Fixture

Although still healthily placed in second position of the table, Taff’s Well lost the opportunity to put distance between themselves and the chasing pack with an undisciplined performance against a rejuvenated Pontyclun side that made far better of the torrid conditions.

With a string of disappointing results behind them, the home side took the field with something of a welcome full string line-up featuring several players with Premiership experience which ultimately would have a bearing on the result. In contrast, Taff’s Well with several absentees, were to field four youth players and an all-youth half-back partnership of scrum-half Tom Cattle and Brandon Thrasher at outside-half which is a first for as long as I can remember in a league game.

Jones Slides in at the Corner

The eventual outcome belied the start the visitors were to make as they intelligently used the ball to earn an early penalty for outside-half Brandon Thrasher who put over a fine effort to get the scoreboard rolling. Things were about to get better as No.8 Max Watkins broke upfield to feed wing Kyle Baker and as the ball found centre Matthew Wright, he deftly put a kick over the top for co-centre Justin Jones to chase. Using all his experience, he cleverly slid yards from the ball to collect and pop up and over for a try which showed some smart thinking in very muddy conditions.

Pontyclun Counter

Even with the conversion going wide, this was as a good a start that could have been hoped for but the home side were in no mood to lie down and Taff’s Well were to benefit from a series of let-offs as through a succession of penalties, influential No.8 Jack Theaker forced his way over but was adjudged to have knocked on and there was a sigh of relief as home scrum-half Nick Theaker pushed a penalty opportunity wide.

Leaking Penalties

With referee Josh Cowels taking exception to backchat on several occasions, the penalties kept coming for the home side and Theaker started the comeback with an effort from 40m out. As Taff’s Well looked to counter and with the ball screaming to go wide, possession was lost and slick hands put left wing Sam Harris away to feed Nick Theaker on the inside to cross and reward his own effort with the conversion. The self-destruct button had been pressed for Pontyclun to lead at the halfway stage 10-8 in a half where centre Wright had shown some nice touches and the back-row of flankers Rhys Watkins and Captain Lewis Edwards combining with No.8 Max Watkins had done well against an abrasive home unit.

Half Time:  Pontyclun 10 v 8 Taff’s Well

Second Half

The half started with one of several bullocking charges by second-row Ethan Prescott but Pontyclun were to get yet another penalty early doors for another impressive Theaker effort which took the score to 13-8 with another kickable opportunity going wide soon after. There then followed a  frustrating passage of play which saw Taff’s Well pinged for offside from the kick-off and a Pontyclun attack which saw three obvious forward passes going unchallenged before being closed out at the corner flag. To add insult to injury, centre Justin Jones earned a yellow card after the home side trapped him at the bottom of a ruck, I will never get my head around these sort of decisions but I’ll leave any more mention of the officiating right there.

Taff’s Well Counter

To be fair to the home side, they played with ambition and looked to go wide whenever they could with the half-back combination of Theaker and outside-half Rhys Morgan running the show and they were making life difficult for the visitors. With Pontyclun on the attack and choosing to kick over the top, Taff’s Well countered from deep with fullback Chris Tootle on a 50m charge but as he rounded the defence and chipped to chase to the line, he was taken out late for a penalty - but no yellow? Mmm..

So Near so Far

From the resultant 7m penalty lineout, the catch and drive saw play up to the home line but as Ethan Prescott twist over the line, he lost possession for Pontyclun to clear from the ensuing scrum. Still Taff’s Well attacked and camped on the try line but as the defence held, it was the home side’s turn to feel the wrath of the referee as he waved the yellow to give Taff’s Well a numerical advantage.

Taff’s Well pay the Price

It was now all Taff’s Well as wave after wave of attack peppered the whitewash but a mixture of solid defence and ineffective passing and decision making meant that Pontyclun were to withstand the onslaught to keep their line intact as they regrouped to take matters into their own hands. After surrendering possession, Taff’s Well were on the back foot as the ball was spread neatly for man-of-the-match Nick Theaker to break through some weak defence to crash over with the aid of another conversion which sealed a deserved victory for the home side. There was still time for a little more drama as the ball was worked close to the Taff’s Well line for wingman Jack Shaddick to try and emulate his heroics against Abercwmboi but as he went for the interception, his hands let him down which kind of summed the matchup from a Taff’s Well perspective.

Final Score:  Pontyclun 20 v 8 Taff’s Well

The Verdict

Two losses on the bounce in terrible conditions doesn’t exactly stir the heart but there was plenty of effort on show, particularly from the back-row of Rhys Watkins, Lewis Edwards and Max Watkins and it was a right royal dust-up with their counterparts. Pontyclun were more street-wise in the conditions and showed cultured hands as they looked to spread it wide when the opportunity arose. The Pontyclun axis of No.8 Theaker, his cousin Nick at scrum-half and Pontypridd registered Rhys Morgan put on a masterclass of how to play in the mud.

Standouts

Young scrum-half Tom Cattle would have learned a lot as he was thrown to the lions in terms of the quality he was up against but he showed plenty of fight with prop Lloyd James doing his reputation no harm up against Cardiff registered prop Adam Court. Ethan Prescott had his moments with ball in hand but this was not a day for the backs who were up against a backline who looked far more comfortable with ball in hand. The game was there to be won but indiscipline and a breakdown of relations with the man in the middle meant that so much good work came to nought as opportunities were wasted. It’s a difficult one for man-of-the-match from the Taff’s Well point of view as there was plenty of honest endeavour but the quality was missing on the day thanks to a combination of events and circumstances so I’m not going to split the vote from the back-row who performed as a unit on the day throughout - a cop-out maybe but it isn’t a coincidence that it’s this area which has the most competition in the squad.

Coming up…

The big ones don’t stop coming as Taff’s Well host neighbours Pentyrch next week at home in a fixture older than time itself. There’ll be a big crowd for sure so get the babysitters organised or throw a sickie for work as you don’t want to miss this one. I've heard that Terry Potter is cancelling his trip to New Zealand just to watch it, anyone fancy telling his missus?

Dave Beese   davecbwales@gmail.com