Fixture

Players and supporters on both sides of the two home games at Plascrug on Saturday observed a minute’s silence in memory of Steff Rees and John Tegwyn Lewis.

Aber kicked off with the advantage of a slight breeze and put pressure on the visitors try line following a penalty kicked to the corner, a lineout and good rucking. Waunarlwydd cleared and following a series of rucks and a breakout by their threequarters play was pushed back to 10 metres from the Aber try line. Penalties against the home side put them under pressure but they eventually cleared with a goal line drop out which was returned by the visitors along the backs for the visitors’ wing Evans to score an unconverted try in the corner. Aber 0 Waunarlwydd 5. 

From the restart Aber regained some momentum in the opponents’ half but the visitors again cleared well. An Aber lineout on the visitors 10 metre line was rucked back to the opponents 22 metre line and Aber captain Charles Thomas followed his own delicate chip over the defensive line to score a try converted by Dylan Benjamin. Aber 7 Waunarlwydd 5. Again on the restart Aber pushed the visitors back with good rucking, but stout defence and poor Aber discipline giving away penalties, allowed the visitors to kick to the corner and following a maul their lock Rees scored a try converted by fly half Lewis to give the visitors a 7 – 12 lead.  Good kicking out of hand by Dylan Benjamin pinned the opposition back and a try line drop out was gathered by Aber and after good rucking and a carry by Carwyn Evans breaking the defensive line and an offload to Charles Thomas, resulted in a converted try under the posts for Aber to regain the lead at 14 - 12. The hosts were soon back on the front foot due to good territorial kicking pushing them into the visitors red zone A lineout and rucks 10 metres out allowed Wil Caron Lewis to burst through and score a converted try which extended Aber’s lead to 21 - 12 at half time. 

The visitors regrouped after the break and started to control the game with their scrum beginning to dominate and Aber losing possession from their own lineouts. The home side continued to ruck well and held a good defensive line but after the visitors stole an Aber lineout on the home 10 metre line and followed up with a crisp move along the backs, their scrum half Matushke scored a converted try to close the gap to 21 - 19. Directly after the restart Aber’s Iestyn Thomas was yellow carded and the visitors used this and their scrum advantage to create a back line move from the Aber 10 metre line which resulted in their full back Thomas scoring a converted try under the posts enabling his side to regain the lead at 21 - 26.

Aber continued to push the opposition back, but minor errors and generous penalties meant that the visitors controlled the game territorially despite rugged home side commitment. Eventually the penalty count against Aber resulted in the visitors converting a penalty to put clear daylight between the teams and a final score of 21 - 29. Aber continued to press until the final play saw them go for the posts from a penalty kick on the oppositions’ 10 metre line trying for a losing bonus point.  Unfortunately this fell just short.

This was a game of two halves. Aber played well in the first half and deservedly took a half-time lead. They lost control of territory, possession and discipline in the second half and the opposition came back strongly. If Aber can replicate their first half performance for 80 minutes this young side shows a lot of promise for the season to come.