Fixture

Disrupted Squirrels sunk at the Memorial Ground

Glamorgan Wanderers 29   Rhiwbina 12

It was always going to be tough for Rhiwbina, with a much-changed side, several key players unavailable and against a high-flying well-drilled side.  However, for much of the game the Squirrels contested well and three of the Wanderers’ tries came from defensive errors.

The main problem at the start of the game was a lack of a Rhiwbina touch-judge, and when he eventually found his way over to the grandstand side, the game had been delayed several minutes! Rhiwbina were on the attack for much of the opening ten minutes, but the Wanderers got their way into the Rhiwbina 22 after some thirteen minutes, and it was unlucky for Rhiwbina as the home team broke through with their first attack to score a converted try under the posts. Olly Golden took the game to the Wanderers from the kick-off and soon afterwards the scores were level.  The ref awarded a free kick at a scrum and Olly took a quick kick and sliced through the Wanderers defence.  He was held some ten metres short but the dependable Rhys Fenton was up in support to take the pass and score under the posts to, for once, silence the Wanderers massive.  Lewis converted to bring the scores level. With their next attack the Wanderers scored another converted try and just before the break, thanks to further missed tackles, scored a third converted try to make it 21-7 to the league leaders at half time.

Rhiwbina contested and defended well in the second half, and the Wanderers had only a Luke Fish dropped-goal as an additional score.  Rhiwbina then had a long period of play in both their attacking corners, with Lewis Pearce placing some superb penalty kicks into the corners.  Wanderers were penalised at both scrum and line out and Matt Williams was brought down just short of the line.  Rhiwbina were eventually rewarded as the excellent Kris Bowden caught the lineout ball and the pack drove forward with Pat Ware getting the try. Olly went off and Sean Monaghan moved to No8, and had several late runs, but the Wanderers found themselves in the disco corner and this time made sure of the lineout and rove over for their bobus point try.  

Rhiwbina made a final late charge, with Monaghan again leading the way up into the top corner, but the ball was lost and the ref blew for time.

With both Bridgend Athletic and Rumney winning, Rhiwbina now find themselves in fourth place, but have a chance to atone for a slip-up at home against Athletic at Newbridge Fields next Saturday.