Monmouth RFC - Cup Run Ends for Monmouth

On the sunniest winter's afternoon this year Monmouth gave of their very best towards the end of their home Swalec Bowl clash with Senghenydd but ran out 5-10 losers on the day.

At the very beginning Monmouth played with the greatest fire and had the visitors scrambling to defend their line as the home forwards broke through at rucks and lines-out causing a fair degree of panic. The penalty awarded to Monmouth inside the first ten minutes sadly was missed and it was from here on Senghenydd seemed to regain their composure and began to pressurise by quick rucking and speedy transfer along their three-quarters.

A few alarm bells began to ring as Senghenydd began to generate overlaps stopped only by big hits from various of Monmouth's backs forcing knock-ons or forward passes but then on the quarter hour the defence ran out and their left wing slid in virtually untouched in the corner. The conversion was a difficult but successful one.

Monmouth knuckled down but although their pack was superior in the scrums throughout, their overall performance in the first half did not inspire as ball was only slowly moved along the line and the speed with which Senghenydd defended often saw Monmouth back-peddling. Fly-half Rhys Ricketts worked hard to compensate but even his heroics shone defensively more than in an attacking mode in the main. Besides his jinking runs there were strong individual runs from the back three, too, but little from the backs at large that was slick or invasive enough.

The first half was close, fierce and from end to end but there were few events by either side of real note before half-time, save a few missed penalty kicks.

At half-time with the score 0-7 there was all to play for with just a hint of the visiting front row ‘blowing' somewhat and Monmouth beginning to knock their opponents back in the tackles. Senghenydd had been the most creative up until now but if Monmouth could up the pace and recycle the ball they were winning more quickly, the final result could be theirs.

But luck was not on their side when, inside the first ten minutes of the half, the match official punished a Monmouth player for failing to release after the tackle on the half-way line and sent him to ‘the bin' which displeased the good home crowd greatly.

Monmouth were under pressure therefore but held out well until his return until someone went off their feet at a ruck entering the final quarter which cost Monmouth a further three penalty points.

But then Monmouth's game really came to life with persistent picking and driving led, as one wag in the crowd put it, ‘by the grand-dads' in the team. Ten minutes of battering away like this saw the inevitable flanker Stacey Edwards complete such a bombardment of driving mauls for a Monmouth try, narrowing the lead to 5-10 given the conversion failed..

Next it was another senior player, centre ‘Spud' Davies who charged into the left hand corner and  very nearly reached the line but all this was proving to be too little too late. Time ran out as play became more frantic and the visitors seemed to lead charmed lives as they threw their hearts and souls into defending their lead.

The final whistle sounded, sending Senghenydd through to the next round of the competition leaving Monmouth to realise that if they had played like this throughout rather than just when the chips were really down, it would have been they who would have triumphed.

Good luck to Senghenydd; thanks to Monmouth School for the use of their excellent facilities and now back to concentrating on the many postponed League games for Monmouth, so far as this season goes at least!.