Fixture

This first home Division 1 East Central game of the season for the Old Firm was the third encounter with Ystrad Rhondda since last May. Within a minute or so of the kick off on a perfect day for a game of rugby, a high kick by full Liam Jones wasn’t taken cleanly by the Ystrad defence and resulted in a visiting forward handling the ball in an offside position. Wing Will Holley converted the 35 metre penalty with a well struck kick between the posts for a 3-0 lead. After defences on both sides repelled each other’s attacks, the Old Firm went further in front after 16 minutes when Number 8 and captain Kriss Sanders picked up from a scrum on halfway and started an attack in motion. Scrum half Ross Davies left the defence for dead when he broke through from a ruck on the Ystrad 10 metre line, giving a well-judged inside pass to flanker Matthew Dixon, who in turn, also gave a well placed inside pass to outside half Kieron Olden who sprinted in from 20 metres to finish off a well-constructed move and to score the first try of the day. Holley converted to put Mount 10-0 but it was short lived as a scissors in midfield from a ruck in midfield from the restart saw centre James Winter break clean through the Mount midfield and give an inside pass to fellow centre Ryan Howells who scored near the posts, outside half Shephard converting to make it 10-7. On the half hour, a penalty to the Old Firm was kicked to touch in the Ystrad 22 where another penalty led to a 5 metre lineout, which second row Sean Moore secured to set up pressure on the Ystrad line, scrum half Ross Davies touching down on the blindside. Holley’s conversion rebounded off an upright to leave Mount 15-7 up. With just a minute to half time, offside at the breakdown resulted in another penalty award to the Old Firm, Holley converting with another sweet strike from 38 metres to give Mount an 18-7 lead at half time.

An attack at the start of the second half by Mount forwards James Cowdry, Jarrod Parfitt, Jack James and Matthew Dixon took play into the Ystrad half where a penalty award from 40 metres midway out was impressively kicked by Holley to increase the Old Firm’s lead to 21-7. Mount were well on top at this stage and a lineout take by Moore on the Ystrad 22 was driven up to the visitors’ line where an infringement saw an Ystrad forward yellow carded and Mount awarded another penalty which was kicked for a 5 metre lineout. A catch and text book drive by the Mount forwards saw prop James Cowdry touch down for the Old Firm’s third try of the match and his third in the two games played this season, which took the lead up to 26-7 after 47 minutes. A bonus point looked on the cards for Mount but Ystrad dug in and competed to the 80^th minute. The last half hour saw play become scrappy at times and three yellow cards issued, which made it two from each side in total for technical infringements. The Old Firm’s best chance of getting a fourth try came from a scrum just inside the Mount half when the ball was moved wide to full back Liam Jones who joined the line and foxed the Ystrad defence with a deft pass to Sean Williams to set the wing free. After being brought down 15 metres out, quick support by the Mount forwards saw the ball driven up to the Ystrad line where a penalty was awarded which was kicked to the corner. A good chance of a score, though, was missed when a misunderstanding at the lineout saw Ystrad claim a turnover and then a penalty to clear the danger. A loose kick with two minutes left gave saw Ystrad throw the ball wide in their own half for right wing Aron Clarke to get away down the touchline and take play into the Mount 22. After the ball was moved across the field to just 5 metres from the Mount line, a number of drives saw second row Jonathan Eaves eventually get over, outside half Shephard converting, to make it 26-14 with the last move of the game, and leave the Old Firm with two wins from two played and 3^rd place in the Division 1 East Central table.