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Aberavon v Cardiff MatchPack : Report
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Just five weeks after giving Cardiff an almighty
hammering in the Principality Premiership, the Wizards rubbed salt
into the wound by dumping the Blue and Blacks out of the Konica
Minolta Cup. A seven-point winning margin may suggest something of a
nail biter, but in fact a converted Cardiff try in the dying
moments, some nine minutes into injury time, made things look a lot
closer than they had been for much of the second half. |
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The Wizards should have got off to a dream start when Richard Carter,
unusually playing at full-back, ran back a loose clearance kick. Having
easily won the race to his own kick ahead he uncharacteristically failed
to gather the bouncing ball and the visitors were relieved to be feeding a
defensive scrum rather than lining up to face a conversion attempt after
just ninety seconds.
It was a short-lived feeling of relief, however, as a few minutes later
turnover ball near half-way found its way to Liam Gadd, who made ground
before kicking over the defence. Left wing Steve Davies then showed an
astonishing turn of speed to outstrip everyone and gather touch down wide
out.
A tit-for-tat pattern emerged as Cardiff lock Damien Welch – easily the
visitors' best player – ran cleverly to level the scores, and then outside
half Craig Evans sent over a penalty to put Cardiff ahead for what was to
be the only time. The Wizards' response was for Richard Morris to go
bursting away from a lineout before releasing speedy scrum-half Chris
Morgans on a flight-path to the corner flag.
Jamie Davies, who had shaved the outside of both uprights with his two
conversion attempts, at last found his range with a penalty goal to extend
the home lead. It was, however, short-lived as the Wizards' creaking
line-out, not for the first time, coughed up possession which the visitors
moved swiftly across the field to level the scores via a corner try from
full back Roger Davies.
The second half saw the home side gain the upper hand despite playing into
the wind. A undoubted considerable at the set scrums became more emphatic
and a degree of urgency injected by scrum-half Chris Morgans had the
visitors pack-pedalling, and after play had gone through numerous phases a
Morgans pass found Chris Davies steaming up like an express train, taking
the ball at top speed on an unstoppable run to the posts.
Namesake Jamie converted, and although opposite number Evans landed a
penalty to once again narrow the gap, it was increasingly looking like
another Aberavon victory. Even after the visitors had once again called
for passive scrums, infuriating the home supporters who saw one of their
team's major weapons effectively negated for the second time in two
matches against Cardiff, there was the feeling that it was only a matter
of time before the Wizards put the tie beyond reach. A long-range penalty
against the wind from Davies restored the seven-point home advantage, and
then Steve Davies, who had opened the scoring, applied the coup-de-grace,
following up a diagonal kick to hack on, regather and score at the posts.
Davies again added the extras and with two minutes left to play that, in
all honesty, should have been that.
Referee Huw Watkins, however, had other ideas and conjured up a remarkable
ten minutes of stoppage time, going on to further infuriate the home
faithful with a series of penalties against the home side that ended when
Cardiff hooker Ross Johnston crossed near the posts to get awarded the try
despite, in most people's eyes, having knocked the ball forward during the
approach. Evans converted, and incredibly there was still time left to
play, but the Wizards battened down the hatches and gave the visitors no
chance of bagging an unlikely equalizer.
Paul Williams
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