WRU Division 3 East

GWERNYFED 50 NANTYGLO 13   

The new season sees newly promoted Gwernyfed participating in a higher division, their first opponents seasoned campaigners who just missed out on promotion last term. With an eight try demolition job, the green, white and blacks showed that they are not daunted by the challenges that promotion brings.

A sizeable crowd and a great day for rugby greeted new Club Captain Joe Winfield and his men. From the kick off the home side took the game to their more experienced visitors; had it not been for a couple of uncharacteristic errors when mauls close to the line failed to be turned into points, an early lead would have been built up.

As it was, Nantyglo took the lead when full back Spencer Cawley potted a three-pointer from the half-way line when Gwernyfed’s backs strayed offside. Stung by going behind, the home pack led by Will Eckley, with Rhys Price and Tom Lloyd prominent, tore into the sizeable home pack. The grizzled defenders were reluctant to give an inch and after several unsuccessful sorties scrum half Luke Eckley released fly half Tyler Morris. With admirable presence and timing, Morris launched the ball wide into the arms of skipper Winfield who escaped tacklers to touch down, turning five points to seven himself.

Nantyglo certainly had the weight advantage up front and earned a couple of penalties at scrum time. The visitors started to build a platform and after several drives huge prop Dylan Thomas made twenty metres, offloading when finally brought down for Cawley to collect and dot down in the corner, converting himself from the touchline.

When Cawley added another three points on the half hour a few furrowed brows were evident amongst the home support. However, tensions were relieved when Winfield pinned a penalty into the corner for Cellan Skyrme to find new boy Will Pugh at the resultant line out, Skyrme himself touching down as the maul worked in line with the coaching manual.

A one-point half time lead suggested that life in the higher division was going to be tough. That may well be the case as the season unfolds, but the superior speed and fitness of the Talgarth side saw them completely outplay and outwit the visitors with a scintillating six try second half.

Kicking from hand by Winfield and Morris always had Gwernyfed on the front foot. A dividend arose when a series of line outs in the visitors’ 22 had Will Pugh stealing a Nantyglo throw in. Pugh was dragged down a few metres short of a debut try, but popped the ball up for number 9 Luke Eckley, always on hand, to go over under the posts allowing Winfield to add the extras.

If things weren’t bad enough for the visitors, within minutes of the third try Ryan Davies, coming on off the bench at half-time, fielded the ball thirty metres out to weave his way through a crowd of defenders unable to lay a finger on him. Winfield converted.

The next try was one for the scrapbook, lock Will Eckley picking up loose ball on his own ten metre line and proceeding to go the length of the field, the Nantyglo back three in his wake.

The try completed a hat trick for the Eckleys, youngest brother George scoring for the green, white and black Athletic XV on the adjacent pitch. The smile on the face of Mark Eckley, former green, white and black centre and father of the trio, was surgically removed in the evening.

As the hour passed it became clear that Nantyglo were a spent force, unable to cope with the speed of thought and movement in the Gwernyfed backline. Lock Tom Lloyd was the five point beneficiary of that speed, a move involving the entire back line from forty meters out finished when Gareth Davies passed to Eli Sweet who timed his pass to perfection for Lloyd to claim the five points.

Ryan Davies looked to repeat his earlier success virtually from the restart, a score inevitable until the winger decided to turn around to beat the defence for the second time. That didn’t help Nantyglo, the Gwernyfed backs seizing the ball with Morris and Winfield combing to put Will Lloyd in for the seventh five-pointer

The final try was the epitome of a game in which brain beat brawn. Nantyglo concede a penalty on their own 22 metre line. Winfield simply looped the ball over the heads of the defensive line, centre Rhodri Williams racing through to touch down for a classic try that owed much to the hard work put in on the training paddock. Winfield added the conversion to complete the half century and comprehensive victory.

Next weekend sees a double bill at Trefecca Road when both First and Athletic XVs take on their opposite numbers from Caerleon. If this game is anything to go by, a great afternoon’s entertainments awaits.