Trebanos 2nds 15 Gowerton 2nds 23
Saturday 13th October 2007.
Trebanos’ second team failed to take a golden opportunity to progress in the Swansea and District Challenge Cup Competition with this defeat by Gowerton. A quick glance at the respective teams would have generally been enough to pick the winner of this contest, with the Gowerton fifteen amongst the biggest and heaviest visitors to the park in recent memory. However as has been the story of their season to date the young players of Trebanos seconds don’t seem to read any script other than “we can”.
The first ten minutes of the game went according to the script written by the big guys and Gowerton using their massive forwards were soon encamped on the home team’s try line, only good defensive work delaying the inevitable score which came from a five metre scrum and with everyone expecting a pushover, the Gowerton scrum-half fed his back line and a try in the corner was the result. The next score soon followed with the visitors’ pack mauling their way over wide out for another unconverted try.
Trebanos then lost one of their only two experienced forwards, with prop Ian “H” Phillips having to leave the field with a neck injury and having to bring on a non-front row player. This meant that the scrums were now uncontested, but it only helped ‘Banos a limited amount as the monsters from Gowerton mauled their way around the field.
Trebanos started to play a faster tempo game and moved the ball wide whenever possible or the outside half kicked intelligently to turn not only the huge forwards, but also the non-too small backline of the visiting team who usually then kicked the ball out of play, for a home throw in. It was one of these kicks that brought the first points for the home side, when right wing Dai Morgan chased hard and won a penalty. Scrum-half Owain Hyett took a quick tap and set off on what should have been a short run, but weak defence saw him go determindly all the way to the try line for a score which he also converted. Another long kick won territory and when the visitors were penalised Owain Hyett slotted over a simple three points, to make it ten all at the break.
The second half was much the same as the first, dominated by the slow mauling game of the visitors, who took the lead after a period of pressure inside the home twenty two when they kicked a simple penalty. The home pack fell into the trap of playing the slow game that suited Gowerton and perhaps would have been better served if they had tried to vary their game by calling shortened lines out instead of persisting with full lines out, which they lost more ball than they won as the bigger & stronger visitors just mauled it off them.
The best try of the game came from the home side when No 8 D Coombs stole the ball and rampaged through tackles to set up team mate Huw Davies with an excellent try. Trebanos now found themselves in the lead, somewhat against play and possession, but in the lead nonetheless. The injury jinx that has never been far from the seconds then struck with influential outside half Huw Preece suffering a knee injury and having to be taken to hospital.
The visitors took up where they left off after a lengthy break and were rewarded with a penalty try to which they added a late penalty to seal the win.
Trebanos, even though losing this match, can look back and think about the lost opportunities that were created but not taken. The team must play the type of game that suits them i.e. fast and varied rugby.