SWALEC League Three East A - Monmouth RFC 22 Newport High School Old Boys 21

THE strong wind prefaced the worst Storm Katie was to offer later, as visitors to the Sports Ground, Newport High School Old Boys, kicked off.

The kick, deep into the 22 prompted the first action of the game. Monmouth responded with a high return kick and charged it down. James Smith picked up and charged on, breaking through a despairing tackle to put the home team five points ahead inside the first minute.

The game was to be one of many errors and almost as many penalties, the first of which went awry in the wind as would many others.

Both sides knew kicking would dominate, and great care was needed to prevent kicking directly to touch. The conditions saw the visitors pegged back often in the first half, with Monmouth suffering similarly after the interval.

When the kicking was accurate it took Newport along the left touchline and into the corner winning a penalty for crossing. The choice of a scrum was wise and the visitors drove over to take the lead 5-7 after only five minutes.

Monmouth responded immediately running play into the opposing half. Newport took a line-out but under pressure the ball went loose and James Smith was again on hand to pick up and regain the lead 12-7.

Play was vigorous on all counts and the tolerant referee was next giving a visiting player a lengthy talking to for stamping. In their eagerness to keep up the pressure Monmouth were spraying the ball wide and when one pass went astray Newport were able to capitalise with a converted try to once again to lead by two points to round off an action-packed first 25 minutes.

From the kick off, Monmouth’s second row Sparey was up to tap-back the ball but a recurring feature of the game, despite considerable individual vigour, was inadequate support play. Their pressure continued and nearly brought a score, thwarted only by a deliberate knock on which resulted in a penalty. However in these windy conditions a penalty was little reward for a good passage of play which was broken up illegally.

Centre Lane had a great 35-metre break upfield which sadly went unsupported, but when the visitors kicked their way out of difficulty play moved some 85 metres with the aid of the now strengthening wind. From the ensuing line and a scrum the stronger visiting pack trundled Monmouth back over their line with a penalty try the result. The half time whistle blew soon after but with hope for Monmouth as they now gained the elements as an aid.

Penalties and turnovers galore continued and it was becoming clear that Monmouth needed to beef up their set piece. Eventually, after a little indecision from the touch-line chiefs, they did and immediately it was clear it would stabilise matters even if a penalty was soon gifted which missed its target.

Phillips was picking and going with his usual robustness and when he was replaced by his name-sake Leighton nothing had been lost as the latter loves to duck low and make ground around the scrums.

Working to order, Monmouth used the boot fairly well but on some occasions one wondered whether short passing along obvious overlaps might not have reduced the lead more readily.

Monmouth’s pack was beginning to dominate though, and from a penalty and then a five metre scrum Monmouth drove over and Parsons neatly floated the conversion to narrow the gap to 19-21 with more than a quarter to play.

NHSOB dug in deep but if Monmouth had not tried so many solo efforts an earlier score may well have resulted but solid defence is always going to frustrate 11 stone wet-through scrum halves from diving through their tackles.

A double movement over the line frustrated another attack as Monmouth battered away, but mistakes continued from both sides as the wind and rain reached their afternoon peak.

Options taken continued to be dominated by solo moves but relief for Monmouth eventually arrived when Parsons successfully cleared the crossbar with another well taken kick to gain a 22-21 lead.

In the remaining 12 minutes Newport tried to claw their way to victory, working the right touch-line and using the maul as their superior attacking weapon. When Hunter was yellow-carded for dragging down such a drive with minutes to go, local supporters feared the worst, but Lane cleverly deserted the three-quarter line to provide the extra power needed to shore up the pack and it was he who was to win the ball and move play back in the opposite direction.

The final whistle sounded to give Monmouth the win they deserved but the weather and they had combined to make very hard work of it. Supporters will have to wait and see whether they can make a better fist of it next week away at Caerphilly.