Fixture

Gowerton RFC | 1st Team 14 - 12 Aberystwyth RFC | 1st Team

Match Report
03 December 2018 / Team News

What Could Have Been

Gowerton 14 – v – 12 Aberystwyth

Aber, lying third from bottom in Division 1 West, came very close to beating second placed Gowerton on Saturday. On a heavy pitch with a light drizzle falling for most of this fiercely contested game, neither side dominated but both coped very well with a slippery ball and sticky conditions.

Fielding a strong XV, with D. Havvard making an impressive first appearance in a league match for the visitors, Aber had the upper hand in the scrums and won possession against the head on a few occasions as they shoved the Gowerton pack off the ball. But Gowerton had superiority in the lineouts, winnin their own throw-ins and often stealing the ball or disrupting Aber’s lineouts.

Behind the scrum, both sides had powerful runners but also had strong tacklers and so tended to cancel out each other’s attacks. Gowerton spread the ball and offloaded a little more than Aber and looked more threatening as a result. The visitors on the other hand, showed little variation in their game with ball in hand, relying on rucks, recycling and repeating the same.

Aber were the first to score as outside half Steff Rees kicked a fine penalty from 45 metres after ten minutes. The home side then drew level with a penalty of their own put over by outside half P. Spowart. The visitors regained the lead with another penalty kick by Rees after their pack had destroyed the Gowerton eight with a mighty shove.

At 3 – 6 down Gowerton fought back to press hard on the Aber line with wave after wave of attacks, retaining the ball well and forcing Aber to be at their best in tackling and covering. The home side had the more powerful runners and it often took two or three Aber players to stop powerful bursts by both their backs and forwards.     

It was clear that both sides had the same gameplan; which seemed to be to try to drive through the middle time after time. It was clear too that both sides had sufficiently determined defences to cancel out each other’s attacks, but neither side seemed prepared to vary from this approach. The game was decided on penalties and by a lapse in concentration by Aber that allowed Gowerton to score the only try of the game. 

This was scored towards the end of the first half when the hosts’ flanker, M. Cherry, broke through some half-hearted Aber tackling to make a 30 metre break straight downfield. When he was stopped, he fed his fellow back-row forward, No 8 J. Sherman, who ran on to score. The conversion failed but Gowerton closed the first half 8 – 6 ahead.

The first period of the second half was evenly and very vigorously contested with neither side showing any variation at all in their attacking tactics. Aber seemed reluctant to kick for position and play their game nearer the opposition line. But the visitors regained the lead when Rees put over another fine kick after the hosts had been penalised for offside. In a low-score game their lead of 8 – 9 could have been sufficient to win.

But Gowerton then stepped up a gear and threw everything at their opponents. This started when Aber failed to field the hosts’ kick-off, allowing the rampaging Gowerton forwards to take play to near the Aber line. This pressure earned them a penalty and Spowart put them ahead again at 11 – 9.

It was Aber’s turn to hit back as they worked their way down the left hand touchline where winger Dylan Evans came close to scoring. This pressure earned them a penalty which Rees converted to regain the lead at 11 – 12. The visitors then let themselves down by again failing to field the hosts’ kick off and paid the price as Gowerton took play into the Aber 22 metre area. When Aber were penalised near their line Spowart made no mistake with his kick from 15 metres to close the scoring at 14 – 12.

From the sidelines it was clear that kicking for position, playing the game in the opposition half and using their most potent strike force of Matthew Hughes at full back in combination with his wingers, Ian Ellis and Dylan Evans, could have been well worth trying. Only once did Hughes and Ellis have an opportunity to combine and it gained space and made a lot of ground; but it was not tried again. It was frustrating to see Aber’s huge effort fail to win the game. Although Aber’s forwards all played very well, as a team they were tactically naïve and predictable.

This was the sort of game and conditions that former club captain, flanker-come-centre, Paul Stubbs would have relished. But he has decided to hang up his boots after a distinguished playing career with Aber, winning ‘Player of the Year’ on no fewer than three occasions. Aber will miss his tenacious and determined approach.

 

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