The Helmets welcomed Machen 2s in a first GNP 1st division encounter in torrential rain. On paper the team was possibly the strongest 2nd XV Caerleon had ever selected and with a full bench and extras to boot things are looking rosy.
Despite the rain and with it the greasy ball and conditions , and conceding a penalty at the 1st breakdown, Caerleon soon took a stronghold on the match. Looking to run and offload at every possible ocassion chances were being created. Herbie was 1st to show up with a big charge and then Ellis Jones made a telling break and nice hands gave Jack Davies the opportunity to scuttle away and over for the 1st try.
Con missed but shortly after, more big busts from Herbie ,Lloyd, George and Richie saw oodles of space to the left again and Jordan crossing out wide for the 2nd.
Set piece was functioning well despite there not being a recognised hooker on the park. Georgie was doing a fine job in the middle of the front row at scrum time and Jordan was ably throwing into the lines out despite the wind and rain. This gave the Helmets plenty of ball to play with and sniping runs from the base of the breakdown from Rhys Macey allowed players to move onto the ball at pace, busting the 1st up tackles. Ellis made one such bust and a ball back inside saw skipper Chris Taylor cross for the 3rd 5 pointer, this time converted . Next Evan Herbert smashed over from a great angle after initial work from Herbie and Rhys and then Richie Collins ran a big arc after some lovely handling accross the line by the big lads for a 5th , and Sean whipped away with no mean turn of speed to leave defenders clutching at air for a half dozen.
Backs and forwards were combining well, the ability to keep the ball alive was highly evident with lots of skills on show, and some big tackles were coming in all over the field and the clearout of the tackle area was excellent. Both wingers Jack and Jon were looking for work and showing fast feet and Joe Mac was looking accomplished out of position at FB.
2nd half began as the 1st had, with the rain relentless and the Helmets in the ascendency . Jordan crossed for his 2nd as did Jack , both JDs getting a brace and then it was time for fresh legs to give people a run. Greg Del came on for Ellis and Owen Miller for his Brother in law Jon and Burty into the fray. Craig and David Brake gave some fresh legs in the pack . Finally Saddam replaced Rhys and OJ became the specialist hooker just as the scrum went passive!!
Machen to their credit were still trying their best and had the better of T and P as the Helmets adjusted to the changes . The game seemed to diminish at this point as the sky threw even heavier rain at us from above.
A lovely move though saw an overlap on the right wing and Owen show the defence a clean pair of heels to race away and over in the corner. This gave the Helmets a renewed confidence, and with Richie Harris now begining to pull the strings from 10 the game was opening up. Lloyd West had the chance to repeat Owen's feats down the same touchline but was bundled into touch 5 metres short,but a controlled forward drive from the pack enabled Adam Howells to touchdown with the assistance of Dai Brake clearing the path.
Richie landed a nice conversion from out wide and the floodgates were open. Further tries from Adam and OJ giving the loudest cheer(groan) of the day after breaks down the middle and excellent support play saw the game totally out of sight and a rush of drop goal conversion attempts from Richie and one from Saddam seeing the Helmets past 70 points.
Machen rallied in the final 5 mins , and their influential no 8 crashed over for a consolation try under the posts.
However there was still time for one more play , and Joe Mac raced away almost straight from the K.O. to complete the scoring for an emphatic 77-7 victory.
This was a very accomplished performance with some excellent team work and determination to keep the ball alive in woeful handling conditions. Excellent performances all over with Herbie and Jack showing up well. MOM for me though goes to Jordan Davies in his best game in a Green and black shirt I have seen. Handling all over the field, big tackling and excellent work at the breakdown. To go with his throwing in skills, just edged it. Well done bud.
Also a big thank you to David Brake, spending time in the kitchen pre and post match to create a fantastic meal for the players and supporters . Very much appreciated by all, Thank you.
Big games coming up so try and get to at least one session a week boys. As you have seen, there is going to be competition for places and training appearences will be taken into account. Helmets!!
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