Away Day Blues

Penclawdd 22 – 7 Aberystwyth
In recent seasons Penclawdd have become a bogey side for Aberystwyth as they have won most of the encounters between the two clubs. After losing to them at home in the opening game of the season, Aber succumbed to them again on Saturday, putting in their worst performance of the season so far.
Conditions were perfect for open, running rugby and both teams did their best to play an expansive game. But it was clear from the start that the home team had greater determination as they played with a purpose and pattern so lacking in Aber’s performance. Early pressure saw the home side run a penalty in the visitors’ 22 metre area for centre Jonathan Terry to score an easy try within the first five minutes.
Aber hit back with a good break from Matthew Hughes but no one kept up to support him and a promising move came to nothing. Possession was evenly shared at this stage but Penclawdd used theirs much more skilfully and constructively. Rarely can Aber’s handling have been as bad as it was in this game. Good passes were dropped and bad passes sailed over the receivers’ heads. A wild pass under pressure saw Penclawdd winger Ben McCarthy intercept to race over for their second try. Both scores went unconverted but the 10 – 0 margin after just twenty minutes reflected the difference in the teams’ performance.
In a rare foray into the opposition’s half, Aber were awarded a penalty. Hughes kicked for touch and from a lineout five metres out the forwards put in a powerful drive for the line. A try seemed certain but the maul was collapsed deliberately and the referee had no hesitation in awarding the visitors a penalty try to close the gap to 10 – 7.
Aber’s high error count continued and the home side capitalised on each mistake to gain ground. Weak tackling in mid field allowed Penclawdd to threaten again and from a scrum 25 metres out followed by a powerful ruck, prop Chris Davies crossed untouched to bring the half-time score to 15 – 7.
The visitors started the second half with more purpose. But despite territorial advantage and at times playing against 14 men, they were unable to pose a serious threat. As in the first half, the Aber scrum was under pressure and was consistently forced back in the set pieces. This made it very difficult for No 8 Lee Evans and No 9 Llyr Thomas to release the ball cleanly. As a result, the visitors’ backs were taking the ball on the back foot and, although full-back Matthew Jacobs and centre Carwyn Evans made a number of penetrating bursts, the ball died when they were tackled.
Penclawdd were camped within striking distance of the Aber line for long periods but determined defending kept them out. Pressure eventually told and led to their bonus point try as centre Ryan James sold an outrageous dummy to cross for a try that winger Rhys Eaton converted to close the scoring at 22 – 7. Aber came close to scoring in the latter stages of the match as they won a lineout following an very good touch finding penalty kick from Matthew Hughes. The excellent catch and drive took them over the Penclawdd line but they were deemed to have knocked the ball forward in the process of grounding.
Aber can have no complaints as to the outcome of this match. Their performance was well under par particularly in ball handling, scrummaging and general game management. Their tactics were predictable and lacked variation. Ball carriers failed to offload and too often there was no one keeping up in support to take a pass. Penclawdd on the other hand applied pressure in every department in every phase of the game and mostly Aber failed to deal with it adequately.
The home side’s backs were a constant danger in attack and in snuffing out Aber’s threats. Their forwards, even without a height and weight advantage, were superior. They were well drilled in the set pieces, especially in their scrummaging, and were very competitive in loose play. Aber’s scrum was once the strongest part of their game, but recently its technique seems to have slipped.
Fixtures early in 2018 should give Aber an opportunity to gain lost ground in Division 1; but, even with games in hand, they will need to improve very considerably on Saturday’s performance if they are to move back to the top half of the division.