Green & Gold Hand Rare Lesson To Students

The Cyncoed curse broken by impressive away performance

There were none of the fireworks of the Newcastle Emlyn performance on show but Beddau were efficient and competent and fully deserving of a rare win at Met`s Cyncoed campus. There were times when Beddau threatened to sweep the students aside but their well-organised opponents weren`t up for that kind of treatment and even enjoyed periods when they were very much in the ascendency.

Beddau`s forwards had set out their stall early and though a drive from a lineout stalled briefly it soon regained momentum. Loose head Owen Cotton was in the lead but the ball had been transferred to flanker Matthew Howells for the opening score. Hywel Chatham converted.

On a visit to Beddau territory Met gained a penalty. Kicker Alex Seers had the distance but was just off-beam. The disappointment became a little sharper when a deliberate knock-on gave Hywel Chatham a kick that made it 0-10. Chatham was back on target when Callum Wheeler was the victim of a late tackle and when Met winger Matthew Dight had anticipated an Alex Seers chip a little too early Hywel Chatham landed a long range effort with the minimum of fuss.

A curious incident led, ultimately, to a score that the hard-working Met had fought for. Beddau hooker Jack Dando took a blow to the head and while he was taken off for some running repairs the blood replacement was lock James Cashin allowing flanker Matthew Howells to take up the hooking responsibilities. In the meantime a well-executed penalty had given Met a toehold at the 5 metre line. At the lineout Cashin jumped across his opposite number and earned himself a yellow card and an about-turn as he reversed his trudge to the sidelines.

The lineout was repeated and after some huffing and puffing home tight head Ben Warren made it to the line with Alex Seers adding the extras to make it 7-16 at the interval.

Cardiff Met took the game to Beddau from the opening of the second half but the fourteen held out and it was when the restored Jack Dando returned to the fray that a penalty at a clear out gave Alex Seers an opportunity. That one drifted across the face but the outside half struck a beauty from halfway as Beddau were again pinged at the breakdown.

A change for Beddau saw Ben Stephens on for Owen Cotton but, like his colleague James Cashin, the prop took little time in seeing yellow. An incursion at a ruck was duly penalised but Stephens decided to deliver his own form of admonishment. The penalty was reversed and Beddau had to face 10 more minutes with depleted numbers. Owen Cotton returned to retain a scrummage and lock Kristian Parker was sacrificed. Met went for the touchline but Beddau`s defence saw off the threat and finally got the ball running again.

Attacks based on the strong running of Joe Casella and the subtle touches of Cody Baker and Callum Wheeler kept the Met defence busy and when Hywel Chatham switched the direction of attack a surge from the forwards was halted illegally. The lineout jumper was impeded and Beddau opted for a scrum. Two offences were penalised and Met hooker and captain Ryan Spriggs was binned. When a prop was hurt at a scrum near the line the spectre of the non-contested scrum raised its head. To their eternal credit Met made a like for like replacement and sacrificed flanker Jack Ferguson.

The scrum disintegrated and the patient Mr Chris Williams had seen enough to award the penalty try. Hywel Chatham converted and effectively brought proceedings to a close. Beddau pressed a time or two and Met made a flurry of their own but Beddau were happy to see out a comfortable win.

Report by Lynn West