Fixture

Wednesday, March, 21^st, 2018

Maesteg Quins 13 – 6 Ystalyfera

High Motive / Glamorgan County Silver Ball Quarter-Final

It was a high-octane start to this High Motive Silver Ball quarter-final at the Talbot Athletic Ground. Quins attacks replicated the constant waves at the nearby beach. Strong running and deft offloads left Ystalyfera stretched.

Having broken through the defensive line twice, a flat first receiver popped to Aled Edwards who crashed over the line. Rhodri Davies converted.

Quins were running from their own twenty-five and making huge ball-in-hand gains. Edwards again made inroads as he broke through a gap. If the ball could have been threaded through the eye of a needle there would have been a certain try, but contact was the best option and when Ystalyfera killed progress, Davies landed the penalty for a ten-nil lead.

At this point, if anybody had said there would be no more tries in this match, it would have resulted in stares of disbelief. ‘Fera showed they too could keep the ball and create space for themselves with some clever play. It should not have been surprising. Nobody walks over Ystalyfera and they are not poised to pounce for the top league spot for no good reason.

Staying in Quins territory frustrated the Quins a little. However, now they weren't free running they rolled up their sleeves and defended with a resolute relish. A very good Ystalyfera driving maul gleaned a penalty and the Tawe valley club decided to attempt a shunt from five yards. This was the first of several chances that were expertly snuffed out by the Quins. This one was ploughed backwards and into touch.

Eventually the pressure told. Over competitive at the ruck, the Quins were penalised. ‘Fera’s diminutive full-back Steffan Castle cut the deficit with a penalty and was wide with his second attempt on the stroke of half time.

In the second half Castle and Davies swapped penalties before Castle missed a second shot at goal.

The game became a stalemate. Ystalyfera spun the ball wide and tried close quarter darts that made some ground, the coal black and blood red's defence was as solid as a rock even when severely stressed.

In the toughest of matches you have to take your chances. It becomes even more chronic when your opposition happens to be Ystalyera, who will stick to opponents like barnacles and hang on in there, always close to stealing a resultl like a cricket team cautiously edging their way to the final twenty overs before making a dash. This match was no difference.

So good was the Quins ability to prevent tries, they prevented a few of their own through slack, inaccurate, final passes. They would have been considered fortunate to have passed water accurately. Even when Ystalyfera were down to thirteen, bash-crash rugby was chosen over passing the ball even though there was space outside. Yet rugby has been sporadic of late. When it has been played it is in atrocious conditions, not condusive to running rugby. Additionally, playing under lights is now such a rarity, the false light of the floodlights can often play tricks on the eyes.

Not just some, but a high percentage of tackles had to be seen to be believed from both sides. Ystalyfera's dogged never-say-die halting of Quins' attacks was eclipsed by some of the thunderous smashes from Tidball, Tutt, Steve Williams and Aled Edwards.

Line-outs were evenly matched and the scrums were first commanded by 'Fera before the Quins took the ascendancy and the set piece going passive through injuries. Entering the final quarter and then the final eigth, 'Fera were still in with a shout of victory. They tried manfully through their back row and half-back trickery to blast through the Quins defensive lines to no avail.

The final five minutes were fraught for both sets of supporters. There were three attacking line-outs on the Quins line. Ystalyfera with their tails up were justifyably confident of a try that may have levelled the scores and forced extra time. Each line-out drive was foiled. Even more decisively, in the final throes of the match there were four decisive steals at the breakdown when Ystalyera were within arms length of the try-line.

In a determined defensive display, the Quins tackled and battled until the very last second of the match. This was a true test of ability, tenacity, defiance and their determination to defend. They surpassed themselves in every category.

There are two more league fixtures against Ystalyfera who currently lie third and the Quins second. The only combined blot on both teams’ copybook is a draw. Therefore, a brace of big matches are something to look forward to. So the second and third tests are a mouth watering prospect with the chance of the league title at stake.

Next in the Silver Ball is a quarter-final against the winners of Abercwmboi and Tonmawr.