Fixture

If you had turned up to see champagne Barbarian rugby in perfect conditions then after 10 minutes, you would have to have lowered your expectations to settle for a hard-fought war of attrition in conditions more conducive to the Somme. Difficult underfoot and with a ball that was going to play havoc with passing and line-out throwing, the game was to go down to the wire as Taff’s Well sought to keep the pressure on league leaders Abercwmboi with a game in hand.

Early Pressure Tells

With the wind in their favour, Taff’s Well were to profit early as a poor clearance kick was fielded and ran back to earn a penalty opportunity for outside-half Brandon Thrasher to stroke over but he was unable to covert a similar chance minutes later. With visitors firmly in control territorially, left-wing Jack Shaddick fielded another clearance kick to set off on a barnstorming run shedding would-be tacklers to take play up to 5m from the home posts but Cefn Coed were let off the hook thanks to a knock-on.

Scrums On Top

With an advantage at the scrum and both sides suffering at the lineout, Thrasher was given another opportunity to double the score which he duly obliged to take the lead to 6-0 as Cefn struggled to get into the visitors half. With a ball more akin to a bar of soap, the backline struggled to take advantage of possession and even though the back row inspired performance led by flankers Conan Barrett and Rhys Green had prevented Cefn Coed from playing the ball into the visitors 20m for the entire half, the home side still managed to slot over and miss a penalty to reduce the lead to 6-3 in a very forgettable first half punctuated by plenty of effort but little quality in testing conditions.

First Half Score:  Cefn Coed RFC 3 v 6 Taff’s Well RFC

Second Half

With the introduction of prop Gareth Gibbs, flanker Green broke the home defence to see wingman Jack Shaddick break upfield but after being pinged at the breakdown, Cefn were able to set up an early attacking 20m line-out and win a penalty which was to be converted to tie the scores at 6-6. If it was Taff’s Well who dominated the territorial stakes in the first half, it was the home side who have the better of it in the second as a steal at an attacking line-out cleared the decks for Taff’s Well before the home side could add to the score.

Tit for Tat Penalties

With Cefn on the front foot, they took advantage of an offside decision to creep into the lead with a well-struck 30m penalty but this was nullified by a Thrasher riposte to again level the scores at 9-9. Centre Justin Jones managed to break the line but the ball was lost and you could sense the frustration as both sides tried to play rugby but the conditions were always going to have the final say.

Still Time for Drama

With time ebbing, the home eight were building up a head of steam and starting to believe that an unlikely win was on the cards but to be fair, the Taff’s Well defence was rock-solid and didn’t seriously look like conceding a try at any time. Minutes left there may be but there was still time for drama as the Taff’s Well eight were shunted off their own ball at the scrum and hooker Bradley James was to take a sabbatical thanks to a yellow earned at a ruck.

Thrasher saves the Day

Thankfully, there is a lot of resolve in this side and although a having a mixed day kicking the ball out of hand, young Thrasher was to atone for any misdemeanours by keeping his head to calmly convert a late penalty to put Taff’s well back in the lead as they looked to close the game out. Still more drama as Cefn earned a penalty 40m out which was to be used to set up a lineout yards out from the Taff’s Well with seconds left. As the large travelling Taff’s Well support waited with hearts in mouths, there was a gasp of relief as the ball missed touch to be gathered and safely punted to touch as the final whistle blew in a game which both sides will be happy to consign to the history books.

Final Score:  Cefn Coed RFC v 12 Taff’s Well

The Verdict

This was a game that to be honest could have gone either way and the hosts will be gutted that they only managed to get a single losing bonus point out of it. As was commented on the touchline ‘The difference between the two sides was that Taff’s Well are a winning side’, which really summed the day up. The sticky pitch conjured up plenty of mistakes as the ball leapt around like a vaselined eel and although Cefn seemed to make better of the conditions behind, neither side held the ball long enough to threaten their opponents line.

Solid Taff’s Well Defence

The home side started to grow in confidence throughout the second half but they never seriously looked like breaching the Taff’s Well line as everyone stood tall in defence led by a battling performance by flankers Green and Barrett. The scrum was mainly solid but the lineout was a bit of a lottery as the call going long was at odds with the wind which made life difficult for both sides. It’s games like this on pitches like this and in conditions like this that may not show up much as a spectacle and therefore do not show up many names which stand out in anything other than defence hence the short report and the lack of names that usual pepper my ramblings but spare a thought for the players of both sides who battled to make a game of it against a superior opponent than each other.

Men of the Moment

I’ve already mentioned the exploits of the terrible twins of Green and Barrett in a day made for back rowers and it’s difficult to separate them for my man of the match as they both tackled and disrupted all afternoon but I’m going to have to edge towards Rhys Green for his outstanding work rate again in defence and at the breakdown on a day that both sides will be glad to see the back of. I think we'll be more than happy to settle for another four points in the bag away from home.

What did we Learn?

Well…quite a lot actually. We learned that Taff’s Well continues to have great travelling support in all weathers and that the team has a stomach to fight even when the odds may be against them producing a collective will to consistently find a way to win. The team has not conceded a try for the last three league games and only two in the last five games - a stat that will no doubt be uppermost in the mind of coach Axel Rees as the team prepares to travel to Nantgaredig next week for the crucial Welsh Cup 5^th round clash. We learned that perhaps we need to mix up the lineout in bad conditions and that kicks need to find touch in both attack and defence and that the bench is a vital part of the squad. 

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Coming up...

Next Saturday's WRU Bowl 5th round clash away to Nantgaredig is the big one and the great news is that the supporters bus is already full but if there is enough demand, there is talk about putting on another one so please contact Teri on 07515 643662 or Jill on 07973 382854 to place your interest and let's really get there in numbers. I, unfortunately, won't be there next week as I'm working away so we'll hopefully have a brotherly combo guesting as match reporters, look out for that one. Congratulations on another league win for Axel, Hywel and the lads and good luck for next week - you can count on the support as always.

Dave Beese    davecbwales@gmail.com