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Aberavon v Cardiff MatchPack : Action Replay
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Aberavon 22-7 Llandovery
Konica Minolta Cup Round 4
The prolific right boot of Jamie Davies ended the cup holders’ dream
of defending their title in a hard fought tie at Aberavon, as he
amassed a personal total of 17 points from five penalties and a
conversion to help ease his side into the fifth round of the
competition.
While the Drovers’ league form may have suggested an easy win for
the on-song Wizards, no-one at Aberavon was taking anything for
granted against a side that took home the Konica Minolta trophy last
season despite being firmly anchored at the wrong end of the
Principality Premiership. Indeed, their route to the Cup Final had
taken in the Talbot Athletic Ground as the venue for their memorable
semi-final victory over Llanelli.
So from an Aberavon viewpoint it was very much a case of playing
typical “cup rugby”, applying the pressure and taking the points
when on offer, rather than adopting the higher risk running approach
that had seen the Wizards defeat Newport in their previous outing a
couple of weeks earlier.
Ultimately the match ended with each side having scored a try
apiece. With a predictably dogged determination the visitors’
defence kept the Wizards at bay, but in attack they were guilty of
some dreadful finishing that saw a couple of golden opportunities go
begging. Meanwhile, the Wizards lost in-form number eight Robbie
Morgan with an injury after 17 minutes, forcing a reshuffle in their
pack, and so a dour, defence-dominated contest unfolded for an hour,
with Aberavon’s all-time record points scorer adding nine to his
tally before the Wizards eventually pierced the visitors’ defence
with a rare moment of quality. A neat inside-pass from James Garland
put Chris Davies into space and the flanker went racing away before
being brought down close to the line. However, back row colleague
Simon Peters was on hand to carry the move on, crash through two
tacklers and score. Inevitably Davies sent over the conversion, and
at 16-0 going into the last quarter the cup holders’ grip on the
trophy looked all but lost.
Ten minutes before the end a fine try from Llandovery outside half
Gareth James, converted by Gareth Morgan, reduced the deficit, but
normal service was resumed soon afterwards as the Aberavon pack
regained the initiative and applied the pressure that yielded two
further penalties from Davies.
On a brighter note, the match saw the return to Aberavon colours of
the popular Darryl Thomas, taking his first step to reclaiming a
regular spot in the squad after suffering from an injury that had
kept him out of contention since the first month of the season. The
big flanker from Cwmafan, winner of the club’s “Most Promising
Player” award a couple of seasons ago, made his presence felt during
the final ten minutes or so and will bring further strength in depth
to the Wizards’ already abundant pool of back-row talent.
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