Fixture

Although Treorchy had inventive backs who were sharp even when they played with 14 men after one of their forwards was sent off after 8 minutes of this Worthington Mid District Cup semi-final, it was the kicking prowess of outside half Jordan Lloyd which ultimately won them the game, converting five penalties. Throughout the game, the breakdown area was fiercely contested with the Zebras being awarded a number of penalties which Lloyd made the most of.

Mount went straight on the attack and were 3-0 up in the opening minutes with a 15 metre penalty by full back Jack Roberts. Drives by forwards Jarrod Parfitt and Jack James made ground for the Old Firm, and then a short pass to flanker Jordan Coxley saw him take play up to the Treorchy 22. After the ball was moved wide, a scuffle ensued on the floor which the referee initially dealt with two yellow cards, but after talking to a neutral touchjudge, he revised his decision and issued a red card to the Treorchy forward and a yellow card to the Mount one. He also awarded a penalty to Mount which full back Roberts kicked from 35 metres to make it 6-0. Treorchy stuck to their game plan of moving the ball around the field whenever possible. After 19 minutes, Lloyd kicked his first penalty from 37 metres to make it 6-3. Mount had a forward yellow carded for obstruction at a maul, which took them down to 13 players against the 14 of Treorchy. With 30 minutes on the clock, a scrum to Treorchy midway in the Mount half saw their scrum half break through in midfield and pass to a supporting player who scored near the posts, Lloyd converting to put them 10-6 up. Another attack out wide by Treorchy saw outside half Lloyd race away in space but just 15 metres out he slipped and an excellent chance was lost. Treorchy were well on top territorially at this stage but the Old Firm defence was committed and doing well to keep them out. With the game in the 47^th minute of the first half, a comment by a Mount player to the referee saw a needless penalty award to Treorchy which Lloyd kicked from 40 metres to give his side a 13-6 lead at half time.

At the start of the second half, a penalty given at a ruck saw Lloyd miss from 52 metres but a minute or two later, from another offence at a ruck, he made no mistake from 40 metres to take Treorchy’s lead up to 16-6 after 48 minutes. A dropped ball by Treorchy was kicked on by centre Steve Brittain to 10 metres out but the bounce eluded him and the ball was cleared by Treorchy. Mount forward Matthew Dixon put in a strong drive as Mount took play to 5 metres out from the Treorchy line but rather than keep it tight and make the most of their one man advantage, the ball was moved wide where it was knocked on. Another penalty at the breakdown to Treorchy saw Lloyd kick his fourth penalty, this time from 48 metres, to increase the Zebras’ lead to 19-6 after 57 minutes. A Mount attack which included Dixon and scrum half Ross Davies took play to 10 metres out but a pass went to ground and the kick over the Treorchy line went dead. A lineout won by Mount on the Treorchy 10 metre line saw the Treorchy forwards back pedalling and after the ball was moved to the short side, scrum half Ross Davies was put into space and sprinted in from 20 metres for an unconverted try wide out which made the score 19-11 after 63 minutes and put the Old Firm back in the game. A turnover to Treorchy after 74 minutes on their own 10 metre line saw the ball kicked behind the Mount defence, wing Will Holley having to retreat at pace, chased by the Treorchy wing and he did well to secure the ball 5 metres out and pass to another defender who coolly made another pass for the ball to be cleared to 10 metres out. A kick out of defence which was run back by Treorchy saw them awarded a penalty on the Mount 22 metre line, outside half Lloyd slotting over the kick to increase his side’s lead to 22-11 with 5 minutes of the 80 left. The Old Firm were far from finished. Good ball retention and driving play by the forwards took play up to the Treorchy line but the ball was knocked on and Treorchy cleared. Mount kept going and a quickly taken penalty saw flanker Jarrod Morgan burst through a gap in the Treorchy defence to take play to 10 metres out where a number of drives were eventually rewarded when centre Steve Brittain scored near the posts, full back Roberts converting immediately to make it 22-18 with, what turned out to be, the last kick of a typically hard-fought match between these two old rivals.