Boxing Day Derby

Usk RFC 10

HAVING beaten Monmouth Druids 34-12 in the morning, Usk RFC supporters came fired up in the afternoon, expecting more success in the 1st XVs’ Boxing Day derby friendly, reports PETE WALTERS.

Their support was obvious throughout, raising the rafters of the Sportsground Stand at every serious collision or debatable decision.

But fortunately the referee must have had an abstemious Christmas, resisting almost all attempts to influence him.

Despite the apparent disparity in the size of the packs, East One Monmouth were the more dominant in the first half despite the loss of prop Tyron Thomas to injury right at the start.

Such superiority resulted in two tries to the hosts aided by some clearing kicks by fly-half Harry Johnson deep into East Three Usk’s territory.

In the case of the first, courtesy of Johnson’s long grubber kick to the right corner and a clean take in the line-out by second row Geraint Powell, centre Dan Dunmore used his pace to pierce the defence to open the scoring with the fly-half adding the extras.

As half-time approached, winger Matt Tabb was at his elusive best adding a further five points to make it 12-0, with Usk providing a glimpse of things to come by then missing a fairly easy penalty kick at goal.

The second half looked different straight away with the visitors’ pack looking the more energetic. And within five minutes they had showed their strength with a drive over from a line-out, but too far out for the conversion to succeed.

Despite this reinvigorated display from the visitors, Monmouth stuck at their defensive task preventing two tries in quick succession by holding up the would-be scorer.

On the third occasion they succumbed, only to delight at the badly missed conversion, with the score now 12-5 with 25 minutes left to play.

In minutes Usk had used their new found power to drive over from a scrum to close the gap to two points, but again their kicker let them down, as he did with a kickable penalty moments later.

But that still left the home team with 20 minutes left to defend their narrow lead.

But good fortune favours the brave, helped more than a little by the poor Usk attempts at goal-kicking.

And the Monmothians were over the moon when the final whistle came, rewarding the much changed second half team for a sterling defensive effort.

The away league game against Pontypool United this Saturday (January 7) will prove just as testing, while Usk travel to Tredegar Ironsides.

Other fixtures include New Panteg v Chepstow, Abergavenny v Blackwood and Caldicot v Newport HSOB.

* The WRU has sanctioned 12 aside games in a bid to fulfil fixtures this season, as long as both teams agree.

Several lower-league matches have been called off because of teams being unable to raise sides and bad weather.