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FELINFOEL 14   NEWCASTLE EMLYN 15

This narrowest of victories by Newcastle Emlyn has set up a mouth-watering encounter this coming Saturday with the League leaders Kidwelly at Dol Wiber. The only side to have defeated the red and whites this season, Kidwelly and Emlyn have one thing in common in that they have both visited third placed Felinfoel and both come away with single point victories.

Due to work commitments there is a great difference in the side Felinfoel is able to field for home and away games. Saturday’s side showed eight changes from the team that had played the previous week down in Whitland. Emlyn can count themselves extremely fortunate to come away from Felinfoel with a victory as the last fifteen minutes saw the red and whites defend desperately. In fact it was a match that the home side dominated in terms of possession and territory, their failure to score more than two converted tries can be put down to the excellent defence of the visitors.

Emlyn had a dream start when playing with the breeze and winter sun on their backs they were awarded a penalty on the home twenty-two metre line which winger Dan Davies kicked to open the scoring. Any thoughts the visiting supporters had of this being another try fest by the red and whites were quickly dispelled by the home forwards. Led by experienced hooker and Captain Simon Delaney they clawed their way up field and proceeded to put the Emlyn scrum and lineout under pressure.

The first half settled into a war of attrition between the two packs of forwards with the home side trying desperately to breach the solid visitors defence. When Felinfoel tried to move the ball out to their wings they found the Emlyn defence, marshalled by centres Jenkins and Howells, impregnable. Clear cut try scoring opportunities were non- existent in the first half and the nearest either side came to scoring were three long range penalty efforts by Emlyn, two by Dan Davies and a monster effort by Shaun Leonard.

The second half began at a frantic pace as both sides moved the ball well deep into their opponent’s halves. From a turnover ball inside their twenty two Emlyn had a marvellous opportunity to score but a fine break by outside half Rhidian Harries was spoilt when Harries chose to ignore two players outside him and cut back inside only to be brought down by the Felinfoel cover.

The first try of the game when it did come was an absolute gem and testament to the belief this Emlyn side have in their ability to score tries from any part of the field. From a lineout inside their own twenty two, Dyfed Morgan’s two handed catch was delivered from the top of his jump to the excellent scrum half Owain Powell. With the Felinfoel back three lying deep, expecting a kick, Emlyn quickly moved the ball out to right winger Llyr Jones. Just before he was tackled he passed it back to the supporting full back Shaun Leonard, who then exchanged passes with Viv Jenkins before Leonard crossed by the posts for a try converted by Dan Davies.

A few minutes later Emlyn turned the ball over again inside their own twenty two and moved the ball wide again. Outside centre Alun Howells made a lovely break and eventually fed number eight Brynmor Jones who showed a fine turn of speed in outstripping the cover defence to score in the corner.

Any thoughts Emlyn harboured of the floodgates opening were quickly dispelled with Felinfoel using their powerful bench to good effect as they took the game to the Emlyn forwards. Scrum half Luke March combined well with the classy home number eight Curtis Morris to initiate a number of forward drives. After a series of drives by their pack they moved the ball wide for left winger Martin Bowles to squeeze over in the corner for their first try, excellently converted by their fly half Aled Roberts.

The last fifteen minutes proved to be nail biting stuff for the large contingent of Emlyn’s supporters as they struggled to get out of their twenty two metre area. After a series of pick up and drives by their forwards Felinfoel eventually scored their second try when second row Ashley Lloyd crossed by the posts for Roberts to convert. With Roberts and Marsh kicking effectively into the corner Emlyn were pinned back. Scrum half Owain Powell did a marvellous job of organising his young pack of forwards to defend effectively around the fringes of ruck and mauls. There was huge relief in the Emlyn camp when the final whistle went with yet another Felinfoel attack being forced into touch inches from the Emlyn line.