Treherbert RFC 0 - Barry RFC 29

AFTER a week without a game because of the three Six Nations matches it was back to business for the Barry RFC 1st XV last Saturday when they travelled to "The Cage" at Tynewydd Park for a SWALEC East Central league 2 fixture against bottom of the table Treherbert RFC.

Having already notched up a 94 – 0 win in the SWALEC PLATE and a 30–10 win in the league against the hosts this season and losing only one of their last 10 games the expectation of the Barry team and their travelling supporters was naturally quite high and they were not to be disappointed.

In weather conditions which were more fitting for ducks rather than rugby Barry started well by putting pressure on the home side immediately. After some sterling forward play the ball was fed through the backs to wing Wayne Jones who made a long probing run before being stopped just short of the line. Sadly this would be the only contribution he would make to the game because minutes later he was substituted by Ashley Adams after receiving a head injury and had to leave the field to be assessed for concussion.

At this juncture of the game the rain was so heavy that surface water started to appear on the pitch and the home and visiting supporters alike wondered for how much longer the referee would allow the game to continue. In spite of the weather however, Barry continued to attack and with sensible probing kicks by full back Kyle Barros and outside half Einan Scott managed to pin Treherbert in their own half of the field for long periods of time.

After a pointless 20 minutes of play however a long probing kick by Einan Scott was kicked into touch by the Treherbert full back and from the resulting lineout a take and drive by the Barry pack pushed the defending Treherbert pack over their own line allowing Harry Moyle, who was making his first start for the team, to touch down for the first points of the day. The conversion was unsuccessful.

The rest of the half was uneventful with possession being shared equally between the two sides with long probing kicks skidding over the dead ball line because of the soaking wet ground and a lot of handling errors being made in the worsening weather conditions.

Half-time score was Treherbert RFC 0, Barry RFC 5.

No one can be sure what the coaches had to say to the Barry team at half-time but whatever it was it had a dramatic effect because when they came on for the second half they started with gusto and put the Treherbert defence under pressure immediately. Although there was no improvement in the weather Barry seemed to adjust their game to suit the conditions and got a grip on the game quite quickly.

After 10 minutes or so of the restart Barry scored their second try of the game when Glyn Jones crossed the line after some sterling work by the Barry pack who were starting to get the upper hand on their opponents. Kyle Barros added the extra points to give the visitors a 12 point lead.

Barry continued to attack and 10 minutes later Hywel Jones, not to be out done by his brother, went over in the corner for try number three. The conversion was unsuccessful.

With three tries in the bag and 20 minutes remaining Barry naturally started to think about a bonus point win but would the referee allow the game to go on as the rain continued to fall. Thankfully for Barry he did and they took full advantage of the situation by scoring two more tries and thus securing a very valuable bonus point.

The first of the two ironically came from a five yard Treherbert scrum at the Barry end of the park. The Barry pack, who were playing brilliantly, pushed them off their own ball and the ball was quickly passed to Brad White who rang the length of the field to score a magnificent try in the corner. The conversion failed.

The second of the two and Barry’s fifth of the game came with 10 minutes to go when substitute prop Rhys Sullivan, who was playing his first game for the team after a two year break due to injury forced his way over the line. The conversion by Kyle Barros was successful.

For the final 10 minutes of the game Barry continued to attack the Treherbert line without success but with five tries and five points in the bag the job was already done.

Considering the team has only played two competitive games in the last nine weeks because of inclement weather conditions and Six Nations matches, this was a spirited display by them especially when one considers the atrocious weather conditions which prevailed at Tynewydd Park on the day.

All 20 players who took part in this game can be proud of the contribution they made to this result in the most dreadful wet and cold conditions. Credit must also be given to the Treherbert team for their stick ability and competing right up to the final whistle.

Full-time score was Treherbert RFC 0, Barry RFC 29.

Team: Kyle James Barros, Wayne Jones, Tomos Perry, Bradley White, Daniel Ryan, Einan Scott, Tomos Lee, Alyn Evans, Sion Vidal, David Taylor; Glynn Jones, Robert Williams; Luke O'Sullivan, James Hadfield (C), Hywel Glynn-Jones.

Replacements: Rhys O'Sullivan, John Miles, Harry Moyle, Ashley Adams, Dominic Busuttil.

Overall, it was an excellent weekend for Barry RFC with the 2nd XV beating Caerau Ely 1st XV in the Mallet Cup 15 – 10.

Team: Russell; Clarke, Peake, D Williams, Knapman; J Williams (C), Mepham; Hall, Turnbull, Ring; Dutton, Deyes; Goodfellow, Poole

Replacements: Evans, M Williams, Sullivan

Next match: League fixture Saturday, April 2nd versus St Peters at Reservoir Field kick-off 2.30pm.

Barry RFC Mega4 Lottery Numbers for Saturday, March 26 were 7, 13, 21, 24.