Fixture

The most disapointing aspect of this game was the refusal of Fairwater to announce whether the game was to have passive scrums until 5 minutes before kick-off. Fairwater have played with a passive scrum for many games this season and while it was not surprising that they eventually chose to have passive scrums because they stated they didn’t have a hooker - it was surprising that the hooker who played was the same hooker that Taff’s Well encountered in the WRU Bowl game last season in full contact, mmm…, don’t worry Sherlock, I may I have this one covered…

It’s always a tough game against Fairwater and referee Francesca Martin had her hands full in a match although played mostly in good spirit on the field, it still managed to produce five yellow cards and at one point had 13 v 13. The visitors quickly got into gear and dangerous outside-half Tom McAloon took advantage of some slack marking to break the line but fortunately for the home side, a knock-on enabled outside-half Rhys Lott to clear his lines from the resultant defensive scrum with a trade-mark hoof. With a steal from the ensuing lineout, centre Justin Jones continued his rich vein of form to break the cover defence only for the ball to be lost in contact and with both McAloon and Taff’s Well full-back Tom Benjamin missing early penalty opportunites, it was McAloon who was to open the scoring with a third attempt from a kick on the home 22 which was fair reward for the amount of possession his side were winning as the home side rarely threatened the opposing half.

Even though the visitors were getting the better of both ball and territory, the Taff’s Well defence stood firm enough to force an error and win a scrum on the halfway line from which Justin Jones made the space to put left-wing Chris Kidley-Burgwyn down the flank. As the cover raced to meet him, he produced a lovely chip towards the line which the Fairwater full-back looked good to cover but he didn’t bank on Kidley-Burgwyn making a brilliant gather at full speed on the ground to collect and bounce over the line for a fine individual try and against the run of play. Score 5-3 with the conversion going wide.

With the home team now trying to cash in on their good fortune, a move down the blindside saw flanker Ieuan Parsons break down the left and feed inside to flanker Lewis Edwards who strode away into the Fairwater 22 but the move was to break down as Parsons was blatantly held back as he looked to receive the return pass and Edwards found himself isolated as the cover defence reorganised and snuffed out the danger. Justice would be served however as with the game drifting towards half-time, Benjamin slotted over a penalty and the visitors were to get the first of their yellow cards which left Taff’s Well much the the happier at the interval with  a lead of 8-3.

            Half-time score:   Taff’s Well 1^st XV 8 v 3 Fairwater 1^st XV

                                                 Second Half

With wingers Ronan Barrett and Mike Lyndon brought into action off the bench, Axel Rees would have been hoping that his side would look to go wide and use their pace and finishing to see off a tenacious Fairwater side but someone forgot to tell scrum-half Gwilym Edwards who on feeding a Taff’s Well scrum on the halfway line, picked up from the hind legs of his No8 to run wide, throw a dummy and split the defence with a darting run to outpace the would-be defenders and score under the posts for another superb effort which was rewarded with a Benjamin conversion to make the scoreline a far more comfortable 15-3 to the home side. This was a massive blow to the Cardiff side as their big pack had been doing well and the half-back partnership of McAloon and scrum-half Luke O’Brien had been providing the cut and thrust behind but they were unable to work out a plan to get past a dogged Taff’s Well defence, even with a sustained period on the home line which saw an incident packed period of resistance producing a yellow card for Taff’s Well flanker Edwards and both a yellow card and an injury for Fairwater as  the sides locked horns with 14 against 13 (Fairwater not allowed to use replacements as they had opted to start the games with passive scrums).

With some huge tackles going in and substitute flanker Adam French and back-row colleague Parsons leading the way, Taff’s Well were able to ride the storm and edge their way back upfield to earn Benjamin another penalty opportunity which he duly obliged with to take the score to 18-3. The half was now being punctuated with so many penalties as both sides suffered from the scorn of the referees whistle, Taff’s Well hooker Desmier and Captain Gareth Gibbs sent to warm the bench for 10 minutes with Gibbs especially baffled by the decision. With 13 against 13 and with so much pace out wide, you would have thought that the game was starting to play into Taff’s Well’s hands and so it turned to be as from a Lott chip, centre Jones juggled with the collection as he was in the free but was unlucky to knock the ball on as he looked odds on to score. To atone for the lost chance, the home side won a scrum inside the Fairwater half and on the Fairwater 40m line which saw Lott provide a miss pass to winger Barrett who’s eyes lit up as he burst through one defender and rounded his opposite number with sheer pace to score another belting try with another Benjamin conversion taking the score to a seemingly unassailable 25-6 and a bonus point win well in sight.

As the tension rose and Fairwater looked to attack, Mike Lyndon killed two birds with one stone as he tried an intercept and did a juggling act which would have got him into most circus acts but the ball cruelly eluded him on the last attempt which would have put him away for the fourth decisive try. With this as a let-off, Fairwater now had other ideas as their pack were not prepared to go down quietly and they proceeded to provide a sustained period of possession which would see them cross the Taff’s Well line twice through tries by prop Paul Halley and second row Owen Paul which rounded off a fine game for him but in the wider context of the game – all too little too late as the home side held on for a 5^th consecutive win in the lead up to the WRU Bowl quarter final game against Caerphilly in two week’s time.

                 Final score:  Taff’s Well 1^st XV 25 v 16 Fairwater 1^st XV

The verdict

It’s difficult not to dwell on the subject of passive scrums as it kills the contest as a spectacle for the spectators and punishes the non-offending side and the WRU perhaps need to have a look at this area if a club consistently struggles to put out a front row whether it is their fault or not; Taff’s Well found it difficult to comes to terms with the laws of passive scrummaging as the interpretations of what is allowed and not allowed seems to differ from referee to referee – maybe sides that opt for passive scrums shouldn’t have the privilege of playing for the points? Just a thought. That said, this was always going to be a tough game as Fairwater have a gritty pack which has proved to be more than a handful for even the best teams in the division and coach Axel Rees will be pleased to take the points although the elusive bonus point went begging for the second week running. It was good to see the backs have the plaudits as players start to become available and with everyone in the reckoning, the backline looks to have a good feel about it as players are back in the right positions with more strength on the bench.

For Fairwater, Tom McAloon played his normally accomplished game at outside-half with his half-back partner Luke O’Brien always a present and dangerous threat as he sniped whenever he had the opportunity but it was their pack who took the honours with standout Owen Paul as the eye-catching forward on the day. Taff’s Well are getting into the commendable habit of taking their chances and although winning only 30% possession, the backs stole the show with three sizzling tries to quash the visitors ambitions and gain more valuable league points. Adam French again showed why he can’t keep a straight face when he tries telling you that he’s retired and flanker Ieuan Parsons impressed with a good performance in both attack and defence.

Good to see Mike Lindon, Darrel Newsham and Tom Benjamin back on the field to bolster the back line and see Axel Rees’s dream of having a full squad available come a little closer to reality for the rest of the season. For my man–of-the-match, I’m going to agree with the consensus and go with centre Justin Jones who seems to be getting better and better as the season progresses with some lovely angled runs and who gives nothing away in defence.

                                     Press here for match gallery

Dave Beese    davecbwales@gmail.com

Coming up…

Doing something on the 18th of Feb? Well forget it. Whether it’s a life-saving operation, your missus’s birthday or going to your own funeral – put it off! It’s cup day at Caerphilly and we’re counting on you turning up with everyone you know to support our boys in the quest to get into the semi-final of the WRU Bowl for the second year in a row. It’s going to be tough but we’ve done it before and your club needs you!

Look for details out for details on the club website and social media as the day beckons:                                        

Date: 18^th Feb

Competition: WRU Bowl

Opponents:  Caerphilly RFC

Venue:  The Constructaquote Stadium, Virginia Park, Caerphilly