Trebanos 17 Briton Ferry 0
Saturday 3rd September 2011
Trebanos secure first win after promotion to division 4
(match report by Roy Bowen)
Trebanos welcomed Briton Ferry to Trebanos Park for the first Division 4 South West league encounter of the season. Briton Ferry played up the valley with the wind and the rain at their backs.
| Trebanos RFC Team | |
|---|---|
15 |
Cerith Edwards |
14 |
Mathew Edwards |
13 |
Rhodri Thomas (Capt.) |
12 |
Daniel Docherty (repl Gareth Hopkin, 66 minutes) |
11 |
Michael Morris |
10 |
Kristian Jones |
9 |
Rhys Jones |
1 |
Gareth Lynch |
2 |
Dai Davies |
3 |
Chris Balfe |
4 |
Steve Morgan |
5 |
Rhodri Davies (repl Declan Bale, 65 minutes) |
6 |
Rhys Carney (repl Amer Hussain, 40 minutes) |
7 |
Malcolm Whiteman |
8 |
Luke Davies |
| Replacements: | Declan Bale |
| Jamie Watkins | |
| Amer Hussain | |
| Gareth Hopkin | |
| Referee: | Mr. David Jones |
Kristian Jones got the game started and Briton Ferry replied with a long kick up field and into touch on the Trebanos 22 metre line. Ferry won ball at the lineout, drove on and provided good ball for their scrum half; he sent it out to the three quarters; the outside centre went down the middle with a strong run but Rhodri Davies tackled him; Rhys Carney won ball and Kristian Jones despatched it into touch on the half way line. For five minutes or so; neither side gained a distinct advantage and the big Ferry forwards were surprised at the power Trebanos generated in the scrum’s; with young loose head prop Chris Balfe displaying excellent technique and tight head Gareth Lynch locking it all together.
It was Trebanos that put in the first dangerous attack of the game winning ball 30 metres from the Ferry line the forwards drove on then Chris Balfe made a run to 10 metres from the line where the ball was recycled and scrum half sent it out to Kristian Jones but was tackled into touch. Within a minute Trebanos won another lineout on the halfway and a forward combination of Rod Davies, Steve Morgan, Luke Davies, Gareth Lynch and Rhys Carney got them to the 22 metre line, Rhys Jones sent it out to his three quarters and Daniel Docherty went down the middle; recycled ball went to Rod Thomas, Cerith and Matthew Edwards but good cover defence by Ferry nullified the attack.
Back came Ferry and the Banos were caught offside; the outside half put in a towering kick taking his side into touch 10 metres from the home try line. Trebanos obstructed at the lineout and off went Ferry with a short penalty, the big loose head prop drove on under the posts and the ball was sent out to the outside half; but; his drop goal attempt was charged down by Chris Balfe. Eventually after 16 minutes play Briton Ferry won a scrum under the Trebanos posts; but again Trebanos were caught offside in midfield and a penalty awarded some 20 metres in front of the posts. Briton Ferry for some reason opted for the drop goal attempt and missed.
From the kick off Whiteman won ball on the floor; out it went from Rhys Jones to Rod Davies to Chris Balfe to speedster Edwards; but the ball was knocked on and a scrum awarded to Ferry. The Ferry pack pushed Trebanos off the ball; the ball went to the centre but a big tackle by wing Michael Morris put Ferry on the back foot; the tight head prop gathered and took it on; then the second row; but warrior Whiteman tackled him knocking the ball from his grasp and getting a scrum for Trebanos. Briton Ferry disrupted the scrum and the ball went loose; Matthew Edwards booted it on towards the try line and sprinted after his kick scoring out wide. Kris Jones kicked a beauty to put Trebanos seven points ahead after twenty minutes.
Briton Ferry found themselves five metres from the Trebanos line from a penalty kick due to a high tackle by Trebanos on the Ferry scrum half. The big Ferry pack won ball and drove on; the maul went to ground and Malcolm Whiteman was punished with 10 minutes in the sin bin for not allowing the ball to be played. Ferry took a short penalty but knocked on and from the home side’s scrum Luke Davies picked up drove on and Rhys Jones put in a touch finder on the half way line. After 32 minutes Trebanos won ball and attacked down the middle through hooker Dai Davies Chris Balfe and Steve Morgan on it went to Edwards but there was a knock on and Ferry received the advantage. The game ebbed to and fro throughout the next 10 minutes; but; just before half time; Trebanos won lineout ball by Rod Davies and off went No 8 Luke Davies on a 20 metre run; on it went to Kristian Jones and Daniel Docherty but the cover defence was good and eventually the ball was cleared to touch. The referee brought the first half to an end with the score at:
Half Time Trebanos 7 Briton Ferry 0
Amer Hussain replaced Rhys Carney for the second half of this game, young Carney having had a knock on the head earlier in the game. Ferry kicked off playing against the wind and drizzle that made handling conditions extremely difficult. First into action was Briton Ferry with a short tap penalty on half way; the scrum half came down the narrow side; and fed it to the outside half to the centre; who chipped ahead and Trebanos had to scamper the ball into touch 15 metres from the home line. From the lineout the Ferry forwards won ball and drove on; but; they conceded a knock on, and from the advantage Kristian Jones cleared to the half way line. From the lineout Trebanos were caught offside and again the busy Ferry scrum half was off with a tap penalty to the three quarters; the ball went along the line and only a great tackle by ever alert prop Chris Balfe stopped the winger’s progress.
On 46 minutes Briton Ferry put up a poor kick that Cerith Edwards gathered in midfield on the half way line; the full back made progress; but with Speedster Edwards outside him the pass went astray and a chance of scoring. The dominance the Ferry forwards had in the first half had now diminished and Banos‘s scrummaging and lineout’s earned parity; Banos forwards took the game to Briton Ferry. Experienced campaigner Whiteman was at it with the highest tackle count in the game and generally causing havoc amongst Briton Ferry backs whenever possible. It was Whiteman that put in a huge tackle on the Ferry second row that stopped a certain try; in the 50 minute Briton Ferry won ball at the lineout and the big Ferry forwards played pick up and go; first the No 8; then the prop; then the big second row right under the Banos posts; the tackle on the line dislodged the ball and Trebanos were able to minor.
In the 57 minute the Ferry second row was penalised for playing the ball on the ground and Kristian Jones kicked a penalty down field to put Trebanos in an attacking position. Back came the Ferry with forward drives; and telling runs from both centres; but resolute defence by Trebanos kept them out. After some play between both 22 metre lines with no advantage to either side; Trebanos won ball at the lineout and Luke Davies, Gareth Lynch and Steve Morgan drove on and although it went to the Trebanos back’s and likely to score the referee decided not to play advantage and called it back to the 40 metre line and gave Trebanos a penalty. Kristain Jones added 3 points to the score with an excellent kick making the score 10- nil. It was in the 61st minute when scrum half Rhys Jones took a quick tap penalty; out it went to Michael Morris; the wing man beat two defenders on the inside and outside and gave a pass to the supporting Cerith Edwards who; drew the last player and passed back to Morris; the wing man raced in for a well worked try. Silver boots kicked the conversion to add the extra points and make the total 17- 0.
On the 65 minute and 66 minute on came substitutes Gareth Hopkin and Declan Bale. Immediately Bale was into action winning ball at the kick off and lineout. All action Hopkin with his first tackle of the day had to be treated for a cut eye, last week it was a cut head; but Trebanos ‘s talisman soldiered on enjoying every minute of the game. The Ferry attacked down the middle via the lock forward and both centres eventually winning a scrum 15 metres from the line and under the Trebanos posts; in came the right wing taking the pass at pace and on to the No 8 who drove up to within 5 metres of the home line, the ball was recycled and the scrum half sent it out to the second row were Gareth Hopkin put in a great tackle right on the line, Kristian Jones won loose ball for Trebanos and run outside his marker and passed it to Murphy who was tackled into touch 10 metres out; however Jones was late tackled by the Briton Ferry No 8 (certainly their best forward) and the referee dispatched him to the sin bin for ten minutes.
With the Ferry reduced to 14 men Trebanos took advantage with some late forays into the Ferry half. Forward runs by Dai Davies, Luke Davies, Gareth Lynch and Steve Morgan caused problems for the visitors and Trebanos’s fitness levels showed in the last ten minutes as they closed down the game to win a good contest.
Final Score: Trebanos 17 Briton Ferry 0