Fixture

Both sides came into this game at Porth with two wins from two games played, but it was the Old Firm which emerged after a competitive encounter with their record intact. Mount played down the slope but against the wind in the first half and went ahead after just 5 minutes when the ball was moved through the hands quickly to centre Jarrod Cushion who took play up to the Porth 22. A penalty award to the Old Firm was kicked to the corner where second row Adam Parry delivered two handed ball for the Mount pack to drive on for hooker and captain Jarrad Parfitt to score to make it 5-0.

Poor play from the Mount forwards from the restart resulted in a penalty award to Porth which was kicked from 25 metres to make it 5-3. Within a minute, the Old Firm’s five point advantage was restored with a similar penalty from outside half Callum Hall to make it 8-3.

The Old Firm were doing well against the wind, and from “off the top” ball from a lineout on halfway after 19 minutes, centre Alex Hughes run powerfully to go straight through the Porth midfield with only the full back to beat and a man outside. But he held onto the ball and cut back inside, Porth turning the ball over and clearing.

A lineout catch by Porth just outside the Mount 22 was driven on to 5 metres out where second row Adam Parry was yellow carded. Things got even worse for the Old Firm, when, at the at the resulting scrum, prop James Cowdry followed him, with the referee awarding Porth a penalty try which put the home team 10-8 up after 26 minutes.

A Porth forward burst away up the touchline after the ball squirted out a scrum on halfway, but a good tackle by full back Morgan James stopped him. Although playing with 13, the Old Firm did not concede any points and even put wing Rhys Davies away down the touchline up to the home 22.

A superb attack by Mount just before half time involving wing Davies, scrum half Cartwright and centre Cushion took play up to the Porth line where a home forward ended up being yellow carded.

Playing with the wind in the second half but up the slope, outside half Hall continued where he left off against Rhydyfelin last week with a superb strike from 51 metres to put Mount 11-10 up.

Throughout the second half, Porth tried to make ground using their big, heavy forwards, but the Mount defence made it hard going for them with a determined and committed display of tackling all game.

Flanker David Richards, who delivered good lineout ball for Mount and disrupted the Porth throw-in on a couple of occasions, showed his skill-set to create a scoring chance with a nice chip over the defence near halfway, gathering the ball, getting away and giving a pass to a man in space but it was knocked on.

After flanker Richards took a Porth throw in the home 22, the Old Firm moved it to both sides of the field and were eventually awarded a penalty 15 metres out which Hall converted to take Mount’s lead up to 14-10 after 56 minutes.

A superb diagonal 50 metre kick by Hall took play into the Porth 22 where it was just kept in play, but quick following up by wing Rhys Davies kept the pressure on the home team. A take at the lineout by second row Parry was moved wide with some nice handling by the Mount backline eventually putting centre Cushion over in the corner. Although Hall didn’t convert, the score took the Old Firm’s lead up to 19-10 after 67 minutes.

Seeing the game slipping away, the home team threw everything at Mount in the final minutes, but to a man, the Old Firm’s defence was tremendous. A couple of 5 metre scrums were held up, the Mount backrow were into everything and also won several penalties. When the home team moved the ball wide, the Mount midfield gave them no way through with solid tackling. From a penalty won at the breakdown, Mount outside half Hall leathered the ball well and truly into touch to give the Old Firm a hard-earned but deserved win.

After this game, the Old Firm are 2^nd in the Division 1 East Central table on 13 points, one behind St Peter’s and three in front of 3^rd placed Rumney. Mount looked good with ball in hand and the forwards competed well against bigger opponents, flanker Ewan Rees and No.8 Matthew Rees into everything. Second row Adam Parry and flanker Dai Richards delivered plenty of lineout ball, and second row Daniel Phillips, and the front row of James Cowdry, Jarrad Parfitt, Bleddyn Lock and Corey Bunney were hard-working all game. In the backline, scrum half Morgan Cartwright made a couple of breaks from close-in to keep the Porth backrow on their toes. Outside Callum Hall kicked well to touch and contributed 9 points, one of which was another excellent kick from just inside his own half. Centres Alex Hughes and Jarrod Cushion both had their moments in attack, but were also solid in defence. Wing Rhys Davies got away a couple of times and chased well. Both wing Curtis Williams and full back Morgan James also contributed.

This Saturday, the Old Firm welcome Dinas Powys to Duffryn Pennar Park for a Division 1 East Central game, kick off is 2:30pm.