Glamorgan Wanderers V Neath
Saturday, 17th December 2005, 2.30pm KO.

MATCH REPORT (Al Black)

Match Photographs by Julian Brock - Click Here

GLAMORGAN WANDERERS  18  NEATH  22

The All Blacks maintained their hold at the top of the Principality Welsh Premiership but were made to fight every inch of the way for this victory at the Memorial Ground.

Playing their first League game for a month, the Blacks rarely hit the heights and, although the 4-nil try-count in their favour speaks for itself, Glamorgan Wanderers always looked capable of pulling off a shock result.

Having had two pairs of boots stolen on his sojourns with the Wales Sevens team, James Hook missed two very kickable penalties early on for Neath and it seemed to be one of those days when his opposite number Gareth McCarthy struck successfully off the upright in a rare Wanderers attack. Neath’s response was instantaneous as wing Aled Brew charged down from the re-start and scored the game’s first try for Hook to convert. Wanderers were up for the challenge and, although Neath provided most of the positive play going, they were strangely off-colour and two McCarthy penalties nudged Wanderers in front at 9-7 at the interval.

Neath continued to look the better side after the interval but Wanderers played with great tenacity. Their sensible wheeling of the scrum and ability to slow down Neath possession kept them in the hunt and McCarthy landed his fourth goal when lock Martyn Morgan was rather harshly sin-binned for a high tackle on a falling Wanderer.  McCarthy’s fifth penalty made it 15-7 but Neath were looking more and more threatening. The arrival of Hywel Jenkins and James Davies alongside Andy Llewellyn in the back-row seemed to give Neath added impetus and a quickly-taken tap penalty saw the creative Hook send centre Aled Bevan in for Neath’s second try only for McCarthy to promptly land his sixth goal.

The warning signs were there for the Wanderers though. Hard as back-rowers Leach and Grimes worked, their front five was beginning to tire as Neath spread the ball wide and the Blacks got a deserved third try when wing Steve Thomas split the defence and newly arrived replacement Richard Johnston showed his finishing ability. Hook then split the defence only for his pass to be ruled forward but Neath were not to be denied and replacement Arwel Thomas nipped over in the corner to put them 22-18 in front.

The excitement did not end there for, in a lengthy period of injury-time, Hook broke out from his own 22 and would probably have scored Neath’s fifth had he not opted to kick. In a frantic finish, Wanderers attacked again, Arwel Thomas had the opportunity to find touch but missed and Wanderers’ last fling was just about repelled to close an exciting, invigorating game that had spectators on the edge of their seats up until the final whistle. The points may have been Neath’s whose creative superiority and defensive resolution when needed pulled the game out of the fire but much of the praise went the way of the Wanderers !

Glamorgan Wanderers – C.Warman (H.Williams); D.Evans, G.Morris, D.Willey, J.Hobbs (J.Henthorne);  G.McCarthy, A.Cawley; M.Bolton (captain), R.Johnston (M.Bishop), M.O’Leary (S.O’Sullivan); J.Luff, K.Stewart (A.Luff); M.Leach, M.Grimes, R.Thomas (E.Christopher)

Neath – S.Taumalolo; S.Thomas, A.Bevan, J.Spratt (A.Thomas), A.Brew (R.Johnston); J.Hook, M.Roberts; P.Jones (C.Mitchell), G.Price, C.Griffiths; S.Martin (captain), M.Morgan; A.Llewellyn, B.Davies (H.Jenkins), J.McPhail (J.Davies)

Referee – Mr. Huw David (Bridgend)