Fixture

Saturday January 12^th 2019

Maesteg Quins 20-19 Newbridge

WRU Championship

Of the twelve clubs in the Championship, only one lies lower than the former Gwent powerhouse and the Quins. Newbridge stood a place above their hosts courtesy of a solitary point, having played five games more. 

With four clubs to be relegated this season, this match was yet another contest to avoid the extended trap-door and was extremely important for both teams to gain a positive result. Newbridge have been improving greatly lately, while the Quins needed to get back on track, otherwise their away win at the Welfare Ground in September would have been for nothing.

When Owen Howe kicked his second penalty to give the Quins a commanding 20-5 lead, it seemed the hosts would take the spoils of this relegation area contest quite comfortably. 

However, this is the Quins. They can switch off before kick-off or any time during the game, as they have not yet managed the full level of concentration needed to compete in the Championship. For this match they did so on the hour mark and instead of a steady stride to victory, the club defibrillator was being charged up for the dodgy tickers that were certainly suffering by no-side.

Having taken an early 3-nil lead courtesy of three high tackles ending with Howe’s first goal attempt, Newbridge were denied a try when their linesman correctly and sportingly signalled a foot in touch against his wing. They then missed a penalty before powering through when running back the loose drop out. Eamonn Rees ran through non-existent defending to stretch and touch down.

Stung into action the Quins heaped pressure upon the ‘Pigs’ who conceded a penalty and lost a prop for killing the ball. Calling for a scrum, after two bouts of shenanigans, the referee took two steps under the posts signalling a penalty try.

While Quins’ passing was not sufficiently accurate and alignment not deep enough, killing off a near certain try scoring opportunity. their defence at driving line-outs was exceptional. Regularly they tied-up the ball feet from their own line, with centre Lee Ronan even turning up with the ball and ripping possession.

Alex Griffiths made a couple of telling breaks, Mike Owen carried well and the overall control of the ball was better than in in recent weeks. Andrew Healy appeared in every area of the field, as did Lewis Tutt. Jakob Williams and McGuckin varied their games well enough to create space.

The second half started brightly for the Quins. After an initial shaky start, the home line-out operated effectively. With the entire Newbridge pack committed to halting a driving line-out, Jakob Williams slid away on a neat blindside run. Tadgh McGuckin combined beautifully to make an angled dart for the line. Inches short of the line, the out-half showed great presence of mind and skill to turn on his descent and provide an accurate pop pass to Callum Powell to deservedly open his try scoring account for the club with a well-timed, angled shoulder support run.

Howe goaled the angled conversion and then landed his fifty yards penalty to move the Quins on to twenty points.

With seven games remaining of in their relegation dog-fight, Newbridge needed to do something fast and they did.

A towering up and under was superbly gathered on half-way by former Pooler full-back Josh Hurley, who then embarked on a thirty yards run. Play went through phase after phase until wing Lewis Hudd touched-down and Rees converted.

Quins still had a nine points cushion… not for long. It appeared the coal black and blood reds couldn’t do anything right. Lewis Francis had much the better of his opposite number, yet any wheeling scrum on Newbridge’s put-in usually resulted in a penalty. Conversely, it was play-on when the other way around. 

Taking advantage of a stream of penalties, Newbridge smuggled Sam Withers through and Rees converted, leaving the sword of Damocles hanging over Quins’ hopes of victory.

Forty-two minutes were on the clock. Newbridge were under the Quins posts and livewire scrum-half Matt Davies went on a looping run. Despite slick movement the pass was too soft, dropped short and the knock-on ended the pressure on the coal black and blood reds.

A scrum wheel penalty finally came Quins’ way. Owen Howe put his tenth and final fifty-yards plus clearance away of the danger zone, for a creditable double over the former Merit Table giants and four vital league points.