Fixture

Heol y Cyw RFC | 1st Team 26 - 31 Mountain Ash RFC | 1st Team

Match Report
02 April 2018 / Team News

Mount Up To 6th After Five Try Win

The Old Firm moved up to 6th place in the Division 1 East Central table, scoring 5 tries in this hard earned win at Heol Y Cyw. On a cold Easter Saturday, the home team played with the wind in the first half but it was Mount who were first on the attack after some good ripping work by flanker David Richards saw backrow forward Jordan Coxley link with centre Steve Brittain to take play to halfway. Cyw were using the wind to pin Mount back with regular kicks for position. After a 40 metre penalty was just missed, they went in front when a long Mount drop-out was thrown into midfield where Cyw’s No.8 beat a man and sent his wing flying away down the touchline for him to score the first try of the game in the corner, which was superbly converted to make it 7-0 after 15 minutes. A nicely placed kick into the home 22 by wing Declan Conway resulted in flanker Richards taking the Cyw throw-in and the Old Firm driving to 10 metres out. A scrum to the home side saw the ball passed to a straight running back who was tackled by the Mount defence, with a penalty being awarded for non release of the ball. As quick as a flash, the penalty was taken with outside half Kieron Olden, returning after injury, touching down, and full back Jack Roberts converting, to make it 7-7. Flanker David Richards was taking some superb lineout ball for Mount, aided by pin-point throwing-in by hooker Jordan Howe. The strength of the wind was shown with a 50 metre penalty by Cyw from halfway which put them 10-7 ahead. After a Mount 22 metre drop-out went straight into touch, the home team set up a number of attacks from the resulting scrum which tested the Mount defence, and from a 5 metre scrum, Cyw’s No.8 managed to get over to take his side’s lead up to 15-7 after half hour’s play. Another attack by Cyw took play into the Mount 22 where the ball was thrown into midfield and what looked like a good tackle by the Mount midfield defence, was penalised, with Cyw kicking the 25 metre penalty to lead 18-7 after 37 minutes. The score stung the Old Firm into a response, and from a scrum in midfield, scrum half Ross Davies run wide, dummied a scissors to outside half Kieron Olden, and shot straight through midfield, passing inside to flanker David Richards who finished off a well worked move with a 10 metre run in to score a try near the posts. Full back Roberts converted to bring Mount back to 18-14 behind at half time.

The Old Firm took the ball on through half a dozen phases from the restart to take play up to the Cyw 10 metre line. A strong run by centre Alex Hughes gained ground with Cyw conceding a penalty which was kicked into the home 22. Another penalty award was kicked to the corner and after a take by Richards, the Mount pack drove the home side over for an unconverted try to put the Old Firm 19-18 up after 47 minutes. After prop Thomas Harper – making a welcome return after injury – made ground to the Cyw 10 metre line and set up a ruck, the Old Firm scored the try of the match. Scrum half Davies passed to powerful centre Hughes who put outside half Olden sprinting away in space, and with the home defence spread-eagled, a pass to the unmarked David Richards near the Cyw 22 saw the ever-present flanker run 25 metres for a superb try in the corner, which made it 24-18 to Mount after 50 minutes play. The home side were always competitive and responded by taking play into the Mount half where a number of phases took play into the 22. A quickly taken penalty saw a home forward burrowing in for an unconverted try wide out which reduced the Old Firm’s lead to 24-23 after 59 minutes. For a third time, Mount responded almost immediately. After a lineout take, scrum half Ross Davies put in a neat grubber kick up to the Cyw 22 which turned the home defence, with man of the match, flanker David Richards, quickly up to pressure the full back. After play was taken up to the Cyw line, a 5 metre scrum saw centre Alex Hughes cut in to score the Old Firm’s fifth try of the game, full back Jack Roberts kicking an important conversion to put Mount 8 points clear at 31-23 up after 63 minutes. The game remained competitive and two technical offences in the final 17 minutes saw a yellow card for both sides, but they had little effect. A 25 metre penalty with just two minutes remaining gained Cyw a losing bonus point, but time run out, leaving Mount with the win and a bonus point, which puts them in 6th place on 39 points, with 4 games still left to play.

Players Fixture player info not published.
Gallery

There doesn't appear to be any tagged photos.

Upload and Tag Photos