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Bargoed RFC Match Report

The 1st XV travelled the short distance to Bedwas RFC for their final game in the first phase of the National Championship Cup competition.

The previous game between these two sides was close, and this turned out to be just the same in an exciting game with some great rugby played.

Bedwas opened the scoring after 7 minutes with Owen Jones going over for a try after some poor defence by Bargoed. The try was converted by Matt Bancroft to make it 7-0.

Bargoed started to play some good attacking rugby but missed a golden opportunity to score a try after 12 minutes. Bargoed then lost James Locke to a head injury after 16 minutes with Ronnie Kynes coming off the bench. 

Bargoed slowly started to  dominate territory and from a driving line-out hooker Wade Langley crashed over with Josh Prosser converting to make it all square. 

Bargoed were now on top and shortly after scored a superb try from their own 22 after excellent work by Jordan Howells and Josh Prosser saw wing Steff Thomas score, again converted by Prosser.

They increased their lead after 32 minutes with busy scrum half James Leadbeater supporting and scoring after the visitors applied pressure with a series of close in attacks in the 22 before moving the ball wide. Prosser again converted with Bargoed leading 21-7 and in the driving seat as half time approached. 

However Bedwas had other ideas, and from the kick off as Bargoed looked to attack from deep they forced an error and dangerous centre Matthew Williams scored and Bancroft converted to make it 21-14 at half time.

The second half saw Bedwas kick a penalty from Bancroft after 49 minutes to close the gap to 4 points.  Bargoed made some changes and dominated territory and possession for the remainder of the half but resolute defence from Bedwas  held them out.

Bargoed failed to score from a series of driving mauls and multi phase attacks but did manage to kick a penalty from Steff Jones, to increase the lead to 24-17. However it was Bedwas who had the final say as they turned the ball over close to their own try line and cleared their lines. Bargoed responded but the kick went dead and Bedwas finally had a foot hold in the visitors half. 

Bargoed conceded two penalties and Bedwas kicked to the corner and scored from a driving maul to make it 24-22. They narrowly missed the conversion and Bargoed  maintained their 100% winning record.

Bargoed dominated the game with over 70% possession and 65% territory but the young Bedwas side defended their line staunchly and gave Bargoed a fright with their late comeback. 

There were many positives for Bargoed, with the set piece once again looking good and some of their attacking play was excellent. They were disrupted by a couple of injuries, but generally adapted well. 

Two of the tries they conceded were from defensive and handling errors, so these will be reviewed this week. They will also rue four good try scoring opportunities that they didn’t take. However the side is moving in the right direction and now look forward to the next stages of the cup competition on 9 October and the league returning in November. 

The Warriors also had a local derby against Nelson. There were a number of players unavailable but they still managed to win the game 28-20 in a tight contest. 

Bargoed struggled to get any momentum in the first half against a spirited Nelson Nomads outfit. There were also a number of injuries to contend with and a reshuffle as a result. The coaches provided some feedback, and the players took responsibility, and played some good rugby in the second half, coming out on top against a hard working home side.

Bargoed scored four tries, through stand in skipper Lewis Cooper who bagged two, Rhys Humphries, Ashley Gibson and Aeron Hughes with Adam Jones chipping in with a penalty. 

There were stand out performances from Lewis Cooper, Jack Price and 18 year old second row Harry Thompson. Good to see a few old faces back on the field, and best wishes to Joel Griffiths who picked up a nasty ankle injury.

The 1st XV have no game on Saturday and are looking for a friendly on 2 October, so watch this space.

The Warriors have another local derby on Saturday against Penallta away from home. Kick off 2.30 get along and support the boys!!