Fixture

After last week’s heroic efforts producing the all important four points win, an opportunity to review the progress this season in the team’s development to date with the challenge of the league leaders at home, following the corresponding fixture away earlier in the season when Saints were on the wrong end of a nine tries to one thrashing producing a score line of 59 to 16.

 Early signs were encouraging for the home side with both sides testing each other out in the early stages. A narrowly missed penalty from Rhodri Jones was followed by an excellent try in the corner for last week’s star Will Davies which Jones converted with an excellent kick to take the early honours.

Within five minutes however, Penclawdd showed why they are having such a good season bouncing back immediately with their own score from a well worked try by James Snell, although the relatively easy conversion was missed and just before half time an astute cross field kick set up a second try in the corner for full back Tom Howells, which he also converted to produce a lead for the visitors at half time of 12 points to 7.

Ten minutes into the second half Penclawdd increased their lead following good work from the forwards with a try for Rob James and an easy conversion from Howells extending the lead to 12 points. With thoughts of the earlier away encounter in everybody’s mind when, in similar circumstances at this stage Penclawdd ran riot, Saints provided clear evidence that they are a different outfit now with a spirited response and an immediate score from inside centre Shane Morgan darting through the visitors defence, converted by James Davies to put the home side back within one score of the visitors.     

End to end rugby followed in a treat for both sets of watching supporters and only a disputed penalty for the visitors reversing a knock on, provided the opportunity for the bonus try point which was duly accepted by Jonny Hughes and with another easy conversion for Howells the lead was extended to a more comfortable 12 points with 20 minutes remaining.

 Shane Morgan almost rescued the situation for the home side with an identical try to his earlier effort but an outstretched one handed try was undone at the point of touchdown and a knock on resulted. Despite a long delay for an injury to the visitors full back, requiring stretcher assistance, Saints immediately took up where they had left off and with Penclawdd’s hooker in the sin bin, second row Dafydd Walters finished off forward pressure to record Saints third try, converted by Davies to narrow the gap to only five points.

In a nail biting finish with Saints pressing for the match winning score they were almost denied the losing bonus point when a relatively easy penalty for the visitors was narrowly missed and a somewhat premature early final whistle denied any further chances to push for the win.