Fixture

If grit and determination are the ingredients needed to get you through to the next round of a cup competition via an away tie then Taff’s Well had it in bucket loads as they fought back from the poorest performance of the season against a committed Treharris side who managed to field their strongest side of the season to date.

First Half Onslaught

If Taff’s Well thought they were in for an easy ride into the next round, Treharris had other ideas as they dominated the first half in terms of territory as the visitors struggled to put any cohesion into their game with a half littered with errors, errant kicking and a splattering of ill judgement.

A Glint of Gold

As if to show a glimpse of what could be, Taff’s Well were to score against the run of play with a superb effort which involved the ball being fed from an attacking scrum for flanker Rhys Watkins to bust and feed centre Justin Jones who in turn put away fellow centre Ryan Smith to cross and open the scoring with outside-half Brandon Thrasher converting.

Temporary Reprieve

Unfortunately, this was going to be the only highlight for the visitors during a half in which the Taff’s Well scrum looked solid but any possession was regulalry squandered surrendering attack for defence. The home side had set about bossing the breakdown as Taff’s Well seemed reluctant to contest the area with any conviction. Taff’s were also guilty of committing the cardinal sin of not finding touch from relieving kicks which meant that they were to invite the home side time after time to run back at them which meant that the dam threatened to break at any time.

Constant Pressure

Following a series of penalties in the Taff’s Well half, Treharris were able to gain a foothold through a 5m lineout from which they drove to set up a succession of pick and goes before prop Leon Rees barged over to level the score thanks to fullback Ross Jones’ conversion. It wasn’t long before Jones was to make more of an impact on the game as he broke from deep to glide through the Taff’s Well defence before fullback Chris Tottle managed to stop him with a last-ditch tackle which was deemed to be high enough for Jones to stroke over a penalty and put the home side in the lead.

Manning the Barricade

It was all hands to the pumps as wave after wave of attacks were launched the way of Taff’s Well but it was testament to the resilience of the side that the defence scrambled when called upon to ensure that although under siege, the line never looked seriously like being breached again. There was a collective sigh of relief from the Taff’s Well gathering as the whistle went for halftime and the home side were just three points to the good.

Halftime Score:  Treharris Phoenix 10 v 7 Taff’s Well

Second Half

Treharris immediately looked to attack into the Taff’s Well 20m but the ball was turned over and the visitors looked to run from their own line as wing Ronan Barratt broke up the middle but the ball was knocked on ending what looked like a promising passage of play. As Taff’s Well eventually took play into the home half, the ball was spread from right to left with an overlap beckoning but a guilty hand got in the way for a yellow card to be brandished and the visitors one man to the good.

Treharris Man-up (or down?)

To the credit of the home side, they were to handle the loss expertly as they hounded Taff’s Well into mistake after mistake but the main exasperation was to come from the catalogue of handling errors that were unforced as the visitors constantly struggled to piece together any meaningful passages of play.

Pack to the Rescue

This was without doubt, one of the most frustrating Taff’s Well performances for a few years with the comment ‘We seem more dangerous without the ball’, a fair reflection of events as the defence started to contain all incoming threats comfortably only for it all to start again when the ball was lost, knocked on or given away. As the game started to edge towards the final whistle, the pack started to up a gear and you had the feeling that perhaps there was indeed a ‘get out of jail’ card yet to be played with the score standing at 10-7 to the home side.

Bench Plays its Part

It was now all Taff’s Well as the pack sensed a weakening Treharris hanging on for grim life and it was the turn of the home side to be put under siege with substitutes hooker Bradley James, flanker Conor Barratt and flanker Rhys Green making their presences felt from a bench which has played an increasingly important part in closing out recent games with the added bonus of ex-skipper and retiree Gareth Gibbs taking to the field for a popular return to the fold.

Timing to Perfection

As the large group of travelling faithful urged their team on, Taff’s Well were awarded a penalty which was taking quickly to enable a rumble to the line and centre Justin Jones to force himself over to a huge roar  of relief as Thrasher converted to put Taff’s Well back in the lead with moments seemingly left. Perhaps the referee was hoping for a new watch for Christmas as he found seven to eight minutes of extra time to add on which meant that the visitors had to conjure up a huge scrum to defend 15m out to turn the ball over and subsequently shut out the game comfortably for the game to end with the home side on their own line. Phew!

Final Score:  Treharris Phoenix 10 v 14 Taff’s Well

The Verdict

The face and reactions of the Taff’s Well players at the end said it all as they trooped off without much visible celebration knowing that they had made hard work of beating a Treharris side which had fed off their mistakes through most of the match and played with a huge passion. Taff’s Well managed to put themselves under pressure through a collection of errors which could have easily cost them the game but to their credit, there is a resilience running through this team that stems from a pack which is competing for the full 80 minutes and finishing games on top.

Strong Set-Piece

The scrum looked strong with the front row of props Lloyd James continuing his good form backed up by fellow prop Ben Atkin and hooker Matthew Desmier who again provided the platform for a greatly improved second-half pack showing with flanker Rhys Green the standout when he entered the fray. The backline struggled generally with communication and will put this down as a bad day at the office even though they provided all the points and defended well comfortably containing any threats out wide.

The Belief

On a day of frustration, the most encouraging factor to take away from this game is the sense of belief which seems to run through the side with only two losses from eleven games this season (not forgetting the 2nd XV are unbeaten!) and the bench starting to provide some stiff competition as well as making a telling presence on the field. Coach Axel Rees will be delighted with the return of several players from retirement and injury which can only be good in terms of competition for places.

The Reality

What most observers won’t know, is that Taff’s Well fielded a converted wing at scrum-half, a youth outside-half and a flanker and full-back in the centre which goes a long way to explaining why they can’t be expected to fire all the time, the backs defended well and will no doubt be looking forward to next week’s clash with Old Illtydians to exercise the ghosts of Christmas past. Oh, if only most clubs had our problems…

Standouts

This is a weird one because there was no single standout on the day as Taff’s Well failed to turn up for the first half but managed to provide a grandstand finish to steal the game from under the noses of a home side that will be gutted not to have taken anything out of the game. So… as it’s Christmas, I’m going to give the Man-of-the-Match Award to Taff’s Well Rugby Club – for providing great travelling support, another classic cup-tie, thrills and spills on the day and for performing above and beyond expectation in a season which has already provided some fantastic games and results.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Coming up…

Don’t forget the Over 30’s v Under 30’s game on Boxing KO 11.30am, it’s going to be a busy one. The lads will be asked to get over Christmas quickly as they are back in league action next Saturday at home to Old Illtydians and will be looking for another double over league opposition.

Dave Beese    davecbwales@gmail.com