News

NEWCASTLE EMLYN 22   LOUGHOR 15

Saturday’s performance was hardly what Emlyn’s Director of Rugby Marc Lloyd would have wished for as a dress rehearsal for the forthcoming Cup matches Emlyn have in March. With a West Wales Cup semi-final against Kidwelly and the SWALEC Bowl quarter final against Aberystwyth on the horizon this error strewn performance against a determined, organised Loughor side was not what the red and whites needed.

Credit to the visitors, despite their relatively lowly League position, they have the second best defensive record in the League. Their three- quarters, well marshalled by the veteran Peter Smiriglia, showed how effective they could be not only in defence but also in attack. Indeed their second try by left winger Laurence Hedlam was a fine example of crisp accurate passing by the whole back line.

On reflection probably all the Emlyn players will be disappointed that they were unable to score the fourth try to give them the bonus point they needed to close the gap on League leaders Kidwelly. Far too often the ball was spilled in contact, or a forward decided to carry the ball back into the Loughor pack when it needed to go wide. Injuries also affected the flow of the game with influential flanker Owain Powell having to be replaced at the start of the second half, and then hard working second row Dyfed Morgan dislocated his shoulder shortly afterwards.

It was the visitors who started the game strongly and opened the scoring with a penalty by Smiriglia after a period of sustained pressure on the Emlyn line. Emlyn gradually worked their way into the Loughor half but it was against the run of play when they scored their first try. A break from a ruck by influential number eight Brynmor Jones saw him draw the full back and time his pass well to flying winger Llyr Jones who crossed in the corner for the opening try.

Emlyn now started to play with some confidence and accuracy with the forwards winning good ruck ball through Powell, Jones, and hooker Bedwyr Davies, then outside half Rhydian Harries started to bring his dangerous three-quarters into play. With the Loughor backs coming up quickly in their defensive line Harries realised that the chip over the top or grubber kick past the advancing players might prove a profitable course of action. So it proved half way through the half when a Harries grubber bounced up kindly into the hands of Llyr Jones. The winger showed an excellent turn of speed to round the full back and cross for his second try converted by fellow winger Dan Davies.

Emlyn continued to press throughout the rest of the half but found the Loughor line difficult to breach. A couple of opportunities presented themselves from line outs five metres from the Loughor line, but the visiting forwards comfortably defended their line. As often happens in situations like this the Emlyn pack unfortunately continued to attempt to drive at the visiting forwards when the ball cried out to be moved wide.

Just before half time Loughor clawed their way back into the game against the run of play. An Emlyn three quarter move broke down when a thundering tackle by Smiriglia in the centre saw the ball fly forward to be picked up by left winger Hedlam. The left winger needed no second invitation to sprint some seventy metres to score under the posts for Smiriglia to convert.

The injury to Powell at the start of the second half necessitated a reshuffle in the pack with acting skipper veteran Gethin Phillips moving to the open side, hooker Bedwyr Davies moving back to play on the blind side and Alex Williams coming on to hook. Aware that they now lacked Powell’s pace around the field the forwards tended to take the ball on from the rucks.

On one of the few occasions they did allow the backs to have the ball a delicate chip by Leonard saw winger Dan Davies catch the ball, beat two would be defenders and cross for a try which Shaun Leonard converted. When Dan Davies extended Emlyn’s lead with a well struck penalty after some twenty minutes the home support felt it was only a matter of time before Emlyn scored their fourth, bonus point try.

Loughor had other ideas and were determined not to leave Emlyn without at least a bonus point. Their big pack of forwards were very disciplined and effective at the line out and upped their game and began to exert a great deal of pressure on the Emlyn line. Failure to find touch from a couple of penalties awarded in their own half meant that Emlyn, for the last quarter of the game, were forced to defend their own line.

With time running out Emlyn were penalised for a crooked feed at a scrum. Loughor had a couple of close range drives using their forwards and then smartly moved the ball out to their backs. Crisp passing saw the ball delivered into the hands of their left winger Hedlam who crossed for a fine try in the corner to ensure the visitors a well deserved losing bonus point.

This was a match that gave the Emlyn coaches plenty to think about and work on before the Brains SA Cup semi-final against Kidwelly at Carmarthen Athletic on the 19^th March, K.O. 7-00 p.m.