Tag Archives: loss

Tonna 16 points Rhigos 15 points

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Unfortunately for Rhigos this fixture fell on a Caravan Club weekend so that half the team were unavailable to play but reports are coming in of a fantastic barbecue down at the coast.

Luckily Shane Tobin made one of his appearances out of his retirement and showed that he had not lost any of his old front row skills. Billy Buses too was forced into playing a full 80 minutes and battled away manfully. Without them we would really have struggled.

The team was Richard Williams, Shane Tobin, Richard Smith, Nathan Davies, Nathan Edevane, James Lewis, Mike Lovett, Jon Smith, Huw George, Ryan Williams, Steve Davies, Lloyd Bryant, Aled Edwards, Kyle Hinks and Dicky Davies with Luke Williams as sub. Indeed Luke’s knee injury last week was so severe Ian decided not to risk him at all in the game so we made no substitutions.

For the first quarter of the game we really put Tonna under huge pressure but a series of dropped and missed passes stopped us from scoring until Jon Smith scored a wonder try breaking from a scrum which we had won against the head in our 22 meter zone to brush past the Tonna back row, scrum half then right winger to sprint clear and score after a lung bursting 70 meter sprint.

Unfortunately Shaggy failed with the conversion.

Tonna came back strongly and kicked 2 penalties to edge in front by 6 points to 5 only for Shaggy to make up for his earlier miss with a neat 3 pointer to put us 8points to 6 in front at half time. The second quarter of that half was really a poor performance from Rhigos. The pack looked lethargic and the midfield ineffective. No one seemed capable of grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck and yanking the team onward.

This mess continued and in fact worsened when immediately after half time Tonna scored a very good try of their own when they moved the ball quickly down the line for the right wing bowled over by Jon Smith redeemed himself with a try in the corner that Mark Hopkins converted with a magnificent kick from the touchline.

Tonna then had their loose forward yellow carded so to help them out Rhigos conceded a penalty under the posts for Hopkins to convert and take the lead to 8 points – at least 2 scores. Very sportingly we decided not to attack much until the sin binned player came back when we suddenly decided to up the tempo and drive the forwards keeping the ball closer to them rather than trying to go around the outside. Shaggy put Kyle away with a strong run for the line that was stopped just short and from the resultant scrum Jon Smith again broke through 3 tackles and scored at the post for Shaggy to convert and we were buzzing again. Down by 15 points to 16 with just 3 minutes left to play. The excellent James Lewis took play deep into Tonna territory and Huw and Shaggy put Eggy away but his pass to Dicky was dropped and the last chance of a fairy tale ending was gone.

To be fair Tonna just about deserved their win and despite fine performances from Jon Smith, James Lewis and Dicky Davies Rhigos had one of their more forgettable afternoons. Seven games to play including Bryncethyn (Away), Cefn Cribbwr (Home) and Cowbridge (Away) and on the basis of this performance it could be a long and thankless April.

CEFN CRIBBWR 16 RHIGOS 0

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The less said about this game the better. We turned in a poor performance and got nilled by Cefn Cribbwr. Once again short of numbers on the day.

The team was: Rhydian Williams, Dwayne Dudley, Richard Smith,(Captain), Richard Williams, Mike Lovett, Daniel Dudley, Jon Smith, David Williams, Shaun Simons, David Price, Lee Morgan, Luke Williams, Ryan Williams, Lloyd Bryant, Dicky Davies with Nathan Davies and Steve Davies as subs.

We lost Jon Smith to a Red Card within 10 minutes of Kick Off and then had to move Dan Dudley to number 8 and Lee Morgan came into the back row. We held them to 3 – nil at half time. Unfortunately David Twin had to leave the field with an ankle injury and Billy came on.With 10 minutes to play and the score 2 tries, 1 highly controvertial, and 2 penalties to Nil Fridge had to leave the field to go to work and Steve came on but the game was already beyond us. Given the circumstances it was a huge defensive effort led by Dan Dudley who had a magnificent match with 22 tackles to his credit.

Coaches Ian and Mark were quite philosophical afterwards firmly of the belief that if Jon had stayed on we would have done Cefn Cribbwr a lot of damage and perhaps beaten them but it was not to be. It was also a bit of a bummer to pick up what could be another injury with david twin’s ankle up like a balloon.

Pontyclun 35 points Rhigos 15 points

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5/11/11

Down we went to Pontyclun in the Swalec Bowl and away we came not victorious but really proud of a strong team performance. We were short of numbers but not as short as we had anticipated and ended up with 18 players without any assistance from permit players.

Team was: Rhydian Williams, Jon Smith, Richard Williams, Mike Lovett, Nathan Billy Davies, Dan Williams, Mark Jones, Dan Dudley, Shaun Simons, Dave Price, Kyle Hinks, James Lewis, Lloyd Bryant, Aled Eggy Edwards, Dicky Davies Subs: Lee Morgan, Steve Davies and Richard Smith.

Pontyclun started strongly and their very dangerous three quarters linked cleverly to work a smart try within 5 minutes of kick off. The try was converted and we were 7 points down. After that slip a cracking battle developed between the 2 teams with Pontyclun having an obvious advantage wide out in the outside channels by virtue of their speed and strength. We countered this by driving through the pack which was weakened in the scrum where Jon Smith was forced to play hooker for the first time in his career but was strengthened in the line out by Jon’s excellent throwing to Mike Lovett Dan twin and Richie Fridge.

We then suffered a double blow in a matter of moments when first Dan Twin was forced to hospital with a dislocated right shoulder despite the assistance of legendary J P R Williams ( a better full back than orthopaedic doctor!!) and then Goofy knackered the ligaments in his left knee. Bravely he battled on to the end of the match with heavy strapping.

Richard Smith came on as sub and this released Jon to the back row. But the team was shaken by these 2 incidents and just before half time conceded a sucker try under the posts when the Pontyclun blind side wing cut inside his outside half and down the channel between 10 and 7. They converted and we were gutted. 40 minutes of hard work had been undone by 2 excellent tries from some talented players.

The second half started brightly with strong running from Farmer, Fridge, James Lewis and Goofy and some deft touches from Billy Twinkle which earned us a penalty in front of the posts and Dave Price promptly converted. Unfortunately this 3 points seemed to stir Pontyclun into a burst of activity and they scored 2 converted tries in a 2 minute burst of excellent running and passing from full back centres and wingers. It was so hard to take. There we were 28 points to 3 down with 25 minutes left to play, Goofy and Richard both carrying injuries. We had played well and the defensive lapses had been prompted more by Pontyclun’s fine play rather than our shortcomings.

Some teams would at that point have sunk without trace. But there were good things to build on. We had consistently won the breakdown area and forced a penalties and turnovers through Dan Dudley , Mike Lovett and Jonny Smith. Dicky Davies was playing really well. Though injured  Goofy was performing miracles at the scrum which was now much stronger with a recognised front three.

Our lineout was working a treat and from a series of driving mauls which Pontyclun could not cope with, Mike Lovatt was shunted over for a well deserved try that took our score to 8 points. Unfortunately and practically from kick off a loose kick was snaffled by Pontyclun’s full back and he cut through to put in the centre for another converted try.

Back we came, now with a lively looking pair of subs Lee Morgan and Steve Davies after first James Lewis and then Billy had to leave the field through injury. Again the forwards prompted the revival driving a lineeout some 30 yards before claiming a penalty which was kicked to touch. The lineout was won and we drove again to see Rhydian farmer break away to score a try that Dave Price converted with the last kick of the game.

It was a courageous performance but the cost was 4 bad injuries to some of our most reliable players. The likelihood is that Dan Twin and Goofy will be ruled out for a couple of months and Richard and James for a couple of weeks. Outstanding on the day were Jon Smith, Mike Lovett, Shaun Simons and Dicky Davies but all the rest of the players gave 110 per cent for the team.

OGMORE VALE 18 – RHIGOS 7

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Saturday 29th October 2011 was a wet and miserable afternoon for supporters and players of Rhigos RFC who lost 18 points to 7 at Ogmore Vale.

Only 14 players turned up to play and Nathan Billy Davies made a big effort to get over straight from work and took the field 10 minutes into the game to enable Rhigos to put out a full XV.

The team was Rhydian Williams, Dwayne Dudley, Richard Smith, Mike Lovett, Billy Davies, Dan Dudley, Dan Williams, Mark Jones, Shaun Simons, Luke Williams, Aled Edwards, Ryan Williams, David Price, Kyle Hinks and Dicky Davies.

We were late getting there again moving from bus to dressing rooms to field to 7 nil down all in the space of ten minutes as Ogmore caught our defence cold with a neat converted try at the posts.

The first half of the game was extremely difficult. Ogmore’s half backs consistently pinned us back in our 22 and we could not develop any pressure on them at all. To add to the problem were some bizarre decisions by the young referee who constantly pinged us.

With the strong breeze at their backs Ogmore steadily built up a score with 2 penalties and then an unconverted try to lead 18 points to nil at half time. Losing Mike Lovett for 10 minutes to a yellow card did not help.

After half time we seemed to switch ourselves back on despite losing Rhydian the Farm for 1 10 minute yellow. Now our driving mauls usually from well taken lineouts at which Dan Williams was immense became the dominant feature of the game. We managed to mount a series of strong drives that eventually saw Richard Smith bustle over for a try that Luke Williams converted.

Showing bags of character we attacked again and again but the Ogmore defence held firm. We were then hit by a third yellow card when Shaun Simons requests to the referee to blow for a Rhigos penalty saw him binned for ten minutes. So for 40 minutes of the game Rhigos played with 14 men.

It was hugely frustrating but despite all these setbacks we still kept pressing with Mark Jones driving strongly from scrums and carrying up well to make the hard yards. He seemed to have his just reward when five minutes from time the entire Rhigos pack with Mark in possession drove straight over the Ogmore line for what looked to everyone like a certain try. Everyone except the referee that is because he disallowed it as he was unsighted. Unbelievable!!

Those extra points would have been a just reward for some real graft. They would not have influenced the result. Ogmore Vale won and deserved to win on the strength of a good all round performance in the first half and good defensive work in the second half. It would however have brought the score closer and given a better perspective of the game.

Next week away in the Swalec Bowl to Pontyclun who are at the top of Division 4 South East – another stern test.

RHIGOS 12 pts PORTHCAWL 15pts

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In their first game for 4 weeks, after being let down by first Blaengarw and then Hirwaun, and after getting a bye in the Swalec Bowl, Rhigos played host to Porthcawl on a dry and windy Saturday afternoon.

Yet again unable to field the strongest side, Rhigos did at least have 18 players and substitutes for the second time this season. The line up was: R Fridge Williams, D Dudley, R Smith (Capt), M Jones, J Lovett,  M Lovett, J Smith, Dan Twin Williams, S Simons, L Williams, K Hinks, R Shaggy Williams, J Lewis, A Edwards, D Davies. Subs: David Twin Williams, A Lewis, S Davies.

Porthcawl always a strong well organised side started well and fly half Aled Davies kicked a well struck 3 points after a series of errors and fumbles in defense led to a penalty against the home team. Rhigos quickly struck back when strong running from Jon Smith and then Luke Williams saw Aled Edwards pulled down 5 yards short of a score. In the resultant ruck Porthcawl prop Jeremy Ironside was yellow carded. Richard Smith wisely asked for a scrum which was driven over to Dan twin record the first try of the game just a little too far out for Luke to convert.

Back came Porthcawl another badly received kick off by Rhigos saw the home side concede another penalty that Aled Davies converted. This seemed too sting Rhigos into a series of strong attacks that ended with a fine break by Luke from the fifth or sixth phase taken on by Fridge and ended by a good tackle which pulled Dwayne down just short of the line. Porthcawl cleared to touch and from a well taken lineout Shaun Simons fed Luke who cut Porthcawl with a searing inside break that saw him score under the posts. He converted his own kick so that with barely 20 minutes gone Rhigos led 12 points to 6 and were looking good value for their lead.

A strong lineout and excellent driving work at forward was enabling Luke to release Shaggy and James well. The game seemed to be developing in the same way as the previous 3 league fixtures. However Porthcawl were made of sterner stuff than previous opponents Banwen, Hirwaun and SW Police. They finished the half well when Aled Davies kicked his third penalty just before half time. Rhigos 12 Porthcawl 9.

For the home side the second half was a major disappointment and their lack of game time in the previous 3 weeks began to show up. There was a series of unforced errors which led to frustration. The more senior players in the side failed to get a grip on the game and Porthcawl doggedly just kept pressurising everywhere. It was not pretty but it was effective and it choked Rhigos.

The excellent boot of Aled Davies did the rest and he kicked 2 further penalties to edge Porthcawl in front. Rhigos attacked furiously. When from their best attack which ended right under the Porthcawl posts just 2 yards short of the line the referee was slow to penalise Porthcawl for not rolling away after the tackle, unfortunately Jonny Smith took the law into his own hands and got yellowed.

Still Rhigos fought back and for the last 3 minutes of the game the crowd were kept on their toes when a series of 18 phases failed to secure a Rhigos score and the game was finally lost.

Even though the same old weaknesses were apparent, too many infringements at the breakdown, too much yapping in the forwards which Ian put down to lack of games in the past 3 weeks  there were good points to build on. Yet again the line was intact with a good defense keeping Porthcawl from scoring a try. The lineout was very capable and the driving rolling mauls of a high order. Luke Williams and Jon Smith had striong individual performances but it was a game that Rhigos lost rather than Porthcawl won.

The next 2 weeks will prove a difficult test for the Axemen with Ogmore Vale away in the League followed by Pontyclun Away in the Swalec Bowl.