Match Report - 10th December 2011

Old Penarthians RFC 1st/2nd XV 10 v Llandaff 1st/2nd XV 28 (Friendly)

Last Last Saturday was designated in the fixture lists as a day for SWALEC Cup, Plate and Bowl competitions but with the Old Penarthians exit in the last round of the Bowl at the hands of St Josephs it left the side looking for a game from the ‘fixture pool’.  Fixture Secretary, Jon Vaughan, managed to persuade a Llandaff combined 1st and 2nd XV to travel to Penarth and on a pitch made soggy after rain during the week and an overnight frost the visitors had a worthwhile trip taking home the spoils by 28 points to 10.

The Llandaff team were very impressive in their warm up and those watching thought that their unity may be too much for a Penarthians team that was a mix of regular first team players and some new faces trying to make an impact at senior level.  Fortunately the game is played for the eighty minutes after the referee has blown his whistle and whilst Llandaff were undoubtedly the better team the visitors made enough mistakes to keep the Old Pens interests alive for most of the contest.

The first score of the game did however go to Llandaff after fifteen minutes when good tight forward play drove the ball into the home team twenty-two, before releasing the back line for centre Ben Wakelyn to take advantage of a slight dog-legged defensive line to score a try.  Daniel Henderson converted to make the score seven points to nil.

Further drives from the Llandaff team saw good defensive work from Tom Sidford, Gareth Jones and James Williams but it was still the visitors with the keener options.  Sean Leach was another to tackle everything that moved and he has made a fine recovery from a back injury that kept him out of action for most of last season and the beginning of this.

Injuries have in fact played a prominent part in the slower than anticipated development of the team this year with the latest victim being captain Mark Sadler who was hospitalised earlier last week with an infection in his arm that required medical care.  He was however prowling the touchline during the afternoon and was a very able deputy for absent coach, Jeff Norman, who was otherwise engaged on police business.
The remainder of the half, which remained scoreless, saw Old Penarthians mount some credible attacks but most came to nothing with the final pass going astray or the wrong option being chosen.  Too often the ball was kicked whilst the opportunity of moving the ball without the threat of league pressures should have restored some confidence.  That said Tim Naylor broke the gain line a couple of times and Alex Lewis was given the opportunity to show his speed in a race to the corner. 

The scrummaging was strong and Lee Brennan, Gareth Boulton and Peter Harry had the opposition front row in all sorts of problems for most of the game until the opposition resorted to passive scrummages.  This spoils many games and takes the contest away particularly when one side is more dominant at this phase of the game than the other team.  It is however becoming more prevalent and taking away the darker arts of the game enjoyed by so few players.

The second half started however with Old Penarthians the more aggressive behind the scrum and with quick ball passed from Simon Davies to Jon Crimp and on to Richie Moir wide out on the touchline it allowed the winger, after an indecisive moment, to show some pace from 50 metres.  The eventual kick ahead was fielded by the defenders but there was some attacking potency shown.

Then came a moment of inventiveness from Gareth Jones, now playing at outside half, who saw an opportunity to chip kick over the on-rushing Llandaff defence into the arms of home team winger, Moir, who raced through from twenty five metres for a score converted by McCarthy.  The scores were then level at seven all.

Unfortunately on twenty minutes Simon Davies did not have the same vision with one of his kicks and it went straight up in the air not gaining any territory and the most alert player around was the Llandaff winger Tom Kane who scored unopposed under the posts for a try converted by Henderson.

There then came the softest try of the afternoon when from a home team throw-in the calls were misunderstood and the Llandaff reserve hooker, Fraser Young,  standing alone at the back, caught the ball and strolled the ten metres to the try line Henderson converted to make the score 21 points to seven.

This was a bit of a disappointment to the home team as their line out had functioned particularly well under the management of captain Mark Smart, and the astute decision to use the lightest forward, Leach, as the jumper supported by the heavy weights.  Another to do well at this facet of the game was Tom Watford in his first outing for the team.

The best try of the game then finished the contest when Llandaff centre Dan Kamau caught the ball just outside his own half and ‘opened his legs and showed his class’ as he raced at the ‘speed of Bolt’ to score under the posts.  The conversion from Henderson completed the match.