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NEWCASTLE EMLYN 53   AMMAN UNITED 5

   Over the last three seasons games between these two sides have been close encounters, basically between Amman’s big pack of forwards and Emlyn’s speedy backline. When both sides took the field it looked to be more of the same with the visitors’ fielding a big, heavy, experienced pack of forwards and a scrum half comfortable in playing behind a dominant pack. The end result was a complete surprise to everyone, players and spectators alike, as the home side completely destroyed the visitors in running in a total of eight tries.

The first fifteen minutes brought no hint of the eventual outcome of the game as the visitors started brightly, kicked well into the Emlyn twenty two and began to exert pressure on the Emlyn line. A number of pick up and drives from their forwards were dealt with by a resolute Emlyn defence around the fringes. Eventually Amman moved the ball wide but instead of keeping the ball in hand they opted to kick across field and fired the ball over the touch in goal line. Emlyn kicked the ball long from the drop out and a good chase saw Emlyn turn the ball over and an Amman forward penalised for lazy running enabling Emlyn winger Dan Davies to convert a relatively simple penalty kick.

From the kick off Shaun Leonard caught the ball and set up a ruck on the half way line. The Emlyn pack drove over and, from the quick ball produced, centre Alun Howells made a lovely outside break. With the cover closing in on him he passed inside to his co-centre Viv Jenkins who crossed wide out for an excellent unconverted try.

Emlyn now realised that the visitors would struggle to contain their potent backline and began to move the ball from deep. Some desperate defence kept the home side out resulting in a lineout five metres from the Amman line. Poor line out ball saw the attempted clearance kick semi-charged down. The ball was caught by scrum half Mike Jones who immediately flung out a long pass to his threequarter line. Full back Shaun Leonard entered the line and chipped over the oncoming defence for right winger Llyr Jones to catch the ball and cross for a try converted by Dan Davies.

There was a determination in the play of the home side who were not prepared to be intimidated by the tactics of some of the visiting players who were clearly finding the pace of the game beyond them. Credit must also go to the referee Simon Mills from Llanelli whose handling of the game could not be faulted. The next Emlyn score came straight from the training field. Quality lineout ball saw the threequarters under the direction of outside half Rhidian Harries execute a lovely move with winger Llyr Jones breaking through to feed his co-winger Davies who crossed for a try converted by Shaun Leonard.

With half time approaching the game as a contest was virtually over when Emlyn secured their bonus point try. From a scrum some forty metres out the Emlyn side got a nudge on enabling promising number eight Gareth Thomson to pick up and run at the Amman backs. He timed his pass perfectly for the supporting Emlyn scrum half Mike Jones to cross for a try converted by Dan Davies.

Any inspiration Amman might have gained from a half time pep talk was quickly dispelled by the home side. The visitors’ clearance kick from the kick off was caught just over the touchline by Thomson who took a quick throw in. Leonard drove the ball deep into the Amman twenty two and their winger made the mistake of conceding a line out five metres from his line. Second row Arwel Davies took a clean catch and fed powerful prop Gethin Davies on a front peel. Davies unselfishly drew the Amman hooker in to him and passed to hard working hooker Alex Williams who crossed for an unconverted try.

This completely demoralised the visitors who found themselves coming off second best in every aspect of play. Emlyn dominated the lineouts through second rows Bleddyn and Arwel Davies along with number eight Thomson, due in no small measure to the accurate throwing in of hooker Williams. The forceful driving play of flanker Gareth Patterson proved to be an effective foil for his fellow flanker Owain Powell and the two of them turned the visitors over on countless occasions.

The perceived threat at scrum time from the visitors never materialised as the Emlyn eight, led by outstanding prop Dai Jones, proved to be the equal of the visitors. In fact it came as a bit of a surprise to everyone when the visitors did manage to score after some twenty minutes from a scrum five metres out when visiting number eight Craig Ratcliffe crossed for their solitary score of the day.

Emlyn’s response to this was almost immediate, and they basically set up camp in the Amman half for the rest of the game. The threequarters went through their repertoire of moves, not all which succeeded, but Amman by now lacked the ability or speed to break out of their half. A failed move in midfield saw the ball bounce towards winger Dan Davies, he picked the ball up and showed his strength by shrugging off three would be tacklers to cross for a try he converted himself.   

With ten minutes remaining Davies crossed for his hat-trick of tries when he caught an attempted clearance kick on the half way line and just ran through some feeble Amman tackling to score in the corner. The final score came with the last play of the game and was instigated by the lively Emlyn scrum half Mike Jones. An Emlyn steal from a lineout saw Jones spot a gap in the Amman pack and he darted through it, linked with his supporting forwards, and replacement number eight Emrys Davies found himself twenty metres from the Amman line with no one in front of him. He galloped in to score the final try which he also converted to seal a convincing win for the home side.