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LOUGHOR 12    NEWCASTLE EMLYN 18

There are probably a great number of rugby followers in the locality who look at the Division One West league table as everyone begins their November break with a certain amount of incredulity. Newcastle Emlyn, the first team from Ceredigion to play in Division One in second place in the table, when most people would have thought they would be struggling to avoid relegation. Their current position however is no fluke and a testimony not only to the talent developed by the system in the club but the quality of coaching the players receive from Marc Lloyd, Arwel Davies and Charles Gale.

On Saturday they faced their sternest test of the season so far as the home side eighteen points down with twenty minutes to go came back at the visitors and hammered away at the Emlyn line for the rest of the game. The small narrow Loughor pitch was tailor made for the home side and with the veteran scrum half Steve Wake controlling matters behind a big bulky pack Emlyn showed tremendous defensive qualities to limit the home side to two tries and come away with a victory.

The red and whites had first use of the strong wind blowing down the field and it has to be said failed to really take advantage of the elements. The first half proved to be a very scrappy affair with the visitors taking time to adjust to the size of the pitch and the wind. Indeed there were occasions when Emlyn even tried to run the ball out of their own twenty two metre area when the big boot downfield was called for.

All Emlyn had to show for their efforts in this half were two well struck penalties from winger Dan Davies. Loughor when they had the ball began to show how dangerous they could be with their forwards combining effectively with Wake to gain a great deal of ground playing into the wind. At half time a lead of six points was not going to be enough for the visitors.

The half time lecture from coach Lloyd seemed to work for his players as they realised they had to keep ball in hand in order to make progress and stop Loughor’s efforts to pin them into a corner. The game came alive some five minutes into the half when outside half Rhydian Harries went for a break on the half way line and found full back Shaun Leonard in close support. Unfortunately Leonard had the ball knocked from his grasp by a last ditch tackle some five metres from the Loughor line.

Harries showed how intelligent a rugby player he is by realising that his opposite number was not coming up on him to tackle him as quickly as his centres when Emlyn had the ball. He bided his time and some ten minutes later from just inside his own half he made another break, linked with the ever present Owain Powell who then passed to Viv Jenkins. It looked as if Jenkins was going to score but the covering wings closed in on him and he delivered a perfect pass to his co-centre Alun Howells who dived over for the try.

Emlyn then had a real purple patch with the backs coming on to the ball at pace and presenting no end of problems for the home defenders. Some three minutes later Harries made another break from inside his own half and this time found Shaun Leonard on his shoulder. The full back ran through some weak tackling and then embarked on a fifty metre run to the line. With second row Dyfed Morgan in close support he had the strength to hold off another tackle to score under the posts allowing Dan Davies a relatively easy conversion kick.

Loughor showed what they were made of and why they have been in this Division for a few years and came back at Emlyn from the kick off. Urged on by Wake and their number eight and captain Jonathan Phillips wave after wave of attacks were launched at the Emlyn line. They strengthened their pack by bringing on much bigger and bulkier forwards who were only able to last some twenty minutes, but they certainly knew how to carry the ball to the opposition.

The Emlyn team defended heroically, none more so than young prop Jack Parry, flanker Owain Powell and second row Dyfed Morgan. Time and again they managed to force the home side into errors by their spirited defence. Attacking opportunities dried up for the backs as Jenkins and Howells marshalled the threequarters defensive line when Loughor tried to move the ball wide.

The relentless pressure eventually told in a rather predictable fashion when Loughor kicked to touch from one of the many mysterious penalties awarded against Emlyn by referee Gerwyn Taylor. From the catch some five metres out they drove for the Emlyn line and even their full back joined in the maul for replacement prop Gareth Jones to crash over for a try converted by centre Shane Davies.

The remaining minutes of the game proved to be a heart stopping affair for the large contingent of Emlyn supporters. It seemed as if every time an Emlyn player touched the ball he gave away a penalty. Alun Howells looked to have executed the perfect turnover, was penalised for being on his feet and holding onto the ball and sin-binned. Winger Dan Davies spotted the ball squirt out of the side of a ruck, kicked it downfield some thirty metres and was penalised and binned for kicking a ball in a ruck.

Down to thirteen men with supposedly five minutes to play Emlyn showed their character and resolve by defending with huge commitment. Fresh legs from the bench in prop Dai Jones and second row Dan Havard brought much needed energy to a tiring side and both made a number of tackles. Loughor however were architects of their own downfall by continuing to attack close to the base of rucks and mauls. On the odd occasion they did try and move the ball they found all the remaining Emlyn backs working really hard to cover the field and tackle. It took until the fifth minute of injury time before Loughor added to the score when they eventually managed to work their right winger Morgan Bryant over for a try in the corner. Fortunately for Emlyn the referee finally decided that time was up and blew the final whistle