Match Report : Caldicot U15 vs St. Josephs U15 Sunday 02th October 2011
Ah the Welsh summer. You can’t beat it. The sun was shining down, not a cloud in the sky! The smell of freshly cut lawns; the sound of red leather upon willow and cries of good shot sir! Pims on the patio! Marvellous! Hang on – scratch that! This the 2nd of October! Should we be having 90 – mile winds and be knee deep in 10 ft of water! Or has South Wales been transported to the South of France instead? By some weird tele-transportation device as in Doctor Who? Global warming has gone a lot to answer for! Keep pumping those chemicals out Port Talbot Steel Works!
No you are right: it is the 2nd of October and Caldicot Under 15’s were on there travels to the exotic, palm, and sun drench location of El-Dufreyn to play St Joseph’s.
The team were missing several members through injury and absence, and so the coaches Darren and Alan had to shuffle the packet of cards and move numerous players around and slot them into different positions from where they were usual play.
The team was as follows:
In the boil room (forwards): 1) Benjamin Mckeon-Willimas, 2) Jack Herbert, 3) Lewis Jones, 4) Jordan Fuller, 5) Luke Bassett, 6)Adam Davies, 7) Brandon Mustoe, 8) Steve Allsop
On the catwalk (Backs): 9) Nick Weaving, 10) Guy Nichols, 11) Billy Roberts, 12) Liam Spencer, 13) Will Branston, 14) Will Frances, and 15) Calum Lewis. Substitute Alex North
Caldicot under 15’s won the toss and elected to kick off. St Joseph failed to gather the kick and a ruck forms unfortunately Caldicot knock-on. Scrum to St Joseph’s who hold there scrum and clear there lines by kicking to touch. At the resulting line out the throw isn’t good and a ruck forms and Guy Nichols tries to gather the ball but knock-on’s and St Joseph’s pour through and gather the ball, several of Caldicot’s backs try to tackle in vain and halt the attack. Unfortunately, Caldicot infringe at the ruck, and St Joseph’s take a tap penalty and break through the thin Caldicot defence and there number 13 scores a try under the posts. St Joseph’s number 9 duly converts the try and makes it 7 nil to the home side.
Caldicot kick off from the restart and nobody claims the ball and it bounces aimless around before a St Joseph player finally grapes hold of it but knock-on’s. Scrum to Caldicot. The home side put pressure on the Caldicot scrum and win the ball against the head and pick up and drive only for Steve Allsop to tackle the St Joseph player into touch. Line out to Caldicot, again the line out isn’t working well and a Caldicot player knock-on’s at the line out. The referee awards the scrum to St Joseph, after re-setting the scrum St Joseph attack into the Caldicot half, only for it to break down and the ball goes lose to be picked up by Brandon Mustoe who begins a counter attack and passes to Guy Nichols who kicks through, only for the Caldicot chasers to knock-on when trying to gather the bouncing ball. St Joseph failed to kick the resulting penalty into touch and from there own half Caldicot lunch a counter attack and are tackled by the St Joseph defence who give away a penalty at the ruck. Caldicot kick touch just inside the St Joseph half, but unfortunately lose the resulting line-out and through the St Joseph backs string a counter attack deep into the Caldicot half, a try when surely missing when the final pass was a judge to be forward.
The sun and the heat are taking its toll on the players and they all take on water before commencing the scrum. Caldicot’s scrum is under severe pressure and start to retreat as the St Joseph put a drive on. The ball is untidy coming from the scrum and Nick Weaving’s pass is not the best under close attention from the St Joseph’s back row, and sadly Guy Nichols spills the ball as the St Joseph back row bear down on him. The ball is not forth coming at the ruck and St Joseph is award the scrum in Caldicot’s 22. From the resulting scrum St Joseph’s no 8 picks up from the base of scrum and goes on a run, poor tacking by the Caldicot defence can’t prevent him from scoring a try under the Caldicot posts. The St Joseph number 9 adds the extra points and takes the score to 14 nil to the home side.
At the restart the ball hangs nicely in the air only for nobody to claim it on the St Joseph side, and Caldicot pour through and gather the ball and threaten the St Joseph line for the first time in the half, only for the ball to be spilled – advantage played by the referee as St Joseph try to counter attack from deep within there own half only to spill the ball and knock-on. Considering the conditions: dry and warm, there are a few drop passes and knock-on’s by both sides. The referee unsure as what to do (give a scrum, penalty or play advantage) awards a scrum to Caldicot.
However, the Caldicot scrum has been suffering in this half and at the resulting scrum are driven off there own ball, and fail to gather the ball, and yes – you’ve guess it – knock-on! This time the referee plays advantage to St Joseph who from just inside there own half counter attack and score another try by there number 8. Again the tackling by Caldicot is woeful. The St Joseph number 9 kicks the conversion and takes the points total up to 21 nil.
Caldicot with another good hanging ball at the restart, that any good forwards would live to run onto, tackle the St Joseph ball catcher and a maul forms inside there 22. However, St Joseph move the ball neatly from the maul and set-up a counter attack, but this time – for once, the Caldicot defence holds and they stop the attack and win the ruck, and kick into touch. Line-out to St Joseph who forget to throw straight, and Caldicot opt for the scrum, taking play slightly into the St Joseph half. The scrum goes around in a circle, and the referee decides to re-set only for St Joseph to infringe. Penalty to Caldicot, the count is climbing against both sides. Caldicot opt to go for the line-out and kick to touch and take play just outside the St Joseph 22, only for them this time to forget how to throw straight! This time St Joseph decide they need the scrumming practice and after re-setting the scrum again kick down field. Calum Lewis gathers the ball takes the kicking option to put the ball back into the St Joseph half. However, the Caldicot chasers failed to put pressure on the St Joseph defence and this allows them to begin a counter attack, and you know what’s coming next: yes it’s another spilled ball and knock-on! Now if it was chucking it down with rain you could understand it, if the ball was like a bar of soap! But on a nice clear day there are no excuses, unless the defences were putting that much pressure and players were taking there eyes of the ball.
The referee decides to go fifty, fifty and award a penalty and not a scrum, to Caldicot. This time, as the line-out isn’t working to well, they opt for the tap-penalty and for once, make good progress through the forwards into the St Joseph 22 and on a rare occasion get a sniff of the try line. However, hands in the ruck, takes the stuffing out of the Caldicot attack. At this point, tempers are beginning to get a little fray and Luke Bassett is sin binned for illegal use of his knee in opponent’s head. St Joseph has a reliving penalty and clear there lines. Half time arrives, and everybody can take a breather and some much need water!
Coaches, Darren and Alan read the riot act to the team and ring the changes: Jordan Fuller off to be replaced by Alex North. St Joseph kicked off, and Caldicot safely gather the ball and kick back down field, only for St Joseph’s to collect and attack with intend only for the final pass to be forward, as a try for St Joseph’s goes begging. Sadly, the pressure on Caldicot’s line is short live as there scrum is put under relentless pressure, and they lost the ball. The St Joseph’s number 8 picks up the lose ball and goes in under the posts. Again, the Caldicot defence is no where to be seen. The St Joseph’s number 9 duly adds the extra points to take the score line up to 28 nil.
Caldicot restart, but fail to put pressure on the St Joseph’s catcher, and St Joseph lunch another attack. This time, however, the Caldicot defence holds up for once and the attack is halted. A ruck forms, but St Joseph infringed and the referee this time decides to award Caldicot a penalty who kick to touch and for the first time in the second half are in the St Joseph’s half. Line out to Caldicot just outside the St Joseph 22, but fail to gather the line out and a ruck forms.
A nasty kick from one of the St Joseph’s players at the ruck on Steve Allsop sets both teams tempers flying and almighty fight breaks out! Even St Joseph’s substitutes get involved, running the length of the pitch just throw a punch or two! It’s handbags at twenty paces with both sets of coaches getting involved in trying to claim things down! The referee by now has completely lost control, and has several goes at the whistle, sounding like a guard on train platform, before eventually claiming things down.
The Caldicot coaches Darren and Alan are threatening to take the team off has they are constantly fed-up with the ugly nasty perpetrated by the St Joseph’s team which is going unpunished by the referee. The referee unsure what to do, decides to phone a friend, and speak to our very own independent referee: Simon Allsop, who directs the referee to penalise the St Joseph side, where one of the players is set to the sin bin for ten minutes to cool off.
Luke Basset comes off injury to be replaced by Jordan Fuller. The fist-cuffs seem to have re-invigorated the Caldicot Team and from the resulting tap-penalty, Brandon Mustoe crashes over for a well deserved try, and Liam Spencer adds the much needed extra points to take the score line to 28 -7.
However, from the re-start Caldicot are put back under pressure, and after several rucks and scrums succumb to another try from St Joseph, as the try is conceded through poor Caldicot tackling, which is non-existence. They convert the try and the score board moves up to 35-7 to the home side.
Caldicot, however, are not to be out done, and some good work by the forwards push into the St Joseph’s 22; they win the ruck, and through some good handling by the backs (for once), score a well worked try by Liam Spencer. Unfortunately, Liam misses his own conversion and the score remains at 35-12.
The heat and the sun is taking its toll now on the players and they looked well tire by this time in the game and after several attacks and counter attacks concede a soft late try by the St Joseph number 8 under the posts. The conversion is added and St Joseph are victorious winning the match by 42 points to 12.
Overall, a very poor performance (some good patches now and again – but rare) by the Caldicot Team, who in the pass, have beat this side on many occasions. Although Caldicot were missing several key players, the rest of the team ought to have step up to the plate, and shown what potential they’ve got.
Never mind lads: extra effort in training and we can get the season back on track (especially after winning the previous two games) hopefully in the return game we can match them, if not beat them!
Now then: anyone for Cricket!
Report by Mike H Mckeon-Williams