News

Community rugby this may be called by the Welsh Rugby Union, but it is anything but when players from the Premier division are borrowed by clubs with contacts to strengthen their team, thus totally distorting the real strength of a club and undermining “community rugby”. And so it was the case at Duffryn Pennar Park on Saturday as the Wanderers, who won by a whisker in the SWALEC Plate a week earlier, imported four Premier division players to strengthen their team, with the desired effect.

The Old Firm got off to a slow start, making several mistakes and conceding two converted tries in the opening 10 minutes. From being under pressure a week earlier at the scrum, the two Premier division props borrowed by the Wanderers stiffened the visitors’ scrum throughout the game. The Old Firm rallied and started to get into the game. After 25 minutes, a take by second row David Richards at a 5 metre lineout was driven over the Wanderers line for a try which reduced the visitors’ lead to 14-5. Another drive by the Mount eight on half time was illegally stopped by the Wanderers pack in their 22 which resulted in a forward being yellow carded. Mount took the game to the visitors from the restart to the second half, second row forward David Richards kicking on and following up at speed to make a tackle on a covering defender just 5 metres out. After winning the resulting lineout and looking for gaps in the Wanderers 22, a Mount forward was yellow carded at a ruck. Two quick penalties to the visitors took play into the Mount 22 where a break from a maul 15 metres out saw a Wanderers prop forward score in the corner. The conversion was given although it looked to have missed, which made the score 21-5. Wing Curtis Williams showed real commitment to secure a loose ball in the face of oncoming players and on several occasions the Wanderers looked offside in midfield but play continued. A lineout tap back by the visitors was punished severely by Mount second row Richards who kicked on and left the cover for dead with his pace to finish off by skilfully dribbling the ball over the line where he dived on it for a superb try which made the score 21-12 to the visitors after 51 minutes. After a couple of scrums had to be reset, a Mount prop was yellow carded and the game went to passive scrums. The Wanderers scored in the corner to make it 26-10 and added another to complete the scoring at 31-10.