Fixture

Sport can arouse the emotions, and it certainly did that in the closing minutes of this game at Duffryn Pennar Park which reached a crescendo. With the Old Firm trailing 22-10 but finishing far stronger than the Wanderers, a converted try from a lineout drive in the 77^th minute gave Mount hope. With excitement growing, another attack had the Wanderers in trouble, so much so that they conceded a penalty on their 22 which was kicked to 5 metres out. In the last play of the game, another catch and drive by the Mount forwards, who were assisted by some of the backline, took play up to the Wanderers line where the referee looked closely and then run under the posts and awarded a penalty try which led to the grandstand erupting in frenzied excitement and won the game for the Old Firm. It was a great win for Mount, one based on guts and will-to-win. Every man in the Mount team was a hero for they had played with pride and given their all.

The Wanderers went in front in the 7^th minute when a mishit high kick by the visitors was left to bounce on half way by the Mount defence and was seized on by a Wanderers forward who got away into the Mount 22 where a desperate ankle tap stopped him. A penalty to the Wanderers was kicked to 5 metres out and from a catch and drive, the referee awarded the visitors a penalty try for a 7-0 lead.

Mount responded immediately with a great individual try by wing Morgan James. From the restart, the Wanderers cleared to half way where James caught the ball near the touchline and run in field at pace for a few metres before swerving – just like Barry John – and cutting back to leave his opposite number and the oncoming defence for dead before showing plenty of pace to get away down the touchline where he put in a nicely weighted chip over the full back and then won the chase for the ball to recover it and score a superb try. Outside half Callum Hall struck the ball beautifully to convert from 15 metres in to make it 7-7.

Minutes later, there was another scoring chance for Mount when wing James came into the line and broke the Wanderers’ defensive line but a good chance was lost when a Mount player was marginally offside from the kick ahead.

Hall converted a 25 metre penalty in the 15^th minute to make it 10-7 to the Old Firm, but what looked like a harsh yellow card for full back Jarrod Cushion, who was laid out after challenging for a chip ahead, reduced Mount to 14. Determined defence by the Old Firm was needed as the Wanderers mounted strong attacks in the Mount 22, and the Mount pack did well to hold up a drive from close-in from a lineout by the visitors.

A needless yellow card for the Old Firm in the final minutes of the first half for not releasing the ball for a penalty once again reduced Mount to 14.

Flanker Dai Richards had a great game in the lineout throughout the game and his work disrupting two Wanderers lineouts 5 metres out was essential.

A superb 40 metre clearance by outside half Hall cleared the danger for Mount. Another Mount attack had the Wanderers in trouble with a grubber kick to metres out from the try line was followed up quickly by Cushion and others.

Early in the second half, a penalty conceded by Mount 35 metres out for a needless push on an opposition player after being awarded a scrum saw the scores levelled as Wanderers full back Evan Gregg slotted over the kick to make it 10-10.

The visitors went 17-10 in front in the 56^th minutes from a skilful piece of play by Wanderers scrum half Steffan Davies who broke to the blindside of a scrum and showed good pace to get away from the cover and beat a Mount defender to score a good individual try which was converted with a nice strike by full back Gregg.

The Wanderers had the wind in their sails and a scissors in midfield saw a break which was halted 10 metres out from the Mount line with a try saving tackle. Further pressure 10 metres out by the Wanderers saw the ball go loose and hacked on amid great excitement by centre Jamie Long up to halfway and then wing Cole Nash with the Wanderers defence virtually non-existent. Another kick up to 5 metres out had a try written all over it, but the attempted pick up of the low bouncing ball knocked the ball on and the chance went west.

Good handling involving half a dozen Mount players opened up the Wanderers again but the kick ahead on the 22 was just too strong and went dead.

A break in midfield and a pass out wide saw Wanderers left wing Iles touch down in the corner despite being tackled to make it 22-10 in the 66^th minute. The Old Firm were far from finished and breaks by centre Jamie Long had the crowd on their toes as Mount took the game to the Wanderers.

A penalty to the Old Firm was kicked to 15 metres out by Hall where a catch and tremendous drive over the line by the Mount pack saw referee Caudle award a try, which Hall majored with a conversion right through the centre of the posts from 15 metres in to make it all to play for in the 77^th minute.

A lineout take by Dai Richards on the Wanderers 10 metre line was driven fully 20 metres by Mount into the visitors’ 22 with the volume of the crowd increasing as it sensed the chance of a famous Mount win. It grew even louder as the Old Firm were awarded a penalty for an infringement at the breakdown.

Excitement reigned as Hall fired the ball into touch 5 metres out where Richards took the catch, and amid frenzied excitement all around the ground the Old Firm pack aided by two or three backs drove the Wanderers back whereupon the referee had no option but to award a penalty try in the last play of the game as the maul collapsed on the visitors’ line which saw the home support erupt and people jump for joy in rare scenes of delight to celebrate a famous Mount win.

The Old Firm were cheered off the field at the end of a match that will live in the memory for a long time to come. It was a welcome 4 League points for Mount. They’ll need to have the same competitive spirit and cussed approach this Saturday, 7 December, when Rumney, who base their game on a strong pack, are the opposition at Duffryn Pennar Park, kick off 2:30pm.