Fixture

Penallta 31  Senghenydd 6

It was more a case of demolition derby than tense top-of-the-table clash at Trinity Fields on Saturday, as Penallta’s forwards dominated Senghenydd in a surprisingly one-sided affair.

The game was a case-study in a team versus individuals. Penallta looked a far fitter side and functioned superbly in units, heaping pressure on Senghenydd in all facets of play. The home side’s front five were dominant, the front row of Kieran Mahoney, Gregg Haines and Martyn Dunn eviscerating their opponents at scrum time. Man of the match Martyn Dunn was particularly effective on the loose-head as the game wore on, getting underneath his prop and into the Senghenydd hooker with such ease that Penallta were running riot in the scrums in the second half. It looked a strange decision by the Senghenydd management to send replacement tight-head Corey Gardner - a player Penallta know through experience to be a very good prop - on as a hooker. Perhaps their hand was forced by Penallta’s dominance elsewhere in the line-out, where the Saints also struggled under the pressure.

After last week’s second-gear performance against Llanishen and the subsequent ear bashing for complacency, this week Penallta’s forwards put in a top-gear effort. Jack Condy’s brace from Number 8, one from a remarkably easy pushover scrum, was a symbol of the one-way traffic up-front.

Senghenydd, bolstered by their Bedwas contingent of permits and duals, managed to enjoy the first 20 minutes. Alun Ford kicked well from outside half, pushing Penallta back into their 22, but none of the away side’s possession came close to threat level. Their best moment was snuffed out by a remarkable cover tackle by Aeron Bidgood, but other than that, the Penallta defence looked comfortable.

It was difficult to discern a game-plan in the Senghenydd ranks, or to identify their threats. Stuart Thomas, the experienced Bedwas full back, was the one exception, looking a class-act. His immaculate positioning and quick feet were a joy to watch. Every time pressure came his way, he was a yard ahead in his thinking. Without his unblemished performance the defeat would’ve been even heavier. But other than that their play lacked a cutting edge, with individual ball carriers and hopes pinned on a Penallta mistake. Bedwas backrow talisman and captain Simon Grainger was included in the Senghenydd line-up but failed to make the expected impression. His inclusion was perhaps an attempt at intimidation but the Penallta forwards kept him quiet all afternoon, the young backrow in particular can put a significant feather in their cap. Penallta know from years of experience that when opposition teams fill their squad with ringers in a bid for supremacy it usually amounts to nothing; the biggest threats are always the teams full of players who want to play for their club and wear their heart on their sleeves.

Despite making some early errors Penallta put in a very solid display. Captain Lee Rowlands had his best game this season, showing great leadership and tenacity in the tackle, and during the second half Penallta really found their mojo. Their speed in defence, the forward power and some laudable back play struck such a decisive note that Senghenydd seemed shell shocked. At half time, Penallta were leading just 12-6, but the signs were ominous for Senghenydd.

The heavy work was done in the first half but not the heavy scoring. Penalltas points came from a penalty try following an excellent scrum and negated Ford’s early penalty, and although Ford added another, Condy scored a second try from a five metre lineout. James Tucker, as he did all day, rose to take the ball cleanly and a neat blindside move led to teenager Jack Condy bashing through valiant Saints’ winger Aaron Owen to score in the corner. Joe Scrivens added a conversion to widen the gap and that was the first half scoring done.

Senghenydd offered little by way of attacking threat in the second half. In previous games this season the Senghenydd centre partnership have made hay but they were unable to show any of their guile or power on Saturday, outplayed by Jonny Wright and Andrew Jenkins, who have been supreme this season. Wright and Jenkins didn’t need to show their brilliance on Saturday, the work being done by the boys inside them seeing things through, but their defensive partnership and their classy moments of creativity are flourishing. If they both remain fit, they will have a big say in the title race this season, but there is back up too. Greg Callow returned to Penallta colours on Saturday to add his power and experience, whilst former player of the year - and still just 23 - Joe Merriman is back playing in the 2nds. Add to this the brilliant young prospect Lewis Barnett, another with a massive Penallta future ahead of him, and you can understand why many in the club think this is the strongest senior squad in its history. The defensive efforts of Wright and Jenkins alongside tough and dependable winger Gareth Edwards snuffed out everything Senghenydd tried.

With Senghenydd wilting in the second half, Penallta’s flanker pairing of Ross Morgan and nineteen year old Rhys Fitzgerald started to dominate. Morgan is just back from two years of injury and is starting to enjoy himself, whilst Fitzgerald has been a revelation this season. His no-nonsense tackling and aggressive collision-area work is an unexpected addition to the Penallta locker; he is a real bolter. If strength in the centres looks scary then back-row strength is truly frightening. Rhys Stephens, Rhys Silcox, Luke Purnell and Blane Rogers were all unavailable on Saturday and Michael Adams, who had a brilliant season last year, was back on Saturday for his 1^st team comeback from the bench. The missing players will be back soon, but even without them the club sent a superb 2^nd team side to Gilfach Goch on Saturday for a 0-25 win, to continue their dazzling unbeaten run.

Penallta secured their bonus point with two quick tries. The first was a sublime Penallta trademark, made and completed entirely by five nineteen-year olds, and scored again by try-scoring-machine Elliott Keep. Condy controlled the ball for scrum half Aeron Bidgood to feed the irrepressible Scrivens. His dummy and note-perfect wide pass was taken at full speed by full back Ryan Davies, who in turn beat his man to put Elliott Keep away. Keep, as he always seems to do, sprinted untouched past his opposite number - another flailing Bedwas non-entity - and into the corner for a first phase try. Cue enormous celebrations from the enormous crowd who know it when Penallta find their groove.

Within minutes Penallta scored their fourth. The relentless pressure of a retreating scrum, faltering lineout and an increasingly blitzed tackle area took its toll on the battered Senghenydd side and when an attempted clearance kick was charged down and collected by live-wire Penallta scrum half Bidgood - and he waltzed in under the sticks for a converted try - it was all over. He celebrated his try and made way for former youth team captain Josh Evans, another who is having a great time of it, to take his place and add his power from the base.

The bonus-point try killed the contest and the expected tension of the game frittered away. A quick tap penalty response by Senghenydd summed up their day, when they failed to execute two passes before being hit sideways and backwards and conceded a scrum back where they started. They stood about with hands on their hips baffled at the lack of cutting edge. It had become a surprisingly long afternoon for them.

Penallta put the icing on the cake in the final moments. Mahoney and Haines had left the field to appreciative applause and were replaced by young duo Lloyd Bridges and Garin Eldred. Bridges and Eldred have mean scrummaging reputations themselves and they were keen to show their stuff. After more extreme pressure was exerted Penallta gained a five metre scrum, and it was another painful scrum for Senghenydd. Immediately after the put-in the Saints’ props and hooker were poking out of the retreating mess like cake candles, and before the referee could blow for a penalty try, Condy sauntered over for his second. It was fitting that another destructive Penallta scrum provided the last memory of the game. Condy scored the points but it was the pack who came away with an enduring psychological victory. It will take some side to push this lot about.

The brace was a happy confidence boost for Condy and an emphatic win for Penallta, who remain unbeaten this season. There will be tougher tests to come and Senghenydd will no doubt respond in their home fixture later in the season. They troubled Penallta more without the influx of Bedwas boys three seasons back when Penallta met them on their way to winning the Swalec Plate, providing arguably Penallta’s biggest test during that long unbeaten run. In the aftermath of Saturday, they’d be sensible to go back to their home-grown boys again.

Martyn Rowe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxyfWhsMTpo