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RUMNEY YOUTH v PONTYPRIDD YOUTH
Riverside Park, Rumney
Saturday 18th May 2013, k.o. 2.30 pm
Rumney Youth 0 Pontypridd Youth 50
SWALEC League Division 1 East
MERTHYR v RUMNEY
The Wern, Merthyr Tydfil
Saturday 11th May 2013, k.o. 2.30 pm
Merthyr v Rumney 15.10.2011
Past playing record : played 28, Merthyr 13 wins, Rumney 12 wins, 3 draws
Rumney : 15.Tom Silva 14.Christian Edwards 13.Paul Niblett 12.Paul King 11.Solomon Matthews 10.Danny Clark 9.Chris Milton 8.Michael Kelly 7.Ryan Fenton 6.Joe Perks 5.Michael Young 4.Matthew Way 3.Andrew Davies 2.Michael Feneck (Capt) 1.John Leadbeatter
Replacements : 16.Chris Jones 17.Dominic Perks 18.Neal Ritchie 19.Lewis Rees
Merthyr : 15.Josh Flye 14.Aaron Howard 13.Tom Farr-Evans 12.Cameron Gardner 11.Jack Thomas 10.Steve Lang 9.James Soames 8.Andrew Murphy 7.Gareth Williams 6.Rhys Thorpe 5.Gavin Llewellyn 4.Aaron Harris 3.Rhys James 2.Luke Harwood 1.Scott Roberts
Replacements : 16.Josh Davies 17.Cashel Chivers 18.Liam Jones 19.A.N.Other
Referee : Richard Brace, Maesteg
Merthyr 29 Rumney 20
Scorers for Rumney : Solomon Matthews 2 tries, Danny Clark 2 conversions and 2 penalties
Scorers for Merthyr : Josh Flye 3 tries, Steve Lang conversion and 4 penalties
A new look Merthyr side, differing in many positions from the one which had played at Riverside Park ten days previously, took to the field at the Wern with gusto, flanker Rhys Thorpe and No8 Andrew Murphy driving play right up to the visitors' line and centres Tom Farr and Cameron Gardner seeking to find a way through, but Rumney soon settled, second row Michael Young a pillar of strength in the lineout, and although they surprisingly had problems in the first scrummage, the second was much better, with No8 Michael Kelly controlling and flanker Matthew Way breaking loose to clear any further danger. in the seventh minute, as Rumney advanced, Merthyr conceded a penalty and outside half Danny Clark opened the vistors' account with a well struck kick. The Ironmen came back on the offensive, hooker Luke Harwood into everything, athletic scrum half James Soames working to make the ball quickly available and stand off Steve Lang varying play and set moves. The visitors' lineout was inconsistent, losing some and stealing others, and they found themselves under pressure at the scrums from the big Merthyr pack, but when fireball scrum half Chris Milton collected a high ball magnificently and sent centre Paul King and flanker Ryan Fenton bursting into the opposition half, the Ironmen committed a further infringement and Clark slotted three more points. After putting in a lot of good work, Rumney centre Paul Niblett had to go off and was replaced by Lewis Rees, but powerful attacking by wings Christian Edwards and Solomon Matthews, and fullback Tom Silva, plus surges from prop John Leadbeatter and hooker Michael Feneck, along with crunching tackles from flanker Joe Perks and Way, kept the visitors moving forward and looking to set up structured forward moves rather than engage in the loose play which had characterised the match so far. Though both sides were prepared to spread the ball, play tended to be concentrated in the Merthyr half where the home side gave away more penalties to blunt the advances of Kelly and Edwards. However, having had the best of most of the first half, the visitors found the balance of power change when, in the thirty fifth minute, from a scrum just inside their own half, the Ironmen sent the ball out to the backs where fullback Josh Flye came into the line to create an overlap and then took the return pass to coast in for a try, Lang adding the points which gave Merthyr the lead at 7-6. The Ironmen's lineout was now solid, second row Aaron Harris taking the ball and Harwood, Thorpe and flanker Gareth Williams setting up the drives and rolling mauls which followed, then, in the thirty ninth minute, from a scrum similar to the one which had led to their first try, Merthyr cut loose, Soames producing a superb break, attracting tacklers and creating a gap for Flye to fly through on a thirty five metre dash for a fine try, which sent the teams in at half time with Merthyr now leading 12-6.
Rumney brought on influential back row forward Chris Jones for the second half, looking to regain the lead and contain the Merthyr forwards. Only three minutes had passed when some of the problems which had cost Rumney dear all season reappeared, they conceded unforced penalties in attacking positions and then failed to regroup quickly enough to prevent the opposition taking advantage of a quick tap. Having given away a penalty for holding on, the visitors watched as Murphy tapped and fed winger Aaron Howard, who gained a massive amount of territory before the ball was switched wide to the right where players were queuing up and Flye crossed for his third try. The Ironmen appeared to be in the driving seat and outstanding defence from the visitors' back three of Matthews, Silva and Edwards was needed to keep them from scoring again, but from an unpromising scrum on halfway, Matthews went on the attack and Edwards and Silva tore down the left touchline, Edwards appearing to score, but Mr Brace ordering a five metre Rumney scrum instead, where the visitors found themselves in the unusual position of having their pack being pushed back, while Merthyr succeeded in clearing their lines. This was nevertheless, developing into a good period for Rumney and in the fifty first minute, following aggressive drives from Feneck, Fenton, Young and Way, Leadbeatter burst forward to the twenty two, drawing in defenders and setting up perfect possession for Clark whose flick pass to Matthews, coming infield on a ghost run, surprised the Merthyr defence, which the winger brushed aside as he shot over for a fine try. Things were to get even better three minutes later when Jones, prop Andrew Davies and the dynamic Fenton set up good second phase on the halfway, supplying quality possession for Clark who produced a superb, weaving break, brilliantly supported by Feneck, who then offloaded to Matthews, the winger again eluding tacklers as he crossed in the corner for his second try. More high paced drives by Fenton and Kelly, crunching tackles by Rees and King, and potent movements by the threequarters gave the firm impression that Rumney were back in control of the proceedings, but then the painful problem of unforced penalties was felt again, when, in front of the posts, they were penalised for hands in the loose and Lang happily collected the points from thirty metres out. Having conceded the lead, and although they were now dominating most of the scrums and forward exchanges, in the seventieth minute Rumney gave away another three points for going in the side, on this occassion Lang's long distance strike taking the Ironmen back into the lead at 23-20, and followed this three minutes later when Merthyr, driven on by torrential rain on their backs and the wind behind them, and with Murphy once more leading the charge, constructed a driving maul which the visitors attempted to pull down, the result being three more penalty points from Lang's trusty boot. Now six points up, the outside half looked to close down the game with his positional kicking, but good play by Clark and a superb break by King took the visitors back into a match winning position, only for players to dive over and kill the ball, Merthyr gratefully using the penalty to get back downfield, where in the seventy ninth minute, Rumney prevented a tackled player from releasing the ball and Lang sealed the game at 29-20 with his fourth successful penalty of the last fourteen minutes.
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BEDDAU YOUTH v RUMNEY YOUTH
Beddau RFC, Pontypridd
Saturday 11th May 2013, k.o. 2.30 pm
Beddau Youth 26 Rumney Youth 7
Mallett Cup Final 2013
RUMNEY ATHLETIC v LLANRUMNEY
Cardiff Arms Park
Wednesday 8th May 2013, k.o. 7.15 pm
Rumney Athletic : 15.Lewis Andrews 14.Christian Edwards 13.Lee Bendon 12.Paul King 11.Alex Bodin 10.Lawrence Facey 9.Dominic Perks 8.Matthew Way 7.Ryan Sutton (Capt) 6.Anthony Leach 5.Sion Hutchings 4.Ryan Matthews 3.Joe Mills 2.Karl McCowen 1.Andrew Davies
Replacements : 16.Anthony Jones 17.Warren Milton 18.Dan Ford 19.Kevin O'Connor 20.Alex Williams 21.Sean Spavin 22.Sam Vaughan
Llanrumney : 15.Lewis Tumelty 14.David Matthews 13.Jason Cheshire 12.Anthony Dacruz 11.Keiron Ford 10.Luke Ackerman 9.Liam John 8.David Lewis (Capt) 7.Barry Phillips 6.Ben Church 5.Chris Church 4.Paul Aviet 3.Kieran Ivins 2.Joe Davies 1.Tom Phillips
Replacements : 16.Lloyd Thomas 17.Chris Omar 18.Jamie Williams 19.David Chinnick 20.Rhys Leah 21.John Worsley 22.Craig Williams
Referee : Benjamin Porte Assistant Referees : Aled Evans, Tony Bartlett, Alex Yau
Rumney Athletic 39 Llanrumney 0
Scorers for Rumney Athletic : Lawrence Facey try and 3 conversions and penalty, Paul King try, Christian Edwards try, Sam Vaughan try, Anthony Leach try, Lee Bendon try
Mallett Cup Final 2013 Man of the Match : Lee Bendon
Rumney laid out their stall from the first scrum when No8 Matthew Way broke from the base, linking with scrum half Dominic Perks and fullback Lewis Andrews, to force another scrum ten metres from the Llanrumney line. The ball was fed out to centre Paul King who set it up for outside half Lawrence Facey to dodge over for the opening try, Facey also adding the conversion to create a 7-0 lead after three minutes. Captain Ryan Sutton dealt with high balls and systematically took lineout possession, and the powerful Rumney front row of Joe Mills, Karl McCowen and Andrew Davies secured the scrums, while for Llanrumney, flanker Barry Phillips and Captain David Lewis hit back hard and led good bursts out of defence with strong forward drives. The Llanrumney backs also looked dangerous with ball in hand and although the Rumney defenders did concede some penalties, they tackled like demons to cut down the opposition attacks. The guaranteed lineout feed from Sutton allowed Davies and Mills to batter through the midfield, and Llanrumney had a powerhouse of their own in loose play where prop Joe Davies gained hard yards, but the Rumney gain line was proving hard to breach and on one occassion centre Lee Bendon counterattacked, almost covering the length of the pitch. Llanrumney continued to progress well, second row Chris Church setting up the midfield attackers, but in the twenty seventh minute another massive break by winger Christian Edwards returned play to the Llanrumney twenty two, where a sliced clearance kick fell into the hands of King, who needed no second invitation to bolt over in the corner and extend the lead to 12-0. With McCowen and second rows Sion Hutchings and Ryan Matthews on the rampage in the loose, Dominic Perks was able to fire the ball out wide whenever possible and another searing break by Bendon took play back to the Llanrumney twenty two, where Hutchings and Sutton set up the phases, forcing a penalty, which Facey slotted to take the score to 15-0, but this was followed by a good period of Llanrumney pressure when elusive fullback Lewis Tumelty, Chris Church and Lewis all came close to grabbing a try. In the thirty eighth minute, with the Llanrumney pack battering the Rumney line, the defenders held firm and eventually cleared play for a scrum on the Llanrumney ten metre line, leading to a fine Bendon break infield, carried on by Edwards whose sweeping run put him outside the grasp of any tacklers and saw him in for a try, Facey's difficult conversion leaving the scoreboard reading 22-0 at halftime.
From the restart Llanrumney found themselves pinned deep in their own half but did well to break out through a fine handling movement. For Rumney, Sion Hutchings produced a brilliant break but had to leave the field through injury, at which point the pack was reshuffled, Kevin O'Connor appearing at prop and Sam Vaughan at No8, both forwards getting stuck right in and in the forty seventh minute, when the ball was fired out to winger Alex Bodin to blaze down the tramlines, Vaughan was there at the contact area and was unstoppable gathering and crossing for a spectacular, high paced try. The Rumney pack stepped up a gear, Way and flanker Anthony Leach causing big problems for their opponents, and Llanrumney were finding it increasingly difficult to secure and make good use of possession, and in the fifty fifth minute, at a five metre scrum, Dominic Perks caused disruption, stole the ball and fed Leach, who waltzed over to score, Facey adding the extras to put his side 34-0 ahead. Liam John, the steady Llanrumney scrum half, tried chips into the box, and Lewis kept up his high workrate, but as last line of defence, Andrews was faultless and returned everything with interest, Llanrumney's best chance coming when centre Anthony Dacruz made an interception and was stopped just short of the tryline. Rumney brought on Joe Perks in the back row, maintaining their dominance at forward, and it was O'Connor and McCowen who brought off try saving tackles as Llanrumney once more battered the line, Phillips and John coming within inches of scoring, but in the seventy ninth minute, from a similar defensive position, the Rumney backs ran from behind their own line, Bendon scything through and hurtling eighty metres for a sensational try, Facey's successful conversion bringing the match to its conclusion, the final scoreboard reading Rumney 39 Llanrumney 0.
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RUMNEY YOUTH v ST PETERS YOUTH
Riverside Park, Rumney
Wednesday 8th May 2013, k.o. 6.30 pm
Rumney Youth 0 St Peters Youth 30
This game had to be abandoned because of injury
East District Cup Final 2013
RUMNEY v ST PETERS
The Memorial Ground, Ely, Cardiff
Tuesday 7th May 2013, k.o. 7.00 pm
Rumney : 15.Tom Silva 14.Joe Offside 13.Paul Niblett 12.Lawrence facey 11.Solomon Matthews 10.Danny Clark 9.Chris Milton 8.Michael Kelly 7.Ryan Fenton 6.Joe Perks 5.Michael Young 4.Paul Bull 3.Rhodri Hanmer 2.Michael Feneck (Capt) 1.John Leadbeatter
Replacements : 16.Chris Jones 17.Joe Mills 18.Jason Kemble 19.Lewis Andrews 20.Tom Scrivens 21.Jack Macadam
St Peters : 15.Matt Arnold 14.Sonny Driscoll 13.Johnny Morris 12.Aled Williams 11.Josh Kelly 10.David Mitchell 9.Robbie Ryan 8.Joshua Dunleavy (Capt) 7.Jack Cooke 6.Rhys Meredith 5.Nathan Wheaton 4.Archie Cossell 3.A.N.Other 2.Luke Harwood 1.Mike Fussy
Replacements : 16.Mike Baldwin 17.Jack Smith 18.Lewis Dawes 19.Bryn Evans 20.David Price 21.Dan Evans
Referee : Sean Brickell Touch Judges : Paul Jones, Gavin Roberts
Rumney 52 St Peters 38
Scorers for Rumney : Michael Kelly try, penalty try, Tom Silva try, Solomon Matthews try, Chris Jones try, Ryan Fenton try, Lawrence Facey try, Danny Clark 4 conversion and 2 penalties and drop goal
Scorers for St Peters : Josh Kelly 2 tries, Rhys Meredith try, Matt Arnold try, Sonny Driscoll try, Aled Williams try, David Mitchell 4 conversions
East District Cup Final Man of the Match : Danny Clark
A St Peters onslaught, led by Captain and No8 Joshua Dunleavy and centre Aled Williams, was the opening event of what has been described as the best East District Cup Final ever, but Rumney weathered the storm and started to exert control as The Rocks ran the ball at every opportunity, but in the sixth minute St Peters entered the side of a maul and Rumney stand off Danny Clark opened the scoring with a fine long range kick. The Rocks opened up again, their dangerous backs being egged on by elusive scrum half Robbie Ryan, while Rumney second row Michael Young and No8 Michael Kelly made impressive starts in the set pieces and the loose, then, in the twelfth minute, Rumney wing Solomon Matthews neatly collected a wayward, high ball on the halfway line and raced away, supported by centres Lawrence Facey and Paul Niblett, finally putting Kelly over in the corner for a very good, opportunistic try. Intense Rumney forward pressure took them into Rocks' territory where they lodged on the five metre line, Kelly and flanker Ryan Fenton battering away for a score, but it was St Peters' repeated infringements and pulling down of the rolling maul which aroused the wrath of referee Mr Sean Brickell and he headed under the posts to award a penalty try, Clark's conversion taking the lead to 15-0. The Rocks were stung into immediate action, rampaging Dunleavy and rampant flanker Rhys Meredith charging upfield and the backs spreading it wide, requiring crunching tackles from Niblett, Facey and fullback Joey Offside, but in the twenty eighth minute, another well worked threequarter movement sent Rocks' winger Josh Kelly over in the corner for a fine try, pegging the score back to 15-5. This success was repeated two minutes later when Meredith got his reward for hard work with a try of his own, and then, after just another three minutes play, full back Matt Arnold crossed in the corner, and St Peters were ahead at 15-17. Now it was the turn of Rumney to come from behind, they opened up from a set scrum and Niblett's perfect pass to Offside put the fullback through on the burst, setting it up for flying winger Tom Silva to go the distance and sprint in for the try, but remarkably The Rocks hit back within minutes, right wing Sonny Driscoll getting a try and outside half David Mitchell landing te conversion to put them back ahead at 20-24. Tight head prop Rhodri Hanmer, loosehead John Leadbeatter, hooker Georgie Kemble, second row Paul Bull and flanker Joe Perks were ferocious in their pursuit of possession for Rumney but in the fortieth minute, Williams created an amazing break and covered seventy five metres at top speed, castlng aside tacklers in his wake, to score a spectacular try, Mitchell's conversion sending The Rocks in at halftime with a substantial eleven point advantage, the scoreboard reading Rumney 20 St Peters 31.
Rumney made changes at the start of the second period, bringing on Captain Michael Feneck at hooker, Joe Mills at prop and Chris Jones as flanker. A period of high speed but scrappy play saw St Peters attempting to prevent Rumney taking a grip on the game, but they were unable to also contain the non stop, attacking play of scrum half Chris Milton and in the forty sixth minute conceded a penalty for not releasing the tackled player, and Clark slotted the kick. Although The Rocks kept pressing, meeting crunching tackles from Leadbeatter, Jones and Young, their moves were largely anticipated by Clark who drove them back with long kicks, and who, in the fifty sixth minute, orchestrated a threequarter movement which stretched the opposition defences and left them unable to stop Matthews coming in off his wing in a set move, and crashing over under the sticks. The response by St Peters was not long in coming, Josh Kelly scything right through to the posts on an angled run, for a spectacular solo try and conversion which increased The Rocks' lead to 30-38, and this with less than twenty minutes remaining on the clock. There was no panic however in the Rumney ranks, and for the final period they confidently began to stamp their dominance on the proceedings, Mills's powerful bursts producing massive gains, and in the sixty fourth minute Clark set off on a weaving run deep in Rocks' territory, which Chris Jones carried on, pounding through tacklers to touchdown over the line. Clark's successful conversion took Rumney back to within one point of St Peters, and they again upped the pace and pressure, Leadbeatter, Bull and Fenton ripping and driving and Chris Jones causing multiple headaches for the defenders. In the seventy second minute Young secured a lineout and Fenton, Kelly and Feneck drove forward to set up second phase for Milton, whose perfect pass back to Clark, positioned on the ten metre line, gave him time to line up and execute a magnificent forty metre drop goal, edging Rumney back into the lead at 40-38. St Peters remained in contention, centre Johnny Morris bringing off an impressive break, but the writing was now on the wall as Rumney's power play gave them control of the set pieces, and in the seventy sixth minute, Young once more applied his control to the lineout and from the subsequent maul, Fenton touched down to score. An element of panic entered The Rock's play, and as they attempted to run out of their own twenty two, a loose pass was snapped up by Facey, who carefully controlled the ball to grab a final try, Clark's conversion sealing an outstanding and memorable cup final, 52-38 in Rumney's favour.
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SWALEC League Division 1 East
RUMNEY v GILFACH GOCH
Riverside Park, Rumney
Saturday 4th May 2013, k.o. 2.30 pm
Gilfach Goch v Rumney 22.09.2012
Past playing record : played 5, Gilfach Goch 2 wins, Rumney 2 wins, 1 draw
Rumney : 15.Lorien Quick 14.Joe Offside 13.Paul Niblett 12.Wayne Dacruz 11.Solomon Matthews 10.Danny Clark (Capt) 9.Chris Milton 8.Michael Kelly 7.Ryan Fenton 6.Joe Perks 5.Michael Young 4.Paul Bull 3.Rhodri Hanmer 2.George Kemble 1.John Leadbeatter
Replacements : 16.Anthony Heron 17.Tom Scrivens 18.Chris Jones 19.Kevin O'Connor
Gilfach Goch : 15.Adam Priday 14.Ricky Dobbs 13.Bradley Morgan 12.Nathan Walters (Capt) 11.Tom Richards 10.Gareth Walters 9.Josh Hughes 8.James Locke 7.Andrew Williams 6.Lee Purnell 5.Steven Baker 4.Matthew Llewellyn 3.Ricky Priday 2.Matthew Beach 1.Michael Hughes
Replacements : from the squad
Referee : Owain Griffiths
Rumney 28 Gilfach Goch 37
Scorers for Rumney : Paul Niblett try, Joe Offside try, Michael Kelly try, Paul Bull try, Danny Clark conversion and 2 penalties
Scorers for Gilfach Goch : Matthew Llewellyn try, Steve Baker try, Bradley Morgan 2 tries and 4 conversions and 3 penalties
Gilfach Goch started fiercely with high speed, positive play from fankers Leigh Purnell and Andrew Williams, secure lineout possession and tight driving malls, but were matched by Rumney who also constructed excellent drives, took clean ball in the lineout through Michael Young, who also attacked in the loose with flanker Ryan Fenton, and made the most of any turnovers. Play was soon concentrated in the visitors' half, the home side using the wind and and gaining yards with bursts from front row forwards John Leadbeatter, George Kemble and Rhodri Hanmer, backed up by marauding No8 Michael Kelly, and in the eleventh minute, when Gilfach strayed offside, Rumney outside half Danny Clark opened the secoring with a thirty five metre penalty. Two minutes later, from an unpromising, scrappy lineout fifteen metres inside his own half, Clark launched a huge kick in the air and centre Paul Niblett and scrum half Chris Milton went in hot pursuit, reclaiming the ball and sending Niblett over for a surprising try. Gilfach launched powerful attacks into the home side's territory, No8 James Locke and centre Nathan Walters hitting tacklers hard, and although Rumney were secure in defence and worked their way back upfield, they started to give away penalties, particularly for offside infringements, a habit that would prove very costly as the game progressed. In the twenty fifth minute they were penalised on the halfway for not releasing a tackled player and Gilfach outside half Gareth Walters kicked his side to the twenty two. From the lineout the ball went wide and flanker Andrew Williams broke the defensive line before offloading to centre Bradley Morgan on the burst, who crossed for the try, the successful conversion narrowing the score to 8-7. The set scrums were evenly contested, though the visitors' pack was far heavier than the home side's, but in the thirty first minute when Hanmer, Leadbeatter and flanker Joe Perks gained ground with strong bursts, Gilfach killed the ball at the contact area and Clark added the three points from twenty five metres, but this was pulled back a few minutes later when a pick and go by Gareth Walters was stopped illegally and Morgan landed the subsequent penalty. Gareth Walters was soon in the thick of it again, orchestrating his forwards to gain hard yards, and shortly before half time Rumney lost centre Wayne Dacruz with a serious knee injury, winger Lorien Quick moving to fullback, Joe Offside to centre and Tom Scrivens taking to the field on the wing, but having to defend against the Gilfach pressure, Rumney conceded a penalty and Morgan edged his side in front for the first time with a halftime lead of 11-13.
Nine minutes into the second half, Gilfach extended the lead when, following some impressive open play, second row Matthew Llewellyn crossed for a try and Morgan added the conversion, but in the fifty eighth minute Rumney struck back, Milton taking a quick tap for Kemble and Leadbeatter to set up and recycle the ball for hard working second row Paul Bull and Kelly to link and put Offside in to score. Having got back to within four points of Gilfach, the home side played some attractive high speed rugby, bringing in Quick and Scrivens to test the opposition, but in the sixty first minute a wayward pass allowed Morgan to pounce and run in under the sticks, the conversion again restoring the visitors' lead to an eleven point margin. They extended this by a further three points when Morgan kicked a penalty from in front of the posts, following yet another Rumney offside infringement. Rumney came back strongly, Young putting in another strong, confrontational performance in the loose and Fenton battering the defensive line, and as they stepped up the attacks Gilfach conceded penalties and received a yellow card. In the seventieth minute, Milton, always ready to grab an opportunity, tapped and connected with Kelly who was unstoppable at short range and forced his way over for the score, Clark adding the extra points to peg the gap back to 23-30, but only two minute later Gilfach took advantage of Rumney errors, Llewellyn stampeding ahead, Hughes and Gareth Walters sending it wide and then back in to second row Steve Baker who crossed unopposed, the successful conversion stretching their advantage back to 23-37. As the clock ticked down the home side made changes, Chris Jones coming on in the back row and Anthony Heron at hooker, they and Hanmer taking the game straight back to the visitors, with Young and Clark trying their hardest to gain even more territory, but free kicks and penalties continued to mount against them and although both sides were willing to risk playing fast and loose, Gilfach soaked up the pressure as they looked to close down the game. In the seventy seventh minute, a superb break by winger Solomon Matthews and rapid phases allowed Bull to power over for a try, and although Matthews conjoured up another sparkling dash, and Chris Jones and replacement prop Kevin O'Connor gave every effort to rescue the game in the closing minutes, no further scores were possible and Rumney went down 28-37.
Matt Silva, Coach Rumney 1st XV : "I have to pay tribute to our players at this present time because as a club, First XV and Development XV, we have just encountered the most intense fixture programme that I have witnessed since I have been at the club. The cracks are starting to appear as physically, the boys are shattered. Gilfach Goch adopted a physical approach at scrum, lineout and contact area and we just didn't have enough in the tank to match their thirty seven points. We did manage twenty eight points of our own but you also have the added factor of an impending cup final on Tuesday against St Peters. Taking nothing away from Gilfach Goch, they played with a lot of power and passion, and were worthy winners. The Man of the Match was John Leadbeatter."
Above, left : Matt Silva, right : John Leadbeatter
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Mallett Cup 2012-2013 Semi Final
RUMNEY ATHLETIC v GLAMORGAN WANDERERS 2nd XV
Hailey Park, Llandaff North, Cardiff
Saturday 4th May 2013, k.o. 2.30 pm
Rumney Athletic 46 Glamorgan Wanderers 2nd XV 18
SWALEC League Division 1 East
RUMNEY v MERTHYR
Riverside Park, Rumney
Wednesday 1st May 2013, k.o. 7.15 pm
Rumney v Merthyr 11.02.2012
Past playing record : played 27, Merthyr 13 wins, Rumney 11 wins, 3 draws
Rumney : 15.Luke Fear 14.Tom Silva 13.Paul Niblett 12.Wayne Dacruz 11.Solomon Matthews 10.Danny Clark 9.Chris Milton 8.Michael Kelly 7.Ryan Fenton 6.Joe Perks 5.Michael Young 4.Paul Bull 3.Joe Mills 2.Michael Feneck 1.John Leadbeatter
Replacements : 16.Chris Miller 17.Jack Macadam 18.Gareth Hutchings 19.Neal Ritchie
Merthyr : 15.Josh Flye 14.Aaron Howard 13.Tom Farr-Evans 12.Cameron Gardner 11.Jack Thomas 10.Steve Lang 9.Darren Higgs 8.Jamie Ringer 7.Aaron Harris 6.Matthew Llewellyn 5.Phil Rees 4.Bob Mordecai (Capt) 3.Daniel Preece 2.Josh Davies 1.Craig Gould
Replacements : 16.Jason Price 17.Cashel Chivers 18.Steve Dobson 19.Steve James
Referee : Keith David, Cardiff
Rumney 42 Merthyr 13
Scorers for Rumney : Wayne Dacruz 2 tries and conversion, Solomon Matthews 2 tries, John Leadbeatter try, Michael Feneck try, Danny Clark try and 2 conversions and 2 penalties
Scorers for Merthyr : Aaron Howard try, Aaron Harris try, Steve Lang penalty
A strong start by Merthyr saw hooker Josh Davies, prop Daniel Preece and second row Bob Mordecai pounding their way into Rumney's half of the field, but with the first set scrum, it became clear that the dominant home pack would play a decisive part in the game and outside half Danny Clark began sending the Ironmen back with long kicks for position. The visitors made good use of flanker Matthew Llewellyn and No8 Jamie Ringer to win lineout ball, but in the eighth minute, a huge leap in the line by Rumney second row Mike Young secured possession and a very well controlled rolling maul was finished off by prop John Leadbeatter touching down, Clark adding the conversion for a 7-0 opening score. A late tackle on Rumney wing Tom Silva presented Clark with another opportunity to send Merthyr back into their own half, where Young again obliged in the lineout and flanker Ryan Fenton thundered forward to set up quick second phase, scrum half Chris Milton then sending it wide and No8 Michael Kelly making a very neat pick up to put centre Wayne Dacruz racing away for a corner try. Home captain and hooker Michael Feneck and tight head Joe Mills enjoyed the perfect playing conditions to drive forward at pace in loose play and fullback Luke Fear showed his counterattacking abilities with weaving runs out of defence. Merthyr were also ready to counterattack from depth and in the seventeenth minute second row Phil Rees gained plenty of ground before setting up well for sharp half backs Darren Higgs and Steve Lang, who used fullback Josh Flye to create an overlap, sending left wing Aaron Howard down the flank to score a good corner try. More cut and thrust followed with Leadbeatter causing major problems, Young and fellow second row Paul Bull keeping up the momentum and Merthyr flanker Aaron Harris and Llewellyn attacking fiercely, making breaks and drives, but when Milton entered the fray a trifle too enthusisatically, referee Mr Keith David suggested a brief spell in the sinbin and the Ironmen picked up three points from the penalty. Another excellent Fear counterattack took the home side back into opposition territory and having killed the ball to prevent further progress, Ringer too was rewarded with a break in the bin. Clark varied play with a number of quick breaks, supported by Silva and right wing Solomon Matthews, but Merthyr were able to relieve much of the pressure through long clearance kicks from Lang, particularly as Rumney showed a tendency to give away unnecessary penalties. Both sides were playing good, open rugby, Lang conjuring up a fine break for Merthyr and Matthews making an excellent kick and chase for Rumney, but it was in the scrummage that the powerful unit of Mills, Feneck and Leadbeatter continued to drive everything before them, and in the thirty eighth minute a wonderful thirty metre break by Clark, led to Milton, Dacruz, Young and Kelly all linking to send Feneck over for a try, and an interval score of 17-8.
Rumney's domination of the scrum resumed after half time with Kelly picking up from the base and making a huge break, Bull and the three quarters combining in midfield to keep play constantly moving forward. Home centre Paul Niblett became increasingly influential, controlling midfield, as the backs worked on moves which saw Matthews and Silva coming in off their wings, taking short passes and eating up ground until they were finally hauled down, usually with a subsequent penalty because of desperate defence. In the forty eighth minute the Ironmen conceded one such penalty at the contact area and Clark stretched the lead to 20-8, but the home side were also being penalised, their indiscipline again resulting in loss of territory, and although the visitors' back three of Flye, Howard and wing Jack Thomas found gaps when the ball went wide, they too were being increasingly stretched as Clark forced them back to the corners with accurate kicks. In the fifty fifth minute Silva picked up a yellow card for a dangerous tackle and Clark had to exert control with fewer players at his disposal, but Rumney were now running very well and Dacruz created a superb break to keep the Ironmen on the back foot, though Harris performed heroically in the contact area as Mills and Leadbeatter battered the Merthyr try line. In the sixty fourth minute, home flanker Joe Perks seized possession at the back of a Merthyr lineout and set off with support from Fenton, Bull and the rest of the pack, the ball being quickly recycled for Matthews to again cut in strongly from the wing and force another penalty at the breakdown, Clark welcoming the opportunity to collect a further three points. In the seventieth minute the Ironmen were pressing, needing decisive tackling by Fenton, Young, Kelly and Mills, but the visitors then conceded a penalty and Milton, immediately sensing the opportunity, tapped and fed Matthews on the burst, the winger sprinting away for a fine, long range try. A good period followed for Merthyr, Flye and Preece coming close to scoring and the visitors' penalty count mounting, particularly for offside, and in the seventy third minute a quick tap saw the visitors' outstanding forward, Harris, find a gap to cross for a snap try. The Ironmen's purple passage appeared to be continuing when Ringer secured clean lineout ball and another backs movement was underway, but Clark had anticipated what was coming, and timed his interception perfectly to cruise fifty metres for a spectacular solo try. Chris Miller took to the field at scrum half for Rumney, harassing and probing, and with Mordecai and his men refusing to give up and rampaging upfield, the closing period remained exciting, the tension rising when Clark departed to see out the game in the bin. In the seventy ninth minute Merthyr were indeed pressing when Dacruz made a long kick out of defence, which Niblett and Silva followed up at speed to create a maul, Fenton then miraculously emerging from it ball in hand, for Dacruz to flick to Matthews, who blazed away for the final kick and conversion that gave Rumney victory at 42-13.
Above, left : Solomon Matthews, right : Chris Miller
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