WRU Division 3 East

GWERNYFED 67 RISCA 5

This win saw Gwernyfed guarantee Division 2 rugby next term with an eleven try romp against bottom side Risca. Joe Winfield’s side have four games in which to get the five points that would see the green, white and blacks crowned champions and hope to repeat last season’s success in next weekend’s final home game against New Panteg.

For a Club with a 150-year history and playing in Division 1 less than a decade ago, Risca find themselves in something of a hole. Having lost every league game this term to date, a trip to unbeaten Gwernyfed was possibly not the ideal outing. League positions don’t always offer a reliable picture, but on this occasion the opening ninety seconds rather confirmed that the home side were odds on to continue the journey towards silverware.

Risca failed to clear their lines from the kick off and the resultant scrum twenty metres out offered Gwernyfed a great platform. The ball was spread wide at speed courtesy of Luke Eckley, Tyler Morris, Gethin Davies, Will Lloyd and skipper Winfield. The defence could only prevent the try by transgression, Winfield opted for the 5-metre line-out and old-fashioned brawn saw prop Cellan Skyrme touch down from the maul. A prosaic try, but a base which allowed the Talgarth men to play some expansive rugby and score some dazzling tries.

Risca held out for ten minutes, resisting some powerful runs by back rowers Lloydd Powell, Will Pugh and Tom Millington, three who knocked holes in the Risca defence all afternoon. The visitors even managed a rare incursion into their opponent’s territory, but an error offered Gwernyfed a scrum on their ten-metre line. Distance is no obstacle to Gethin Davies who made forty metres knocking over would-be tacklers before releasing Will Lloyd via skipper Winfield. Lloyd was hauled back by the neck just short, but as the ref went for his whistle, quick thinking winger Ryan Davies scooped up the ball and dived over.

After a five-minute interregnum, Risca stopped another attack and launched a relieving clearance back into Gwernyfed’s 22 metre area. Will Lloyd chased back, passed to Ryan Davies who went the length of the pitch for his try, assisted by an exchange of passes with Will Eckley but otherwise bemusing half a dozen would-be tacklers.

The bonus point was in the bag by the half hour, an inside pass from Kelly Davies thirty metres out finding centre Dylan Skyrme cutting back at pace to leave the defence flat-footed, crossing the line untouched. Worse was to come for the men from Gwent when, after a mesmerising sequence with ball passing through a dozen sets of hands at lightning pace, Geraint Powell and Prys Eckley sucked I defenders to allow Will Eckley to cross courtesy of half backs Luke Eckley and Morris – another great try to thrill a big crowd.

As the referee looked to his watch another exciting break by Dylan Skyrme was halted as were subsequent charges by Ryan Davies, Geraint Powell and Will Pugh. To stop those three was a mighty effort – but the sight of Gethin Davies charging in from ten metres was all too much, his touch down and Winfield’s fourth conversion allowing the Talgarth side a 38-point lead with which to enjoy their half-time oranges.

 

The second half started as the first had finished. A line out on the opposition 22 gave the home half backs several options. Tyler Morris chose Gethin Davies who scythed through the defence to tough down under the posts.

Risca did record a consolation try on the hour, but Gwernyfed were relentless, fresh legs in the form of Craig Parry, Kyle Davies and Jack Williams adding to the visitors’ misery. All three went close in a series of charges but when Williams was stopped agonisingly short, he had the presence of mind to offload to Gethin Davies who tapped down for his third try from no distance.

With the game beyond doubt, Gwernyfed set about entertaining. When awarded a penalty that cried out for a touch kick, Will Lloyd tapped to unleash his fellow three-quarters. Morris, Ryan Davies and Rhodri Williams, another off the bench, were all heavily involved, Gethin Davies collecting and making twenty metres through traffic before passing back to Rhodri for the formality of a touch down.

When things aren’t going your way . . . In a rare visit to the Gwernyfed 22, Risca overthrew line-out ball which was spread wide to Ryan Davies on his own try line. The next time a Risca man laid hands on the flyer he was five metres away from Risca’s try line, his pass inside to fly half Morris following up teeing up the tenth try. Having narrowly missed his own hat-trick, Ryan Davies made amends by taking a pass from Dylan Skyrme after another exhilarating passage of play to bring proceedings to an end.

On the adjoining pitch, Gwernyfed’s Athletic XV led by skipper Jamie Coles met unbeaten Ynysddu Rats in a Gwent League game. In a great game of rugby, Coles and his men triumphed 31-17 with tries from Tom Morgan, Alfie Thomas, Will Powell, Lewis Williams and Jordan Curran backed up by three conversions by man of the match Zack Snape. This moves Coles’s side into second spot challenging for honours in august company.

Celebrations continued into the night. Lee Thomas and his coaching team will guard against a hiccup, but if the green, white and black senior team can get over the line at The Brian Jones Memorial Field next week, hopefully buoyed on another good crowd, raucous celebrations will ensue once again at The Old Malthouse.