WRU Championship
Newcastle Emlyn 3 Skewen 3
Following two superb performances against Pontypool and Bedlinog the large crowd at Ddol Wiber had turned up expecting to see a display of attacking rugby but they went home disappointed after this dismal 3-3 draw.
It was the visitors who started the more positively and the first ten minutes of the match was played exclusively in the Emlyn half before the game settled into a rhythm with neither side able to get any real attacking momentum going and defences dominating play.
It took the hosts almost twenty minutes to get a strong foothold in the Skewen half and after a series of drives by the forwards it was no surprise when the ball was eventually knocked on by an Emlyn player. Territorially the home team dominated the rest of the half, but the visitors defence was organised and disciplined and didn’t concede a penalty during this period.
Emlyn’s attacking opportunities were limited, second row Dan Havard led the way with a number of powerful runs, one of which took Emlyn close to the line and a clever cross kick for winger Llyr Jones saw the ball taken by his opposite number who eluded Llyr’s tackle, and his counter attacking run was halted by a good tackle on the ten metre line by flanker Gareth Thomson. Outside half Barry Thomas made two excellent breaks but the Skewen cover defence was determined and both opportunities were lost.
Playing towards the clubhouse in the second half the Emlyn were awarded a penalty some thirty five metres out more or less in front of the posts but winger Dan Davies pulled his effort just wide of the posts. From the restart Emlyn flanker Gareth Thomson was accidentally knocked out and his departure led to a re-shuffle in the Emlyn pack with Luke Kendall coming on at number eight and Brynmor Jones moving across to play on the flank.
The early part of the half saw the red and whites again dominating territorially but unable to breach the visitors defence.
Twice Emlyn got themselves into good attacking opportunities but failed to capitalise on them and from one of them Skewen counter attacked and their left winger Mark Harvey was only denied a certain try by some excellent covering back by Dan Davies who manged to fall on the ball metres from the Emlyn line.
Shaun Leonard eventually did put Emlyn on the scoreboard with a well struck penalty kick from some forty metres out, but gradually it was the visitors who began to take control of the game.
The heavy underfoot conditions meant that length of the field attacks were not really an option for either side, and the game became a battle between the two packs of forwards and exerting pressure through territorial occupation. It was in this facet of play that the visiting outside half Buselli came into his own, not the longest kicker but accurate as time and again he pinned Emlyn back into their own twenty two metre area
The last quarter was played almost exclusively in the hosts half and as the clock ran down the pressure exerted by Skewen looked certain to bring them what would have been the winning score. However Emlyn’s defence, with flanker Joel James to the fore, stood firm. James was one of Emlyn’s best players with his powerful runs and crunching tackles.
With time running out the red and whites did eventually win a line out just inside their half and Joel James started a forward surge carried on by prop Jack Parry which eventually led to Emlyn being awarded a penalty on the Skewen ten metre line some forty plus metres out. Up stepped Leonard but unfortunately the full back’s kick just sailed wide of the post.
Spectators were relieved to hear excellent referee Andrew Davies blow the final whistle on what was one of the most disappointing, lack lustre Emlyn performances of the season. This weekend Newcastle Emlyn travel to Cardiff to play the students of Cardiff Met.
