Fixture

Blaenavon RFC | 1st Team 42 - 22 Dowlais RFC | 1st Team

Match Report
10 October 2022 / Team News

01/10/22 Blaenavon v Dowlais Admiral National League 1 EAST Match Report

Blaenavon v Dowlais 01/10/2022 Match Report

Score:

Blaenavon: 42

Dowlais: 22

 

A solid effort but unfortunate defeat for Dowlais this week in their first away game of the season, with a 42-22 away loss against Blaenavon.

Things were off to a tough start for Dowlais this week, with their opponents presenting not just a formidable roster in the backs, but also a powerful pack of forwards that overpowered Dowlais in the scrum at almost every turn.

With the impression they gave off in the opening minutes, it came as little surprise that Blaenavon were the first on the score board by a fair margin, scoring the first two tries of the game, with both of them being converted, a trend that would keep up for every single one of their subsequent tries.

But despite the high challenge set before them, the Dowlais boys didn’t break easy and powered on into the Blaenavon twenty-two. With the try line right before them, a quick tap and go landed them straight between the posts, earning them a try touched down by Morgan Powell and converted by Sion Martin. With some grit, persistence and a bit of luck, Dowlais were back in the game.

The rest of the first half continued in a similar vein. Blaenavon put in a powerful attacking effort all game and proved relentless with the ball in hand, especially the forwards, who constantly pushed back the Dowlais scrum and made sure that no ruck was an easy one.

Blaenavon would extend their lead next with yet another converted try, but Dowlais would bring their goal a bit closer to them with a penalty, once again kicked by Sion Martin, inching them back towards their opponents.

They would keep this up with another try shortly after, with a maul powering the ball over the Blaenavon try line for another five points, this one touched down by Kyle Prosser, but unfortunately unconverted.

With the score standing at 21-15 and Blaenavon standing with only a six-point lead, things were far from hopeless for Dowlais, looking good especially after the start they’d had. But things would get just a little bit more difficult with another converted try for the home side.

But Dowlais wouldn’t let this stand going into half-time however, with one final brilliant try touched down by Kristian Owen and converted once again by Sion Martin. With that, the curtain fell on the first half, with the six-point lead restored and Blaenavon leading at 28-22.

Hopes were high seeing what looked like a perfectly achievable score going into the second half, one that again seemed very doable considering the gap they’d been faced with after the home side’s first two tries. But all present knew that not only taking the lead, but also maintaining it, would be no easy task.

Unfortunately, things wouldn’t quite pan out as the visitors were hoping, as Dowlais would put no more points on the board in the second half, while Blaenavon would only continue to widen the gap, scoring two more converted tries over the course of the rest of the game.

Dowlais definitely didn’t go at the second forty minutes half-heartedly, challenging the Blaenavon try line on many an occasion, but tragically each one ended just short of glory every time.

These mainly came down to one of two reasons. Once more, the scourge of penalties reared its head once more, robbing Dowlais of multiple chances and prematurely ending many attempts on the Blaenavon try line and worsening their own situation whenever they had to defend.

Additionally, the Blaenavon pack truly charged into high gear in this half, driving Dowlais off the ball in the rucks, ripping the ball from them during mauls and overpowering them during their scrums, taking away many a chance to close the gap.

One missed opportunity in particular, a case where a would-be try was painfully held up seemed to mark the end of these efforts, with Dowlais getting nowhere near the Blaenavon try line for the rest of the game afterwards, while the home side continued to strike against them.

After one final converted try for Blaenavon to end the game, the game came to a close with a 42-22 victory for Blaenavon, the home side walking away with a bonus point.

While a valiant effort for the boys, it’s safe to say that they were simply outplayed during this particular bout, even if perhaps only by a tantalisingly small margin. One could certainly make a point that scoring just one of their missed try opportunities in the second half could have been the morale-boosting difference between fending off Blaenavon’s second half tries or not, but that’s only speculation.

In reality, physicality made all the difference for Blaenavon, as their pack’s weight and strength ended more try attempts for Dowlais than anything else. Credit must also be given to their kicking. The six conversions kicked were the difference between the visitors chasing forty two points instead of just thirty.

But unfortunately, Dowlais leave this week without any points on the league board. Let’s hope that they fare better next week, in a home match against their old derby rivals, Bedlinog.


 

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