Fixture

Taffs Well RFC | 1st Team 0 - 8 Cilfynydd RFC | 1st Team

Match Report
09 December 2018 / Team News

Last Gasp Try Seals 8 – 0 Loss For Taff’s Well Against High-Flying Cilfynydd

On the back of a poor performance against Cardiff Harlequins, Taff’s Well welcomed promotion hopefuls Cilfynydd hoping on the one hand - that the injury hoodoo would lift and on the other – an inspired performance would bring some well-needed league points.

Pristine Pitch

Despite the incessant rain, the Maes Gwyn pitch looked a picture thanks to the efforts of groundsman Roger Watkins but there was a strong wind blowing that kept on changing its mind in terms of where it was heading. The Cil’ pack were the first to show its teeth in an impressive shunt at the first home-fed scrum but when the feed was given over, it was the Taff’s Well pack which got into gear to earn a penalty with an almighty shove of its own.

Good Pressure

The hosts were by far starting to get the better of the territory and placing Cil’ under pressure with a series of penalties and lineouts but even with the benefit of a few busts close to the line, it would be the handling that would be the undergoing with the ball knocked when going through the phases. Winger Tom Cattle showed great nerve to take a high ball under pressure and his pass found outside-half Matthew Hurley who placed a kick to the corner for the visits to concede a lineout 5m out. More promise as Hurley found his way over the gain line but another knock-on would clear the danger.

Edwards Injury

With Taff’s Well dominating territory, thing were starting to look bright until it was found that an errant pass by scrum-half was put down to a shoulder injury meaning that the injury jinx had struck again and an X-Ray would be the next item on his agenda. On came Josh Phillips with a big ask in an unfamiliar position but he managed to fill his boots with a tenacious display at 9. Seasoned veteran and prop Gareth Gibbs showed his nous with a great steal at a maul and the ball was hoofed down to the corner to set up another attacking platform but with a scrum conceded, the ball was again cleared. With another Hurley break splitting the defence, the backline worked the overlap but a poor pass meant that the width was lost and the movement breaking down.

Fierce Scrums

The Taff’s Well lineout was working well and No.8 Max Watkins was ensuring that there was a steady stream of possession from the set-piece but the wind was making it difficult to get pin-point passes away which meant the backs did not have the luxury of running onto the ball at pace. Scrum-time was not for the faint-hearted and probably the most fiercely contested area of the game with prop Deri Vaughan giving as good as he got when the Taff’s Well eight got into gear with some great shunts.

37mins Drought Ends

Such was the level of field dominance in the first half, Cil’ would have to wait until the 37th minute to get into the home 22 with a penalty–won lineout which saw them start to apply pressure but a great rear-guard defensive set led by prop Gibbs forced the visitors to knock-on to see an unusual half-time score of 0-0. Taff’s Well applied all the pressure, ate up all the territory, but worryingly failed to capitalise anything into points which meant that scoreboard operator Roger Watkins could be seeing his redundancy papers served unless there was some second-half action.

First Half Score: Taff’s Well 0 – 0 Cilfynydd


Second Half

Cil’ showed a benevolent side to their nature as Taff’s Well were pinged for hands in the ruck but the kick out of hand was horribly slicing seeing the ball harmlessly over the dead ball line. The first half generosity displayed by Taff’s Well looked to be coming back to haunt almost immediately as a mid-field break carved open the home defence with a scoring pass to the unmarked winger a formality if not for a very timely interception which saw the kicking tee kept safe on the sidelines.

Scoreboard Gets a Nudge

The good fortune, however, was not to last as jack-in-the-box Cil’ full-back Carl Blacker punished Taff’s Well for some wrongdoing with a penalty shot and the first points of the game on the board. With prop Deri Vaughan having done his shift, it was good to see prop Lloyd James throw off his injury troubles and get back into a Taff’s Well shirt. Cil’ were starting to get back into the game led by No.8 Adam Atkins and replacement prop John Ely and it was taking some fine tackling stints by the likes of Phillips and flanker Justin Jones to keep things secure.

Cattle Prodder

After some nifty jackaling from a 10m attacking Cil’ lineout, cordial relations broke down as players sought to vent their disagreements out on each other. If ever there was a sign of a beating heart, it must have come in the diminutive shape of young winger Tom Cattle shaping up to the towering figure of one of Cil’ second-rows; fair play - not a step backwards. With handbags safely surrendered, Taff’s Well were to squander several attacking opportunities with wrong options when overlaps were worked which may have not been so bad were it not for the poor quality of the kicking out of hand which brought the Cil’ back three into the game and full-back Blacker revelling in the freedom.

Game Set and Match

Taff’s Well had probably had 70% of the territory in the match but had failed to show enough purpose to get on the scoreboard thanks mainly to the combination of poor handling in the red zone and a general lack of game management. The deficiency in this area would come with a vengeance as with the last play of the game, Cil’ engineered a rumble close to the Taff’s Well line for prop Ely to barge over and deny the home side a losing bonus point which was the least they deserved for a committed performance which may have lacked polish – but was never short of grit.

Final Score:  Taff’s Well 0 – 8 Cilfynydd


The Verdict

This result was rough justice for a Taff’s Well side that was full of endeavour but lacked the cutting edge to take the game. Cilfynydd managed to get into the Taff’s Well 22 on only two occasions during the first half but for all the territorial dominance, the home side reached the interval with nothing to show for their stranglehold or commitment. The tactical kicking was poor but a huge improvement in defence meant that the Cil’ threat running from deep was kept in check right up until the final passage of the game. There was plenty of frustration with penalties against for hands in the ruck area which will no doubt be discussed before next week’s game against Barry but there’s better news as a scan showed Gwilym Edward’s injury not to be as serious as first thought – phew!

Solid Set-Piece

The scrums were fiercely contested with tit-for-tat shoves but Taff’s Well managed some crucial steals against the head when it mattered most. The lineout went well with No.8 Max Watkins showing a safe pair of hands and flankers Jones and Green were always in the thick of the action. The front row of Vaughan, Desmier and Gibbs must have enjoyed their rumble with their counterparts with the latter putting in some crunching tackles throughout. Second-rows Ben Atkin and Jon Barry added the grunt when needed which typified a good all-round performance by the pack which didn’t give an inch.

Wind has an Effect

It was a difficult day for passing with both sides making many handling errors but substitute scrum-half Josh Phillips did a great job in an unaccustomed position adding some great defensive hits and clearance kicks. Outside-half Matthew Hurley cut the cut the line on a number of occasions but even with centres Matthew Wright and Ryan Smith being solid throughout, the backline couldn’t quite manage to get enough slide-rule passing together to bring pacey full-back back Ronan Barrett into the game. Although wingers Christian Nicholas and Tom Cattle saw very little of the ball, they both acquitted themselves well in both their chase and defensive duties in a game which certainly showed its teeth but lacked the quality to get the pulse going. ‘Both sides struggled to keep quality possession long enough to make it count but Taff’s Well deserved to get something out of the game’ - commented Cilfynydd President and Pontypridd legend Roy Hope.

Match Day Photos:  Press Here


Dave Beese  mail  davecbwales@gmail.com

 

 

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