoy their most successful part of the game, Kelly, O'Donoghue and flanker Simon Barry dominating in the loose and Clark contributing more enormous kicks to touch, but Jones suffered a leg injury and had to leave the field. Chris Milton came on at scrum half,  the adaptable Andrews moving to fullback and Millward to centre, and with Holliday and Way creating gaps and Neale and Leadbeatter driving on, play moved into the Gilfach twenty two. From a scrummage, Kelly broke on the blindside and Milton switched the ball to Neale, who flicked it inside to Clark who wrongfooted the defence and neatly dodged his way over to score. His excellent touchline conversion narrowed the score to 13-14 and with Barry, O'Donoghue and Holliday gaining big yardage, Rumney finished the half on a very positive note.  

   

More good play from Rumney at the start of the second half soon led to further rewards, Milton, Way and Barry looking very sharp as play moved back into the Gilfach twenty two, where a loose ball from a scrum was snapped up by Clark who dropped a neat goal under pressure. Barry gathered the high ball well from the restart and set Neale and Fear away, Neale linking with flying wing Gareth Stoppani to put Millward clear for a fifty first minute try. Now trailing 21-14, the visitors started to patiently build up forward drives, linking between forwards and backs and moving deep into Rumney territory. Chris Jones came on at centre when Millward had to leave the field with an injury, and made mighty thrusts at the Gilfach defensive line, while Clark came up with a superb fifty metre break out of defence, but the visitors were also skillful on the counter and launched a series of attacks close to the home tryline. In the sixty third minute this paid dividends when Rumney were surprised as a loose ball shot out of a scrum, and slack defence and tackling allowed Gilfach second row Paul Llewellyn to slip through a gap and score, Davies' conversion levelling the scores at 21-21. Rumney brought on Ryan Fenton at flanker and Carl Fish at hooker, the two players immediately making their presence felt particularly in the contact area and at breakdowns, and wingers Joey Offside and Stoppani looked for work out wide. In the sixty ninth minute, from a penalty infringement, Gilfach pegged Rumney back to their twenty two where a long lineout ball was gathered and fed out to Nathan Walters in the centre, the Captain, spotting that the home defenders had all been drawn infield, throwing a long pass to Matthew Llewellyn for the No8 to run in and touchdown. Davies succeeded with the conversion and despite Rumney's forward power, Gilfach took advantage of more penalties which took them back into the home side's half of the field. In the seventy sixth minute they used a well organised forward drive to set up a platform for Gareth Walters to again find Matthew Llewellyn with a carefully delayed pass, and Llewellyn brushed aside tackles to claim his second try. The remaining period produced no further scores, but having added nineteen points to the board in the last thirty minutes, Gilfach Goch had come from behind to run out winners by a substantial margin and to strengthen their position at the top of the league table. 

Matt Silva, Coach Rumney 1st XV : "In spite of having injuries in key positions, I felt that with the players coming in we would still have enough in our ranks to win this game. Regardless of the score, I still feel it was a game we could have, and should have won. We played some positive rugby at times and this led to two good tries but it was too little, too often to secure the win. We missed a lot of first up tackles which led directly to Gilfach Goch tries. Gilfach are a big, strong side who run hard and always look to win their collisions, and this proved decisive for them. Our set piece went well and our open play and offload game worked well when we applied ourselves. We have a lot of work to put in before our away game to Treorchy next Saturday. As I said in my previous post, this season will prove to be our toughest yet, but I am also confident that this Rumney side will rise to the challenge. The Man of the Match was Danny Clark, Danny has worked hard all the summer and really wants this side to do well. His workrate and attitude is outstanding and he is the type of man and player to steer us through these difficult weeks."

Chris Milton, scrum half Rumney 1st XV : "It was a poor start but by the middle of the game we were dominant and should have run away with it. We scored an awesome try but then we took our foot off the gas, and stupid mistakes and missed tackles cost us, big time. Dan Holliday went well at prop and so did Colin O'Donoghue in his first game back, and Dan Millward and Luke Fear were good in the backs. Everybody needs to turn up in training and be confident so we can really start the season next week against Treorchy, which won't be an easy game."

  
Above, left : Matt Silva, above, right : Chris Milton

Click here to see all the tries from this game and add your comments