WRU National Plate - Monmouth 13 Senghenydd 18

MONMOUTH learned a hard lesson last Saturday when Senghenydd not only came and deservedly turfed them out of the WRU National Plate competition, but also by setting down a marker of tougher league matches to come.

Monmouth may be currently top of their Division Two East League with Senghenydd second, but it is the latter team who have taken the bragging rights by the determined way they took the game to their hosts in their 13-18 victory.

Monmouth may have suffered a little for the injured players already ruled out from playing but apart from their scrummaging which once again was superior for most of the game, in fierceness at the rucks and containing the strong running of the visiting centres, they struggled to compete.

Before the visitors had properly settled there were signs of what might be from Monmouth.

Amosa Nove typically ran strongly deep into opposition territory, the home pack drove the visitors back in a maul and a slick move along the line by the home team all but brought a first score on the right, spoilt only by an unlucky knock-on at the last. A kick at goal was near compensation but new kicker, flanker Zak Williams, missed this first chance.

Senghenydd rose to the challenge embarking upon a 10 minute period of immense pressure on Monmouth with the need for tackling to the fore.

Strong, direct running down the middle, aided by a missed knock on, brought the visitors their first kick at goal from 21 metres and in front of the posts which edged them 0-3 ahead as the first quarter ended.

A penalty for a high tackle took Monmouth back down within kicking range and this time Williams obliged to draw the scores.

Tensions were a little high with an altercation and a reversal of penalties for resultant bad language, but a good scrum drive evened things out prior to an extended period of to and fro play, before Williams was to kick Monmouth into a 6-3 lead from near halfway after some crossing in a move. Half-time soon arrived with room for coaches of both sides to take stock and redirect things including a discussion with the referee over his perceived lack of consistency in policing the rucks.

Senghenydd began the stronger after the break sweeping downfield and scoring the first try of the game aided it must be said by some haphazard tackling.

Within minutes they had driven over from a touch for another unconverted try and then, disaster, as a Monmouth defender slipped whilst aiming to make safe an opponent’s grubber, allowing the ball to be kicked through for a third try in the space of seven minutes!

The ship needed steadying and fortunately a change of personnel began to do just that and with 25 minutes left to play the opportunity, hard though it appeared, was there but Senghennyd were not going to concede easily.

Monmouth’s pack set about their task and drove from lines out and in the tight but the visitors were literally putting their bodies on the line and were lucky not to attract a yellow card or two given the number of penalties they were attracting.

Eventually they cracked after a succession of collapsed scrums close to their line conceding a penalty try as a result.

At 13-18 there was all to play for and although Monmouth continued to batter away, the visitors’ defence was excellent in its sheer determination. Close to the line though Monmouth came on several occasions, there was no way through allowed and Senghenydd were justifiably exultant at their progress into the draw for the next round of the cup.

How this experience will benefit, or otherwise, Monmouth will be interesting to see when they entertain Taywain on Saturday (6th October). Kick off at the Sportsground is 2.30pm.

Photos courtesy of Gareth Roberts