Fixture

Saturday, May, 12^th, 2018

Ystalyfera 24 – 22 Maesteg Quins

Division One West Central

Having secured the league title, lost a 32 matches unbeaten streak and played three games in the previous seven days, it was something of a chaotic week for Maesteg Quins.

For their fourth game in eight days, the Quins travelled to Ystalyfera, who were looking to secure second spot. After just three minutes the hosts were under the posts to take a seven-nil lead.

Play ebbed and flowed. Quins were trying to run everything but the passing was occasionally inaccurate.

Kieran Watkins gave a move impetus. He panzered defenders and exploited space. The momentum continued with Ben Davies handling several times as the ball moved from one side of the field to the other. The movement ended with Jay Ronan crashing over in the corner.

“Fera launched a number of attacks of their own and it took determined defending to keep them at bay.

Watkins again opened up the home defence with a mixture of direct and evasive running. Lewis Tutt was tipped up at a ruck and Quins chose to find touch and the line-out drive concluded with Jay Ronan claiming his second.

Ystalyfera piled pressure on the Quins with a series of penalties, line-outs and scrums five yards from the try-line. Rhodri Bwye saw yellow and when a scrum surged forwards, home skipper Steffan Jones made no mistake. Neither did Gareth James with his second conversion to push ‘Fera back into the lead.

When a move broke down, Ystalyfera poured through. The pressure didn’t end until Josh Jarrett scored in the corner and James converted from touch.

In the second half the Quins started strongly. A fluid move was rounded off by Jay Ronan running through to claim a second hooker hat-trick of the week.

Gareth James kicked a penalty, giving the hosts a nine points cushion, before missing another.

Apart from their strong set-piece and ability to keep hold of the ball, Ystalyfera were sustained by pouncing on every Quins error, pinning their visitors deep in their half. These mistakes were a result of an over adventurous Quins approach, running penalties from their own twenty-five instead of accepting gilt edged opportunities to clear the lines.

When everything did click, there were some excellent movements. Just how the Quns got out of the ‘Fera stranglehold shows just how resilient the coal blacks and blood reds are. One such move ended when a long pass found Geraint Evans who cut inside the final defender to score. Davies converted to bring the Quins within a penalty kick of victory.

For a second time in two days the Quins tasted defeat. Still the Quins picked up two bonus points away to the league runners-up after a tiring build-op.

The day wasn’t done. Post match, the Maesteg men were presented with the Division One West Central trophy, by Welsh rugby icon Clive Rowlands. So it really was a special day indeed.

Having played half a season’s worth of matches in just over a month, indeed nearly a sixth of the league programme in a week, the Quins now have the luxury of seven days rest before the High Motive Glamorgan County Silver Ball Final, where they will meet Division One East Central runners-up Glamorgan Wanderers at the Morganstone Brewery Field.