Fixture

After the euphoria of the Burry Port Cup win and a stuttering win against Treharris, it was time to turn attention to what has become something of a fiercely contested rivalry over the last few years as unbeaten Abercwmboi were the visitors to Maes Gwyn on a Friday night made for rugby. At three wins each, this was always going to be a big match with Taff’s Well joint leaders at the top of the league and Abercwmboi looking to overtake them with a win, the die was set…

Big Travelling Support

With the away support swelling the numbers, the crowd were always going to play a big part in this affair and emotions were always going to be high – good luck with this one ref! Off we went with the home pack making their presence felt in the scrums and centre Justin Jones making an early break to set a penalty shot chance for youth outside-half Brandon Thrasher who’s attempt rebounded back off the post from 20m out.

Top Tottle Tackle

The Abercwmboi response was to break from scrum-half as full-back Chris Tottle came to the rescue with a last-man tackle. With both sides testing each other with kicks, it was the visitors who were able to draw first blood with a straightforward penalty in front of the posts for outside-half Paul Jones to convert. As both packs were busy crossing each other off their Christmas card list, the home pack were starting to get some good pick and go’s together which would earn Thrasher an easy penalty shot to level the scores at 3-3.

First Yellow

With No.8 Max Watkins earning the ire of the referee for a 10-minute sit-down, Taff’s Well still managed to apply pressure through the forwards for another penalty to hit the post which had you thinking that this may not be our day. The misses were to prove costly as Abercwmboi struck one against the head from a defensive scrum for outside-half Jones to profit by ghosting through for the opening try of the game and adding the extras to open a lead of 10-3.

Scrum Stability

The front row of props Lloyd James and Ben Atkin along with hooker Matthew Desmier were giving the pack a great platform as they formed the vanguard of a front five which was increasingly rising to the challenge together with second-row Conor Barrett who continues his fine season alongside fellow second-row Jon Barry’s with his Rolls Royce engine proving ever reliable. With several forays down the left-hand side coming to nought, Taff’s Well were to be dealt a huge blow as inspirational flanker Rhys Watkins left the field with an injury for another youth player to take to the field in the shape of Ethan ‘Tito’ Prescott who was to show up well on his return from injury.

Tit-for-Tat Penalties

As half-time approached, Thrasher and Jones exchanged further penalties to take the score to 13-6 in the visitor's favour. It was anyone’s game with the Taff’s Well pack getting the edge on their counterparts but the Abercwmboi backs looking good with ball in hand in a half which produces few thrills but plenty of spills.

                      Half-time Score:  Taff’s Well 6 v 13 Abercwmboi

                                                 Second Half

If I’d known what was coming in the second half, I would have asked for a prescription of beta-blockers as the script was to produce a superb advert for village rugby with both sides giving it everything.  The omens were initially good for the home side as they attacked early doors only to lose possession in crucial areas but the big Abercwmboi ball carriers were to ensure that the visitors were to shade the third quarter thanks to some high tackling which was starting to play into Abercwmboi hands.

Stout Heart - Stout Mind

Whatever Taff’s Well were lacking in tackling technique, they certainly weren’t in spirit as time after time, attacks were repelled with the back row of No. Max Watkins, flanker Conor Barrett and Captain Lewis Edwards stepping up to the plate when the need arose. Whatever the visitors threw, it was parried and you got the feeling that the storm was being weathered as Taff’s Well started to go wide and tire the Abercwmboi juggernauts.

Taff’s Well go ‘Close’

Scrum-half Gwilym Edwards was his usual busy self in both attack and defence but aside from a few breaks from centre Justin Jones, the back-line seemed to lack the cohesion or maybe confidence to go wide which stifled the contribution of a very potent back three in wings Close and Jack Shaddick and the irrepressible Chris Tottle at full-back. Not to worry, I’m sure it was all part of the plan. As play was taken from deep in the Taff’s Well 20m zone, a series of penalties eventually led to an attacking lineout from which play was spread wide in front of the visitor’s posts for wing Gavin Close to take the short ball and crash over for a converted Thrasher try with the scores tied at 13-13, game on!

Momentum Swing

As the game picked up in tempo and the gaps started to appear, it was the home pack that was to handle the pace better as they started to get the upper hand in all departments of the game providing a solid platform for the backs to work off. As play developed at the half-way line, inspirational Captain Lewis Edwards found himself in the clear to break down the left and with a few deft show and goes, fed wingman Close in support who took the scoring pass unmarked to dive in at the corner for his second try to the utter delight of the large crowd which capped a fine comeback from the Maes Gwyn men as the pendulum had swung.

Red Mist

With several players taking exception to the score, emotions overtook the situation with punches thrown and most of the players involved, not a great scene which resulted in the referee red-carding Abercwmboi wing Geraint Cutler and Taff’s Well full-back Chris Tottle – not impressed with the latter decision.

Poor Game Management

In truth, Taff’s Well were in control of both possession and territory but some poor game management meant that Abercwmboi were able to stay in the game with the chance of winning it. If you thought for any reason you hadn’t had your monies worth up to now, then you were about to.

Grand Finale

 As the clock ticked down, Abercwmboi drove into the Taff’s Well red zone to spread the ball wide for the last play of the game. With an overlap developed, it needed one scoring miss pass over the top and the chance to kick and steal the game. As the ball went wide from 10m out, 18 yr. old Taff’s Well wing Jack Shaddick jumped and got a hand to it before landing with a little juggling act and setting off downfield as the volume from the crowd rose. Crossing the half-way line, he outstripped the covering defence to race away and dive under the posts after a 90m sprint to the biggest roar I’ve heard from a Taff’s Well crowd at home. Wow – what a finish, Thrasher converting for the toughest of wins even if the score looks comfortable at 25-13 - and four penalties missed. 

                     Final Score:  Taff’s Well 25 v 13 Abercwmboi

The Verdict

Make no bones about it; this was as battling a performance you will see from a Taff’s Well side as the pack put in a full 80-minute performance. Abercwmboi are a good side with good ball carriers and a backline which looks comfortable with ball in hand and it took a wholly committed performance from the whole team to beat them when in truth, it could have gone either way.

The Negatives

It wouldn’t be a balanced report if there weren’t any negatives so let’s get them out of the way. The game could and should have been closed out but a series of poor decisions led to a hair-raising last couple of seconds which while selling more newspapers, will not do anything for coach Axel Rees’s blood pressure. We still sometimes lack purpose going wide when we have so much strength emanating from a back three with gas but this side with so many youngsters in it will only better by playing under this of kind pressure and with this kind of experience.

The Opposition

The big Abercwmboi pack employed their ball carriers to great effect with No.8 Lee Jarvis always prominent and it took great determination to keep them from having a winning influence on the game. Although they were in the game up until the final seconds, I don’t think they could have any complaints about the result as Taff’s Well won the try count 3-1 and with the pack tiring in the final quarter, it was ultimately the Taff’s Well pack that had the final say.

The Positives

After the exploits of the Burry Port game, the players managed to maintain a level which at the start of the season was probably thought unlikely with so many retiring senior players. Young incoming players have matured quickly with a moment of magic at the very end of the game testament to that fact. Captain Lewis Edwards led from the front with Conor Barrett and Jon Barry making nuisances of themselves continually but the whole pack to a man can take a bow as they battled right up until the very end against a big and aggressive adversary.

MOTM

The backs struggled to get the cohesion and the game management aspect will be discussed but they fought and tackled to a man with Gwilym Edwards, Chris Tottle and Justin Jones providing their moments in attack. The sight of young Jack Shaddick striding down the length of the field will long live in the Taff’s Well memory but I’m going to go along with the management’s decision to award Man-of-the-Match to prop Lloyd James who carried, tackled and scrummaged in a performance which typified the attitude of a pack that simply refused to give in on the night.

Good luck to Abercwmboi who will continue to be the bookies favourite to win the league and congratulations to a Taff’s Well side which delivered when it mattered.

Dave Beese   davecbwales:gmail.com