Saturday 8th October and the first round of the WRU National Plate competition away to the prolific Penallta RFC, a tough ask indeed.
Another place I hadn't been before, well not this new 4G pitch anyway (refereed on the old ground years ago). Stepping onto the surface for a look, Barbara C said "have a feel if you like". Not the time or place really Babs I said so stroked the artificial grass and felt the springiness in the pitch. Nice! Don't think Caerleon have ever played on an artificial playing surface before.
Team news, Granty had joined the walking wounded but Josh Povey was back to take his place and Cwchy was amongst the replacements. Other than that Ben Snell at 11 and Pat swapping places with Jordan, the team was as last week. Sean Griffiths, Huw and Jack Davies join Cwtchy and Jordan on the bench.
An overcast day but nice and bright made the pitch look fantastic, lovely stand and seating to. This is a top class facility to be sure.
Referee was seven minutes late in coming out for the kick off, the ...... Was drinking coffee on the pitch when he tossed the coin then strolled out looking like he didn't have a care in the world, very odd.
Not the best start to the game, swinging arm from Caerleon and a converted penalty after ONE minute, the nine minutes later some lax tackling let Penallta in after a missed touch kick and it was 10-0 after only ten minutes. Caerleon made some raids into the home sides 22, but too infrequently and on one occasion a relieving Penallta kick travelled from deep in their 22 to ten metres from the Caerleon try line such was the cultured boot of their number ten. There was a lot of penalties being dished out by comatosed ref as he was super quick on the whistle for not releasing. Both captains spoken to after only fifteen minutes.
First real attacking platform on eighteen minutes from a line out. Won well by Conner, nice forward play and Wade and Ben pushed hard for a score, backs linked well and Morgan held up over the line (a lot of that this season already). Back for a pen, points refused and ball turned over. Caerleon kept up their purple patch and finally excepted a penalty, five minutes later, to cut the lead to 10-3 only for a further three minutes later a Pen for offside pushing it out to 13-3.
Tom took the game to the home side and found himself slicing through the defence to create a two on one with Joe in the left corner, the crowd stood up to see, I couldn't until I saw a Penallta player booting the ball away. I thought that was nailed on, can only think someone intercepted a scoring pass. As is the way of things, Penallta lucky to not conceed a try only to break away and score one. Their huge centre (wouldn't have looked out of place in the front row) made the break and passed around the back to create the space and a run in from the half way. 18-3 after 36 minutes. Huw snuck on for Tom at some point. With one minute remaining, and from another penalty against Caerleon, Caerleon knocked on in the proceeding lineout and Penallta had an attacking scrum. This time, Chunky centre broke tackles (he was large mind and took some stopping) and went under the sticks. An easy conversion and it was 25-3 at the half.
Second half and Caerleon came out of the blocks quickly (frankly, they needed to)
Porkey made one of his bulldozer type raids and if his pass to Ben had gone to hand it would have been interesting, Rhys was finding form and starting to probe around the set pieces. On seven minutes Ben went streaking down the right, as the ball was sped out to him, strong running made him twenty metres inside Penallta territory, inside pass to Morgan, inside pass to the supporting Huw and try time. Two added by Mog and the deficit cut to 25-10. That was after seven minutes, six minutes later Penallta were attacking when Chris Macey robbed the ball off an attacker on his own five metre line, Huw burst into the line and took the ball deep into the opposition 22, the attempted return turned into a maul and M'Lud Rostron emerged with the pill, ran a full 30 metres (we'll give him the benefit of the doubt) like diarrhoea with daps on, gave the scoring pass to Conner who showed great maturity to go close to the sticks to make the conversion easier for Mog to kick the goal and it was 25-17 with Caerleon tails well up and Penallta rattled. Penallta did make some attacks through their best players, numbers ten and four, but Caerleons defence was now playing better to and turned them over several times. Sean on for old Fany Feet. 23 minutes in and Pen pick up their first yellow for holding on in the tackle. The ensuing line was not strait(shame) five minutes later they get a second for the same offence (harsh). Morgan had a crack at goal from the ten metre line, but it unfortunately went left. Caerleon kept up the pressure, Wade made a cracking pick up and attack, Cwchy (on for Lloyd) ran a ball back strongly plus others stepping up to the mark. It was all Caerleon, Penallta were lucky not to get another card for a spear tackle (far worse offence than the previous two, poor reffing). With less than ten minutes remaining Up makes a superb break out of his own half and up to around ten metres of the try line, just a pass to Ben and he was in, again, somehow, it never came off and the ball was knocked on. Last through of the dice and Ben goes to centre (surley his best position with his skills) to replace Pork Chop and Jack on the wing. Despite his best efforts it was too little to late.
Caerleon shut out Penallta to nil in the second half and dominated it, two golden opportunities for tries never quite came off and it could have been so different. Penallta won the battle of the halves and Caerleon can't complain. I wasn't overly disappointed until I saw the scores from the other games and I thought (like many punch drunk fat people) "We could have been a contender". Concentrate on the league now a?
Just like to mention the back row, never featured much in my report (for want of a better name) but they were excellent this game and last, Pete Loder being asked to fill in at eight did a sterling job in both games, Dai Rossiter, Jordan and Pat well done lads, great efforts.
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