Fixture

Birchgrove RFC | 1st Team 30 - 5 Bethesda RFC | 1st Team
Mathew Edwards
Conversion 3
Penalty 3
Nathanial Thomas llewellyn
Try 1
Curtis Davies
Try 1
Scott Beard
Try 1

Match Report
16 November 2019 / Team News

BIRCH STORM IN TO ROUND 4 OF PLATE

North Wales Division 1 visitors Bethesda were given a lesson in aggressive offloading Rugby by the home side at Parc Bedw today as Birchgrove ran out comprehensive WRU Plate winners 30 – 5.

What on paper looked like a pretty evenly matched game with both sides having shown recent good league form started in that manner with both sets of forwards testing each other out. You got the early impression though that Birchgrove were a lot more coordinated and much quicker at the breakdown in attack and more aggressive in defending the away team’s running efforts.

It was Birchgrove then who were first on the score sheet. A well stolen Bethesda line out by captain Scott Beard brought marauding hooker Liam Richards (the only man to have played every minute of every game so far this season he tells me) in to the line at speed. As he powered on to create the ruck Josh Key, ever on hand to support, picked up and an offload to Scott Beard brought the skipper the first try converted by Matthew Edwards. 7 – 0.

With the Bethesda line out continuing to creak under pressure from Chris Gorvett and Beard and the home tight scrum fronted up by Kyl Thompson, Joseph Davies and Liam Richards more than holding its own Owen Evans and Matthew Edwards combined and Edwards was able to break and kick on although just failing to control the bouncing ball with the line in sight. The loose forwards though were soon up in support to help Curtis Davies over for try number 2, again converted by Edwards 14 – 0

Bethesda continued to battle away but their straight running attempts were being swallowed up by the aggression of the home first line defence as centres Davies and Percival continuously picked off the away runners and Jack Perkins, Josh Key and Lewis Cox gratefully accepted the spillages to set the home side up.

Having only just failed to increase the try count from an Owen Evans interception Birchgrove continued to look dangerous and a sweeping move involving Evans, Curtis Davies, Rob Scrine and Adam Rowlands deserved the ultimate reward but Birch had to make do with a penalty  for their next score as  Edwards converted 17 – 0.

As Scott Beard easily took the restart the relentless trek to the away line started again and brought probably the best try of the game. As the ball moved seamlessly through the hands of Key, Evans Davies, Edwards and Rowlands, Nathaniel Llewellyn was on hand to sprint the last 95 (may be a typo there !) yards to touch down in the corner. Edwards again added the afters and at 24 -0 half time the tie was all but won.

With a handsome lead Birchgrove continued to show confidence in attack and defence and were smothering the best efforts of a determined opposition who as a result were not being allowed to get their game going. A further Edwards penalty put the game even further out of reach at 27 – 0 triggering a raft of  substitutions which did nothing to weaken the home resolve and although we gained no further tries yet another Edwards penalty took the lead to 30 -0.

Bethesda to their credit maintained their efforts to get on the score sheet and with a little bit more guile were finding themselves a bit more room and territory. Birchgrove’s defence was holding strong though until being temporarily reduced to 14 men which allowed the visitors a rare opportunity to breach the line and get their consolation try. 30 -5.

A comprehensive victory over a good North Wales outfit and although some dyed in the wool Gogs were convinced their team were hindered by the travel time and unavailability of some frontline players the more perceptive of their supporters were quick to acknowledge that they had been given a lesson in Continuity Rugby.

Well done lads, back to the bread and butter of league rugby next week with the short trip to Skewen but with one eye on the cup draw.

A little visit to the Principality next April may be in the offing though, You never know !!

 

 

 

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