Trebanos 27 Neath Athletic 0
Saturday 19th November 2011
SWALEC League Division 4 South West
Awesome 'Banos Defence Shuts Out Neath Athletic
(match report by Roy Bowen)
Neath Athletic were the visitors to the 'Park', for the first league encounter of the season between the two clubs. Both teams gained promotion last season and have adjusted to the higher standard of rugby. As fellow newcomers to the league we wish them well for the remaining games (but not this one).
It was the same as last Saturday, the Trebanos 'faithful' were out in numbers to see this match, the 'hard cases' were also there sporting their tans and stripped to the waist catching the last remaining sunshine of the year; so, the Indian summer continues; and on a another beautiful unexpectedly sunny November afternoon, Neath kicked off playing with the sun in their faces. Within 30 seconds of the start Trebanos won a penalty 30 metres from their line and outside half Shaun Hamer put in a good kick to take Trebanos up to the visitors' 22 metre line. A scrum from the lineout brought a free kick to Trebanos for an early engagement; off went scrum half Jones to Rhys Thomas; the hooker was tackled; Jones sent it to Rod Williams, tackled; Jones sent it out to Gareth Hopkins to Chris Balfe to Rod Thomas to Rod Williams to Rhodri Davies, who ran in to score a quality try six metres from the touch line. With just three minutes of play gone Rod Thomas just pulled the conversion attempt across the face of the uprights.
Neath attacked Trebanos with a rolling maul; the ball eventually was won by Trebanos and Hamer with an immaculate 50 metre kick sent them back to their 22 metre line. Then the home side caused danger for Neath on the left wing through some clever work by 'Twm' Thomas and Cerith Edwards with the latter being tackled into touch 10 metres out. On the ten minute mark the Neath outside half cleared his line with a raking 50 metre kick up field; Hamer, covering, made a little run in the middle of the field and passed inside to Luke Davies; tackled, he recycled the ball; but the Neath hooker came in from the side and was penalised; he then foolishly threw a punch and referee Mr Williams gave the kick ten metres further on. From 25 metres out and 15 metres from the touch line Captain Thomas added three points to the score. Within two minutes of the restart Neath won ball and the open side was tackled by Malcolm Whiteman; Chris Balfe won ball but the ref penalised Trebanos for playing the ball on the ground. From 40 metres out the Neath outside half narrowly missed the penalty.
It was Rhoss Jones playing at full back that put Trebanos into an attacking position in the 18th minute; he caught a kick on the half way line, came to the narrow side and chipped a kick in to touch on to the Neath 15 metre line. Williams won ball at the line out; Jones sent it to Rod Williams to Shaun Hamer; to Chris Balfe; to Declan Bale; to Matthew Edwards and the flying winger scored in the corner only for Mr Williams to disallow the try and award a throw in for a foot in touch. From the throw in Trebanos won ball; off went Bale, Blake, Davies and Balfe driving towards the line, young Chris Balfe bursting clear and was tackled underneath the posts; but good work by the Neath pack won ball and Neath’s talisman at No8 took it on 15 metres with a bulldozing run; he recycled the ball to the scrum half and he sent a massive kick down onto the Trebanos 22 metre line. The tackling from both sides was magnificent; warrior Whiteman in his 17th season with Trebanos was unbelievable; together with his back row partners Luke Davies and Rod Williams; they must have covered every blade of grass on the Park.
After 24 minutes Neath came attacking the home try line first with a series of forward pick up and go's, first the No8, then both props; then the outside half and No 7; but the Trebanos tackling was magnificent; as always centres Hopkins and Thomas’s defence was resolute; experienced captain Thomas making good decisions throughout the game. It was 'Warrior' Whiteman that eventually won ball; made five metres; recycled the ball to Jones; out it went to Hamer and he booted a spiralling diagonal kick to the corner some ten metres from the visitors line; breaking the hearts of the Neath forwards who had worked so hard up at the other end of the field. Then we had a series of three quarter movements by Trebanos; Jones sent Hamer away; then Rhoss Jones acting at scrum half sent Hamer running and Hopkins went down the middle; only a slight knock on by Rhoss Jones stopped the talented youngster from scoring. Back came Neath with a rolling maul that Trebanos failed to counter and they rolled it on 20 metres; Trebanos got penalised for pulling it down and the outside half put the ball in for a throw in some 15 metres from the Trebanos line. Neath won ball; on drove the tight head; back came the ball; out it went to the Neath outside half; Hamer tackled him; then Rod Williams somehow won ball; out it went to Thomas he chipped ahead; off went speedster Matthew Edwards; he hacked it on twice to the visitors try line; Rhoss Jones and the Neath winger were there, they both missed the ball; but Edwards dived on the ball to score a try in the corner. Thomas drew the kick across the posts missing with his attempt. Trebanos 13 Neath 0.
From the kick off there was an altercation between the hookers and referee Mr Justin Williams sent them off for a 10 minute break in the sin bin in the thirty third minute of the game. Off went Malcolm Whiteman and on came Dai Davies as hooker for Trebanos. From the scrum the big Neath forwards drove on; eventually winning a kick for offside and in it went to touch on the Trebanos 22 metre line. The Neath forwards drove on with a good rolling maul; the blind side emerged on a charge; he passed to scrum half to centre; in came the wing at pace from an inside pass but; Rhoss Jones took him with a great tackle and quickly on his feet; won ball and cleared the danger with a kick up field. From a lineout on the home 5 metre line Neath can count themselves unlucky not to have scored from a series of forward drives the Neath prop drove over the try line but referee Mr Williams right on the spot gave obstruction and a kick to Trebanos.
Half time: Trebanos 13 Neath Athletic 0
With just two minutes of the second half gone and both hookers reinstated; Twm Thomas threw in a long one to the back of the line out where Rod Williams won ball; Kristian Jones threw a lovely pass to Shaun Hamer; a little dummy; the pass went to Rod Thomas bursting down the middle; he was tackled and the ball recycled; scrum half Jones cleverly came down the narrow side; sent out another great pass to Matthew Edwards; he sprinted 30 metres down the touch line and 10 metres from the try line he drew his marker and passed inside to the supporting player; (yes you guessed it) 'that man again', loose head prop Chris Balfe; who gratefully accepted the pass and ran in under the posts for a wonderful try. Thomas from in front of the posts added the extra two points. Neath eventually won a scrum on the 'Banos five metre line but Trebanos drove the bigger Neath pack backwards and won the put in; but in that scrum Neath drove Trebanos back four metres; Luke Davies with good work at No 8 picked up; drove on and recycled the ball. Kristian Jones having a stormer (rightly getting man of the match award) and from his own line and under pressure from both wing forwards put in a huge kick to send Trebanos up to their 10 metre line.
Then came some superlative skills from speedster Matthew Edwards that you would fail to see at international rugby; the Neath outside half dropped a pass on the half way line; Edwards hacked it on 40 metres; won the race for the ball and at top speed picked up the ball in one movement and dived over for a try under the posts giving his side a bonus point. Thomas from in front of the posts kicked the conversion. Soon we saw Rhoss Jones coming down the narrow side with a 20 metre run and passing to left wing Cerith Edwards who sprinted down the touchline; only to be tackled by the cover defence 15 metres out. Neath were far from finished, their second row winning ball for them at the lineout all afternoon and their No 8 gave a superb performance driving at the mauls and generally organising the forwards. Matthew Edwards suffered a hand injury and left the field of play being replaced by Amer Hussain. Trebanos re-organised with Hussain at centre and Gareth Hopkins reverting to the wing position. Then with 20 minutes left on came Gareth Lynch replacing Damien Blake at tight head.
Shaun Hamer at outside half persecuted Neath with kicks throughout the game; driving them back into their 22 metre area. Then the 'faithful' saw some action from the three quarters Kristian Jones to Shaun Hamer to Rhoss Jones; but the ball to Cerith Edwards was forward with a clear run in to the line. After 28 minutes of the second half we saw forwards and backs inter-passing through Declan Bale, Whiteman, Hamer, Thomas and scrum half Jones. During the game he was always probing and sniping down the narrow sides and was a pain for the visitors. On came Dai Davies for Chris Balfe with 11 minutes left on the clock. Neath came once more with good forward play up to the Trebanos 22 metre line; but an offside gave a penalty to Trebanos and Hamer sent them back on to their 22 metre line with a 50 metre special. Trebanos won ball at the lineout; the forwards via Declan Bale, Gareth Lynch, Dai and Rod Davies, drove it on but Neath won a scrum; Trebanos drove them off the ball; out it went from Luke Davies to Shaun Hamer to Rod Thomas who was tackled and penalised for holding the ball. Backchat from Trebanos and the kick was given 10 metres further on. The remaining part of the game was played between the two 22 metre areas both sides having given total commitment. With five minutes of the game remaining Captain Rhodri Thomas had to leave the field with a leg injury to be replaced by that former Glamorgan Under 21 player and Trebanos legend Chris (Spud) Jones, coming out of retirement eight years after his last game for Trebanos due to injuries. I am old enough to remember his first full senior game for Trebanos back in 1988. Well done Spud and well done Trebanos, a fantastic performance especially the tackling.
According to my tackle count Rod Williams and Malcolm Whiteman both on 37 tackles in the game (unbelievable).
Full time: Trebanos 27 Neath Athletic 0
Trebanos RFC |
|
|---|---|
| 15 | Rhoss Jones |
| 14 | Matthew Edwards |
| 13 | Rhodri Thomas (Capt.) |
| 12 | Gareth Hopkins |
| 11 | Cerith Edwards |
| 10 | Shaun Hamer |
| 9 | Kristian Jones |
| 1 | Chris Balfe |
| 2 | Rhys Thomas |
| 3 | Damien Blake |
| 4 | Declan Bale |
| 5 | Rhodri Davies |
| 6 | Malcolm Whiteman |
| 8 | Luke Davies |
| 7 | Rhodri Williams |
| Replacements: | Gareth Lynch for Damien Blake |
| Amer Hussain for Matthew Edwards | |
| Dai Davies for Chris Balfe | |
| Chris 'Spud' Jones for Rhodri Thomas | |
| Referee: | Mr. Justin Williams, Llanelli. |
Today's other SWALEC League Division 4 SW Results (unconfirmed):
Abercrave 5 Maesteg Celtic 36
Cwmavon 17 Pyle 5
Glyncorrwg 24 Briton Ferry 0
Nantyffyllon 12 Resolven 13
Pontardawe 15 Birchgrove 20