Match reports from games played on Saturday 18th October involving the clubs of North and Mid Wales.
Following report kindly supplied by RGC
Cardiff Met 28 v RGC 27 - match report
Tough One To Take - report by Scott Lawson
The only word to describe the 1 point defeat to Cardiff Met would be “Gutted” as RGC outscored the students on the try count 4 to 2.
Head Coach Chris Horsman was once again left feeling disappointed in the close loss “It was pleasing to outscore Cardiff Met 4 tries to 2, and also to pick up 2 bonus points. The game was played under difficult conditions with the officiating and the interpretation of the offside line on the breakdown”
As expected the game was played at a frantic pace with the home side starting more brightly and went 5 nil up with a try from full-back Chris Leversley. The try came from a turnover in the breakdown and RGC looked slow on occasions in the breakdown area.
The students were looking pretty dangerous with the ball in hand and the pace of Leversley and centre Emerson Bessel were causing the Gogs defence problems.
RGC were not really in the game, but they were brought to life with a great try from Alex Schwarz. The scrum half exchanged passes with Carwyn Ap Myrddin and sprinted over the line for the score.
From the kick off the Gogs put themselves under pressure again when a wayward pass from Tom Blackwell ended up behind the in-goal area. From the resulting scrum Cardiff Met were awarded a penalty which was hit by Owen Thomas. The boot of Thomas nailed another penalty.
Kelvin Davies was making some big tackles, as the Cardiff Met side pushed on for a second try, but the RGC captain was doing everything to stop them.
The Gogs answered back with a penalty from the boot of Rhodri Carlton Jones to keep the board ticking over.
RGC were struggling to gain any momentum as time and time again they were finding the referees whistle going against them. It was difficult to see why they were being punished from the touchline and the frustration was building both on and off the pitch.
Fly-half Thomas kicked his 3rd penalty as once again the referees whistle went with the homeside during the breakdown area.
Matters were made worse when Captain Kelvin Davies was sin-binned for persistent infringements, which looked pretty unlucky considering the homeside were going unpunished for being offside on a number of occasions.
RGC dug deep with the 14 men and James Lang made great run to chase down his own kick, and the Gogs took some inspiration from that play. Hooker Andy Baston made a big break through the Met defence and after the ball was recycled it fell to Harri Evans to run in at the corner. Carlton-Jones hit the conversation for a 15-14 half time lead.
As the second half went on RGC were feeling more aggrieved in the breakdown area when they were being punished yet the home side were looking offside on a number of occasions. It wasn’t a surprise when the students took the lead from another penalty. It was clear that Cardiff Met were using the pick and go as a tactic, and hoping the referees whistle would then go in their favour.
RGC on the other hand were still looking for the try and it came after some patient phase play before Carlton-Jones spotted a gap to zip through for the touchdown.
Even after 60 minutes the game was being played at a high tempo and Cardiff Met got their 2nd try in the corner to retake the lead. That lead was extended by another 2 penalties from Thomas as the referees decisions at the breakdown area continued to go against the Gogs.
To make matters worse Kelvin Davies was given his second yellow after he was adjudged to put in a high tackle, and RGC faced being 28-20 down, with 14 men, and 10 minutes left on the clock.
As in the 1st half they didn’t let the man disadvantage hamper them, and replacement scrum-half Cam Davies worked the ball to Carwyn Ap Myrddin who ran in behind the posts for a bonus point try. Carlton-Jones converted to make it 28-27 to the homeside.
The momentum was with RGC and from the restart when it looked as though Cardiff Met knocked on but it wasn’t given, and with that the game was lost.
Nant Conwy 34 v Bro Ffestiniog 5 - match report
Pwynt bonws arall am sgorio pedwar cais!
Another 'bonus point' for scoring four tries!
Sgorwyr Nant Conwy scorers:
Ceisiau /Tries: Cais Cosb / Penalty try, grant jones, Carwyn Ellis, Delwyn Jones & Rhys Jones
Trosi / Conversions: Delwyn Jones (3)
Cosb / Penalty: Delwyn Jones
Sgorwyr Bro Ffestiniog scorers:
Cais /Try: Rhodri Williams
Ar brynhawn gyda chryn dipyn o wynt ond llai o law na’r hyn a addawyd, roedd Nant mewn rheolaeth drwy’r gêm serch fod Bro wedi chwarae’n well na’u safle yn y tabl. Roedd chwarter awr wedi pasio cyn i Nant fynd ar y blaen gyda chais cosb yn dilyn nifer o giciau cosb yn cael eu rhoi i ffwrdd ar eu llinnell amddiffynol gan Bro. Troswyd y cyntaf o’r tri trosiad gan Delwyn. Ymatebodd Bro gydag ymosodiad cyflym ar yr asgell wedi 20 munud a Rhodri, blaen asgellwr yn tirio’r bêl ar yr asgell. Dangoswyd cerdyn melyn i brop Bro am ‘ladd y bêl’ yn fuan wedyn ond ni fanteisiodd Nant ar y dyn ychwanegol. Ond, ym mhum munud olaf yr hanner cyntaf, sgoriodd Nant gais cyflym gan Grant, y cefnwr i orffen symudiad ar draws y maes a throsodd Delwyn gic gosb wedi 41 munud i gwblau’r hanner gyda sgôr o 15 – 5.
Tri munud i mewn i’r ail hanner, ac enillodd pac nant bêl yn erbyn y pen mewn sgrym osod i Bro ar eu llinell amddiffyn. Gwthiwyd pac yr ymwelwyr tros y linell wen gyda Charwyn, y capten, yn codi wedi sgorio’r cais. Defnyddiodd Nant yr awel yn effeithiol yn yr ail hanner a chyrhaeddodd y cais ‘pwynt bonws’ o’r diwedd wedi 27 munud gyda Delwyn (rhif 13) yn torri’r amddiffyn yn gryf i dirio cyn trosi’i gais ei hun. O fewn munud, daeth cais hynod debyg gan Rhys (rhif 12) gyda’i gryfder yn rhwygo’r amddiffyn i alluogi Delwyn i ychwanegu’r ddeubwynt. Sgôr o 34 – 5 ar y diwedd felly a bydd y ddau dîm yn cyfarfod eto y Sadwrn nesaf – 2ail Rownd PlâT SWALEC ym Mhant Carw gyda’r gic gyntaf am 2.30 o’r gloch.
On a breezy afternoon but less rain than promised, Nant were in complete control of the entire match without really ‘turning the screw’ with Bro belying their position in the League table.
Quarter of an hour had elapsed before Nant took the lead with a penalty try awarded after a series of infringements by the Bro pack in defensive scrums.. Delwyn (no.12) converted the try – the first of three successful attempts! Bro replied with a break away try after 20 minutes when flanker, Rhodri scored a try in the left corner.
A Bro ‘prop’ was shown a yellow card almost immediately for ‘killing the ball’ but Nant did not take any advantage of their extra man.. But, Nant scored another 8 points in the last 5 minutes of the half by means of a try by full back, Grant, completing a sweeping backs move and a penalty kick by Delwyn to give a 15 – 5 score at the break.
Three minutes into the second half, the Nant pack won a ball ‘against the head’ in a Bro defensive scrum, and powered their way over the whitewash with captain, Carwyn, touching down. Although Nant were using the breeze well during this half the fourth try was proving rather elusive until Delwyn achieved the ‘bonus point’ try after 27 minutes when he powered strongly through the Bro defensive line.
Within another minute, the other Centre, Rhys, repeated the action and powered through four missed tackles to score a try under the posts for Delwyn to convert. This gave rise to a final score of 34 – 5.
Next Saturday, both the teams will meet again at Pant Carw with a 2.30 p.m. kick off – this time in the 2nd Round of the SWALEC Plate.
Dolgellau 6 v Mold 5 - match report
Following report kindly supplied by Dolgellau RFC
Dolgellau recorded their first league victory of the season following this nail-biting win over Mold, who are now only one place above, in ninth place, and two points ahead of them in the table. This was a must win game for Dolgellau, who have come so close in recent games against the top teams in the League, to maintain the momentum their early season performances have deserved.
The Marian was no place for the faint hearted on Saturday, and the result, as the score-line suggest, was in doubt up to the final whistle, but they prevailed through grim determination, against a Mold side, who also made a mockery of their low standing in the league, who will themselves count themselves unlucky not to record their first away win of the season.
Mold had the advantage of the wind behind them, their hardworking forwards, providing a steady supply of ball to their back line. On 28 minutes they took a deserved lead. The ball worked well between forwards and backs down the right, and right wing Richard Hopkins cutback inside to score a deserved try. Dolgellau’s forwards were in control, but could not sustain long periods of pressure, and had to rely on centre Gareth Hughes slotting over a penalty with only two minutes of the half remaining, to bring them back to 3-5.
Dolgellau centre Jac Roberts almost made it over the line, and the half came to a close with Dolgellau encamped on the Mold line.
Replacements Dewi Thomas at flanker and Greg Smithies at prop revitalised Dolgellau’s efforts, but Hughes missed two penalties, and going into the final quarter, it seemed that Mold would inflict another narrow defeat on the home team.
Their luck changed with 10 minutes remaining. Stand-off Gerwyn Thomas almost made it over for a score, but failed to see wing Dylan Evans wide out. The move fizzled out, but the referee brought play back to a Mold infringement 40m out. Thomas duly took over the kicking duties, and his penalty was the right side of the post to give Dolgellau the most slender of advantages.
The final 10 were tense, but Dolgellau held on to claim the spoils.
Bala 2nds 5 v Pwllheli 2nds 35 - match report
Following match report kindly supplied by Bala RFC
With key players missing and no substitutes, Bala knew that it would be a tough game against a confident Pwllheli side that hasn’t been beaten yet in the league this year.
Pwllheli came out all guns blazing from the whistle and scored a try in the first few minutes when they quickly recycled several phases to release their powerful centre on a crash ball. The onslaught continued and Bala were to concede three more tries in a first half dominated by Pwllheli’s quick offloads and their creative back line.
At half time Bala decided to change their tactics and keep the ball in forwards, well away from the dangerous Pwllheli backs.
Despite an early try from Pwllheli, Bala persevered with their game plan and slowly rumbled the ball up the pitch through the hard work of Alwyn Dylan, Neil Penlan and the Fedw Lwyd brothers. It wasn’t pretty rugby but it proved effective as Bala laid siege to the Pwhlleli line for much of the second half.
In a comedy moment, an attempted Pwllheli clearance hit Neil Penlan in the face, causing him to fall over the try line and score without realising it!
Pwllehli were to score once more before the final whistle.
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