Cardiff V Neath
Saturday 24th September 2005

MATCH REPORT (Al Black)

(Photographs by Julian Brock)

CARDIFF 17 NEATH 35
Neath got the show back on the road with an ultimately convincing win at the Arms Park against struggling Cardiff.

Having struggled to find their rhythm against Glamorgan Wanderers, there seemed to be a "hangover" effect afflicting the Blacks in the first-half. Collectively, Neath should have scored on at least wto occasions and too many individual errors cost Neath dear again. Consequently, they trailed at the interval 6-11 through two James Hook penalties that were cancelled out by ex-Neath outside-half Chris Anderson either side of a fortuitous try by home wing Francesco Brillante.

At halftime, coach Rowland Phillips replaced the ineffective Steve Thomas with Neil Clapham and Gerwyn Price took over from Andy Littlehales at hooker. Within six minutes of the restart, Neath were in front and it was the dynamic Price who got them there with his first try for Neath, Hook adding the touchline conversion.

A third Anderson penalty saw Cardiff retake the lead at 14-13 lead but then the Neath forwards started to assert themselves. With the prodigious kicking from hand of Hook and Arewl Thomas forcing Cardiff back deep ito their own territory, Neath exploited a five-metre scrum for No. 8 Dan McShane drove over for a try at the posts against his old club.

Anderson responded with his fourth penalty but Cardiff were done and a peach of a try by Arwel Thomas, dancing down the narrow side, sent Neath further ahead. "Evening Post" guru Tony Poole asserts that the score lifted Arwel who had his best game yet onto 1,250 points on the all-time league chart. More importantly, it lifted Neath to 25-17 and spelled curtains for Cardiff.

Referee Huw F.Lewis the gave Aled Bevan his 21st birthday card - a yellow one at that ! - but Neath nudged further ahead with Hook's third penalty and then Neath Athletic's Wales Under-19 captain Jonathan Spratt emerged for his debut and made an instant impression in freeing Clapham - surely too good a footballer to be omitted - who sent full back Gareth Morris inside for Neath 's fourth try of the half and Hook converted for a 15-point haul that sealed Neath's impressive run of success in the Capital.

Neath v Cardiff - G.Morris; S.Thomas (N.Clapham), A.Bevan, J.Hook, R.Johnston; A.Thomas, M.Roberts (P.Horgan); P.Jones (C.Mitchell), A.Littlehales (G.Price), C.Griffiths; S.Martin (captain), M.Morgan; A.Llewellyn (B.Davies), D.McShane, J.McPhail (J.Spratt) Other Replacement - S.Pengelly