Fixture

Dowlais RFC | 1st Team 27 - 17 Pontypool United RFC | 1st Team

Match Report
25 September 2018 / Team News

22/09/2018 Dowlais Vs Pontypool Utd Match Report

WRU LEAGUE DIVISION 1 EAST

Score:

Dowlais: 27

Pontypool United: 17

Success at last for Dowlais this week as they bring an amazing comeback this week against Pontypool United at home.

Although an early if unconverted try from James Woods brought hopes up early in the first half, United soon struck back with an unconverted try of their own. From this point onwards most of the first half stayed toughly contested. Both sides had opportunities, only to be foiled at the last second by a knock on or penalty and both made mistakes that led to those opportunities (with the rainy conditions only increasing those in number) but for a long time after that second try it was hard to see where the game was going.

That was until the near the end of the half where it began to feel as though Dowlais supporters were in for a similar song and dance to the rest of the season so far, one of a good start eventually squandered by small mistakes built up over time. By the end of the first half, as the rain only grew heavier, Dowlais conceded two tries, one of which from interception (which was promptly converted), leaving the score 17-5 to Pontypool United.

The start of the second half didn’t ease fears quite yet either. Although a penalty kick courtesy of Steve James shortened the daunting score gap slightly, it seemed as though Dowlais was still surviving every play by the skin of their teeth.

However, slowly but surely, they advanced, with every play a try seemed more and more inevitable, and soon Pontypool United began slipping up, giving Dowlais penalty after penalty to bring their points higher and higher.

Three penalty kicks from Steve James later, the score was 17-17, the rain had died down and Dowlais hadn’t looked livelier all game. The boys pushed on further and further until the moment came at last, with a kick charged down on the Pontypool five yard line and one last push from Jack Chambers, the try had come at last and with a conversion, Dowlais was 24-17, home free.

With one more penalty kick from Steve James to finish it, Dowlais’ first win of the season was secured.

Dowlais’ ball carrying and running showed immense strength in this game of course, but something I’d love to see carried into next game and beyond would be the strategy used in the second half, particularly the use of kicks to get further up the pitch and letting the opposition’s own mistakes make the points for us instead of always trying to stubbornly trying to run everything.

Next week Dowlais takes on Cwmbran away in the Swalec Plate.

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