2012

Maesteg 16 – 21 Maesteg Harlequins

Division 2 West

Having beaten Maesteg for the first time in 113 years and seven attempts in a January Plate tie, for the first time the two clubs who compete in the oldest Llynfi valley derby were to meet for the first time as league equals. It was a huge fall from grace for the Old Parish. For the Quins it was a massive occasion at Llynfi road. Make no bones about it, this was far from an amiable encounter. Maesteg dearly wanted to arrest their slide down the leagues and put the Quins in their place. The Quins desperately wanted to maintain their momentum in climbing the leagues even further and show the Maesteg hierarchy what they missed out on. Whatever the result one entire club would be elated and the other 'pig sick'. What followed was a true derby classic...

Remember, remember the 3rd of November… and for one small corner of the Principality November 3rd will be a landmark day in their history.

There was nothing as earth shattering as gunpowder, treason, plotting or the attempted overthrowing of monarchy or government. It was just a day where they scored more points when competing for the first time as equals in a league encounter against a historically more powerful local opponent, who have without doubt done it all as far as the Welsh rugby is concerned. But rest assured, this was an immense day for Quins rugby.

The media build-up labelled the contest as a ‘best team in the town’ decider. Another is the much used ‘bitter rivals’ strap-line that presently appears every time the two clubs are mentioned in the same breath or sentence.

From the kick-off the Quins set off at a blistering pace. They were rampant as their continuity play repeatedly pushed Maesteg onto the back foot. When the speed of the Quins recycling increased, Maesteg were caught offside and Gareth Lewis put the Quins 3-nil ahead with a thirty yards penalty.

Maesteg fought back immediately. From the kick-off they put together a driving movement before a knock-on halted proceedings midway inside the Quins twenty-five.

The Quins won their scrum cleanly on their own put-in. Yet, despite the ball being at the No.8’s feet, for no apparent reason the official called for a re-scrum. The needless second scrum collapsed on engagement and the Quins were deemed to have been the offending party. Robert Evans levelled the score at three points apiece.

Nathan Smith missed a long range effort and having rode out the initial Quins storm, Maesteg worked their way up-field but lost possession in the twenty-five. The Quins cleared their line well only to give away a pointless penalty. Instead of marching up the field for a line-out, the Quins were facing a second Robert Evans penalty and from a similar position as his first, Evans converted giving Maesteg a 6-3 lead.

From the kick-off, former Quins captain Lyndon Davies gathered a very difficult low re-start. Davies broke free and sped over the half-way, outpacing a number of defenders. Facing a space as open as a hermit’s diary, it seemed certain the former Quins Player-of-the-Year would make huge headway when, from out of nowhere, the home prop was felled by a heavy challenge that left him reeling.

It seemed as though the annual Round Table fireworks display arrived at Llynfi Road two days early. A large melee formed on the Quins ten yard-line. A flying head butt here, indiscriminate boot there and a flurry of punches were thrown, as the hosts players came running in to avenge their felled forward and the Quins players following suit.

It wasn’t an all out, all-in brawl, but it did enough to clear the air. As a result, Mr. Jones the referee had little alternative other than to dismiss a number of players. With a wide variety of candidates to choose from, who would they be? Mr. Jones also had to decide on the colour of the cards he was to show. Thankfully he thought fit to show yellow and in another wise decision, he chose a player from each team – Gareth Lewis for the Quins and Hocking of the hosts.

While there were lots of bargain basement off-the-ball shots for the rest of the game, there were no other major flare-ups.

Not liking Maesteg’s violent reaction to the tackle that ended Davies’ charge, the hosts were penalised. The ball was drilled down the Quins followers filled Llynfi stand touch-line.

From the line-out the Quins formed a devastating driving maul that sucked in a number of defenders. Breaking loose towards midfield, the Quins set up a ruck that was rapidly recycled to the blind-side. Dean Ronan whose carries were a prominent factor in these early stages took possession. He barged the first defender out of the way, breaking through the line. With defenders closing in, Ronan gave a great slip-pass to Owen Richards who raced the fifteen yards to score a vital try at the far town end corner.

Left footed second-row Nathan Smith, faced a difficult wide angled touchline conversion, but he struck the ball with aplomb to give the Quins a 10-6 lead.

Maesteg had opportunities to re-take the lead. A couple of slick handling movements both came to nought as the fervent Quins defence firstly forced a knock-on and secondly, a substantial forward pass.

Despite numerous pairs of hands being at work in one particular ruck, the referee chose to penalise the Quins. Having sweetly struck his two previous penalties, Robert Evans was tempted into attempting the forty-five yard kick, but it went wide.

Working their way up the field the Quins kicked ahead. Home full-back Lawrence Howley must have felt he had eons of time in which to retrieve the ball, only for Owen Richards' rocket-paced pursuit and scything tackle to bring him down. So unexpected was the tackle, the home custodian was left legless and disorientated by the tackle from nowhere.

Meanwhile Richards was up on his feet in no time and using his substantial strength to tear at the ball, along with a number of other Quins chasers. Howley was clinging to the ball for dear life as he awaited support. There was only one outcome and Nathan Smith stepped up to take the resultant penalty for not releasing. From a similar position as his wide angled conversion, the Quins support in the Llynfi stand signalled the successful kick as they roared the ball on its journey to the posts.

A straighter but longer Smith penalty effort from forty-eight yards didn’t have the legs as the Quins were again gaining a slight dominance over their hosts.

Maesteg had threatened with some good handling movements. These movements were sometimes snuffed out by unforced errors. More often than not, the tenacious Quins defence pressurised the Maesteg attackers enough to turn over possession.

From a drop-out the Quins gathered and drove forward. Passing back to Lewis who was positioned just short of the Maesteg ten yard line, the Quins outside-half dropped a goal that glanced the inside of the town end right hand upright to add a further three points to the Quins score.

Straight away Maesteg found themselves inside the Quins twenty-five and again knocked-on. They still had another opportunity to launch an attack from a line-out, but a crooked throw brought an end to their attacking hopes and the first half.

Things were looking rosy for the Quins at this point and continued at the resumption of play as they monopolised possession. Yet despite this early monopoly, the Quins didn’t really do anything decisive.

Since the arrival of Richard Webster, many among the Old Parish support have been rueing what they believe is an often suicidal running game deployed by their team. The Maesteg team clearly enjoy the freedom and fluidity and are more than capable of executing their ‘licence to thrill’ orders.

At this point Maesteg’s running and kicking game merged. More often than not they met their match in the defensive efforts of the Quins, who were happy to play without the ball. On this occasion the Old Parish worked an overlap near the half-way, the move was thwarted when a Quins hand narrowly failed to gather an attempted intercept and knocked the ball on. The penalty was kicked by Robert Evans to reduce the arrears to 16-9.

The Quins failed to deal with a defensive situation and gave Evans another kickable opportunity that the Maesteg stand-off failed to convert.

A period of prolonged Parish pressure was then exerted upon the Quins, who seemed to be comfortably dealing with everything Maesteg were throwing at them until premier permit player Jordan Skidmore appeared in midfield. Eyeing a chink in the Quins defensive line he sped through it and touched down.

To the delight of the home faithful the scores were levelled at sixteen points apiece with Evans’ conversion.

It was, as many tight affairs are, a question of who could manufacture the decisive score in the remaining diminishing time. How would each side respond? The Quins’ response was as swift as it was decisive.

Having gained field position mid-way between the Maesteg twenty-five and ten-yard line, the Quins scrum had been superior and solid throughout, again gave their backs the perfect platform to burst blind. Ryan Lovett forced his way past a couple of defenders. A second wave of Quins attackers moved in and the ball found Dean Ronan who flat-footed the defence with an unexpected chip ahead. Ryan George raced after the ball and despite heavy downpours greasing the ball, he gathered with one hand and clutched the ball tightly as he fended off the attentions of a couple of retreating defenders.

Still with a lot to do, George who showed great strength and determination to keep his legs pumping, as two defenders desperately tried to down the advancing Quins centre. Their efforts proved fruitless as George scored at the Railway End far right corner while in the clutches of two defenders.

The try was a vital addition to the score-line. Given the manner in which the Quins were deemed to be transgressing at any and every breakdown, an exchange of penalties may not have been an even contest. So the try forced Maesteg into having to cross the try-line themselves.

Maesteg had an early opportunity to cut the deficit, but Robert Evans missed a third kick at goal and this was followed up shortly afterwards by a fourth miss.

Yet sport is fickle and if Evans had converted an Old Parish try to claim victory, all would be forgotten. This scenario was always a possibility, as Maesteg were throwing everything at the Quins who were being penalised off the park, as they defended as though their very lives depended on it.

Having seen the vast majority of their three-quarter initiatives thwarted by the resolute Quins defence, Maesteg now chose to expose a reduction in the Quins forward numbers after Dan Tabor had been shown yellow for a ruck illegality.

First a number of driving line-outs were halted in their tracks and disrupted by some forceful counter-driving by the Quins seven.

Finally came a handful of scrums deep in the Quins twenty-five. Again the Quins did not take a backward step and at the final scrum, put on enough pressure to force Maesteg to creak and make a hurried exit from the set-piece. The ensuing ruck was keenly contested and when Maesteg knocked-on the game was finally brought to an end, signalling scenes of great delight for one half of the crowd at least.

The Quins pack were dominant at the scrum and extremely effective at the line out. Nathan Smith and Carl Roberts securing clean possession at the set piece. Andrew Healy made tackles everywhere on the field, as did Lewis Tutt who manfully played on despite a badly broken nose, as he refused to submit to an incident of foul-play straight out of the car boot sale.

Behind the pack Nick Flay lost twenty years to run around like a ten year old and produce an excellent display of perfect passing. The three-quarters snuffed out many a movement by the vaunted Maesteg three-quarters in a fine defensive display.

For over a century with their history, tradition and indeed, financial clout, the power of upper Llynfi valley rugby has been held solely by former Welsh champions and ‘Invincibles’ Maesteg RFC. While the Quins are delighted at defeating the Old Parish in the first match between Maesteg and any of their local ‘rivals’ in league competition, this was in reality, another league game.

15. Nathan Morgan 14. Ryan Lovett 13. Kyle Blackmore 12. Ryan George (T) 11. Owen Richards (T)

10. Gareth Lewis (c) (P DG) 9. Nick Flay

1. Dan Tabor 2. Dean Ronan 3. Richard Teesdale 4. Carl Roberts 5. Nathan Smith (C P) 6. Lewis Tutt 8. Jay Ronan

7. Andrew Healy

Replacement

16. Luke Tainton 17. Keiron Watkins for K. Blackmore 18. Daniel Hughes for J. Ronan 19. Stephen Davies