Fixture

The final score line (38-5) suggests a game that was one sided with the home team dominating possession and territory.  This was not the case with both teams fairly evenly matched. Tactically we didn't get things right and this allowed Dinas Powys to play in our half and we gave away too many easy points.  By the end of the game we were clearly the stronger team. Our fitness levels allowed us to maintain our intensity and tactically we were spot on with strong forward surges, splintering the home defence before spreading the ball wide with the opposition defence on the back foot.  Everyone deserves credit for this.

The first half saw us playing rugby in the wrong areas of the pitch and trying to go wide too early and putting us under pressure as a result.  The home fly half again controlled the game superbly and kicked intelligently to gain territory and distributed only when our defence was disjointed.  Chepstow struggled with the accuracy of our game and a continuous run of mistakes allowed the home team to place constant pressure on our defence.  Tries were conceded through a number of turnovers and defensive lapses.  The first half finished 31-0 after conceding 5 tries. Whilst disappointing, the reaction of the boys was outstanding.  Errors made were highlighted and plans implemented to correct them. The coaches input was minimal with several players stepping up to show great leadership and maturity.

This is something that Alyn has highlighted in the past and very pleasing to witness first hand.

When faced with a scoreline like this it is very easy to throw the towel in and team spirit to dissolve. Not the case with this group of players and the collective effort shown meant they were determined to take the game to the opposition in the second half.  There were notable performances all across the team. Tireless work in the forwards continued to the end. Tackles were made with aggression, support at the breakdown improved and better tactical awareness leading to strong forward drives around the fringes of the opposition meant we were making significant inroads into the opponents half.  Excellent distribution from the half backs released wave after wave of attack.  The efforts of the team deserved more tries but just one was scored when Will was put in space following good handling.  He outpaced the cover defence before cutting back inside the final defender for a well deserved try.  Keegan missed the difficult conversion.

A very pleasing end to a game that the players have taken a great deal from. More has been learnt today than in previous games and we will look to implement these lessons into our next fixture.

Outstanding features of the game.

• The excellent team spirit shown in adversity.
• The number of players taking responsibility and leading from the front.
• Work rate and commitment shown by players too numerous to mention.
• Fitness levels allowing the team to finish strongly.

Things to work on.

• Execution of exit strategy when under pressure, more accuracy required.
• Game management, understanding of when to play with width and when to keep things tight.
• Applying pressure to the opposition.

On we go.