Ystrad Rhondda v Rumney 27.02.2010

SWALEC League Division 1 East

YSTRAD RHONDDA v RUMNEY

Gelligaled Park, Ystrad Rhondda
Saturday 27th February  2010, k.o. 2.30 pm

Rumney v Ystrad Rhondda 12.09.09
Past playing record : played 5, Ystrad Rhondda 4 wins, Rumney 1 win

Rumney : 15. Dafydd Evans   14. Lewis Fox    13. Paul Niblett  12. Lee Mullane  11. Luke Fear  10. Danny Clark  9. Chris Milton  8. Michael Kelly  7. Ryan Sutton  6. Anthony Wilson  5. Joe Mills  4. Paul Bull   3. Darren Fenton   2. Michael Feneck (Capt)  1. John Leadbeatter
Replacements:  16. Richard Ingram   17. Nathan Bridson   18. Matthew Way  19. Ryan Fenton  20. Solomon Matthews

Referee : Scott Fleming, Cowbridge

Ystrad Rhondda 6  Rumney 24

Scorers for Rumney: Darren Fenton try, Lewis Fox try, Chris Milton try, Danny Clark 3 conversions and penalty

Rumney dominated the first scrum and stole the first lineout but despite their power in the set pieces it was their defensive qualities which were put to the test in the opening period as Ystrad Rhondda ran the ball from the start with full back Andrew Hutchings and centre Geraint Shalton both coming close to scores. Rumney flanker Ryan Sutton was like a terrier on loose balls and the speed of the visiting forwards resulted in the home side giving away turnovers and penalties. Sutton also dominated the lineouts, and in the midfield, second row Joe Mills and No8 Michael Kelly made powerful early breaks and prop Darren Fenton snapped up possession in the loose. The stable platform provided by the pack allowed scrum half Chris Milton and outside half Danny Clark to soon spread the ball, Clark's long passes putting fullback Dafydd Evans, centre Lee Mullane and wing Lewis Fox all away on good breaks, and in a similar way sending centre Paul Niblett through the opposition.  Milton's sniping and chip kicks also kept Ystrad on the back foot and in the seventeenth minute Clark landed a good, long range penalty. Rumney prop John Leadbeatter was immense in winning possession and Fox made more aggressive runs, but in the thirty sixth minute Evans gathered a high ball superbly and when his counterattack was eventually stopped by a high tackle, Clark kicked the forwards into position near the home tryline. Sutton obliged in the lineout and the maul was set up, hooker and Captain Michael Feneck and Leadbeatter making the first drive, before flanker Anthony Wilson and Bull supported Fenton as he forced his way over for the first try of the game. Another very good kick from Clark converted the try and put the visitors into a 0 - 10 lead, and with Wilson chasing everything, and Bull, Mills and Kelly powering through midfield, play returned to the home twenty two. As half time approached Milton and Clark created good breaks, Clark drawing in tacklers and creating space outside, and Milton kept the opposition on the backfoot with more kicks and darting runs.

Ystrad's best period of the game came immediately after the restart, when they applied pressure on Rumney, working from clean lineout possession and promising ballcarrying by second row Chris Hanley, and were particularly menacing when Hutchings entered the threequarters on the burst. To stem the tide, Rumney were made to conceded penalties and Ystrad outside half Dylan Jones slotted two kicks to close the gap to 6 - 10, but in the fifty ninth minute Bull gathered a loose kick just inside his own half and fed Feneck, who burst forward and supplied clean second phase from which Evans raced down the blindside and released Fox. The winger still had a lot to do but he battled through two tackles and crossed in the corner, another excellent Clark conversion stretching the lead to 6 - 17. Ystrad came back strongly with hard work from flanker Neil Walker and second row Charles Stevenson, their threequarter attacks only being kept out by stern defence from the visitors. Wilson had now moved to No8 for Rumney and with Matthew Way and Ryan Fenton joining him in the back row, the Rumney forwards regrouped and regained the upper hand. Another fine run from Evans took play deep into the Ystrad twenty two and Way and Ryan Fenton drove effectively into the rucks and mauls, while the backs again cut loose with Niblett and Fox proving very elusive, but the strong home defensive line held firm. In the seventy fifth minute however, a lightning break by Wilson from the base of the scrum, followed by a neat offload to Milton, saw the scrum half blaze over for a fine try. Clark's conversion took the score to 6 - 24 and Rumney brought on Richard Ingram at loosehead and Solomon Matthews on the wing, both immediately fitting in well and keeping Ystrad on the defensive until Mr Fleming blew for full time.

Matthew Silva, Coach Rumney 1st XV : "As a team and coaches we are very pleased to get a win at Ystrad Rhondda.  Ystrad themselves are getting dragged into a relegation dogfight, we knew that it was going to be an immense battle today and they didn't disappoint us. We didn't really crack them until the seventieth minute, up until that point they were always in the game and looking dangerous. We are now setting ourselves apart as a team, because we no longer get into an arm wrestle with the opposition. Dogged determination will only get you so far in Division One this year, if you want to finish in the top six you have to try and play some rugby, and I feel that we are starting to do this. Once again our pack proved unstoppable in the set piece, and the backs are now starting to mix attack well with defense. Big mentions must go to Joe Mills and Paul Bull who have been ill for the past week or so, but played in today's match and gave one hundred percent. The Man of the Match was outside half Danny Clark, he put the forwards in positions on the field where they could play to our strengths. We now look forward to next Saturday when we play Merthyr who are one place below us in the league and we have an opportunity to put some daylight between us and them."