Rumney v Newport Saracens 11.04.06

Rumney : 15.M.Miller 14.J.Mathias 13.B.Phillips 12.P.Niblett (Capt) 11.J.Offside 10.L.Khan  9.L.Miller  1.G.Kemble  2.C.O'Donoghue  3.C.Gale   4.E.James  5.J.Braine 6.R.Sutton 7.R.Fenton 8.M.Kelly  Replacements : R.C.Williams D.Clements  A.Leach  A.Feehan

Scorers for Newport Saracens : W.Cunliffe 3 tries, R.Madden try, D.Bishop try, penalty try, G.Williams 4 conversions

Newport Saracens achieved their promotion ambitions and guaranteed their place in Division One with this emphatic win at the Newport Civil Service Grounds. The weight of their pack presented Rumney with difficulties from the start with home second rows Mike Peard and Ian Watkins driving towards the try line and the Saracens' forwards keeping play in the visitors' twenty two for long periods. Rumney did well to contain them but with an unexpected switch to the backs, Saracens' centre Morgan Lovell created a devestating break to put winger Wesley Cunliffe in for the first try. Leading 7 - 0, the home side continued to pile on forward pressure and also managed to spoil the Rumney lineout, and following a series of disrupted, close range scrums, were awarded a penalty try. Rumney looked dangerous whenever they could secure sufficient possession, with hooker Colin O'Donoghue and winger Matthew Miller difficult to stop, and flanker Ryan Sutton starting to dominate the lineout, but Saracens' No8 Ross Madden was becoming increasingly effective from the base of the scrum, drawing in tacklers and creating space behind, and in the thirty fifth minute winger Martin Cawley cut infield to supply Cunliffe with the pass which sent him away for his second try and a half time score of 19 - 0.

The opening period of the second half was Rumney's best of the game with flanker Ryan Fenton, outside half Luke Khan, centre Paul Niblett and prop George Kemble all gaining valuable ground with strong breaks, but the Saracens tightened up play and exerted the kind of pressure which forced errors and turnovers, and in the fiftieth minute a successful pushover try resulted in a touchdown for hooker David Bishop. In the sixtieth minute, following more neat handling by Cawley and Cunliffe, Madden finally got on the score sheet when he crashed over from the base of a set scrum. For Rumney, Khan looked increasingly dangerous and came close to scoring with a long, midfield break, and O'Donoghue, Sutton and wingers Joey Offside and Dan Clements threatened with high paced counterattacks, but in the seventieth minute the Saracens' forwards snapped up loose ball and set up a threequarter movement which ended with Cunliffe setting off on a fine, sweeping arc and completing his hat trick under the posts. The final ten minutes did not produce any further scores and the Saracens ran out winners by 38 - 0.

Steve Ford, Coach Rumney 1st XV : "I thought we were totally ouplayed today up front, Newport Saracens didn't put it wide much and took us on in the forwards. They worked out our lineout and put us under pressure in the scrums, when you haven't got a set piece you have no chance, but we just didn't turn up today, and it doesn't help when some first choice players have to pull out at the last minute. Our squad today only contained eight first team regulars and we picked up a few injuries too, when that happens you are not going to get anything out of the game, and we are just not playing well. When you are defending against a much bigger side for long periods, you basically don't get a lot of ball and we are feeling quite down with only four games left to save our season. On Tuesday we play Abercynon and hopefully Paul Douglas, Danny Clark and Phil Carlton will be back, we have got to try and be positive. We were outplayed in every department today but I know how determined our players are and if we have our full side back we will do well against Abercynon, we have got to front up and have a bit of confdence, we'll battle on. Charlie Gale did very well today and was the Man of the Match."

Mike Peard, second row Newport Saracens : "It was not my kind of game today, it was a bit hot and the ground was very dry, but it was a good game for Newport Saracens particularly with regard to the recent fixture at Rumney when we were lucky to get the three points there. We knew what Rumney were capable of and we frustrated their lineout and controlled the game. It was important for us to win and gain promotion today. Colin O'Donoghue played very well for Rumney and loose head Georgie Kemble was everywhere. For the Saracens, winger Wesley Cunliffe had a hat trick, Wesley is in the Dragons Academy and he is very fast, the weather suited him. Overall it was very pleasing to win the game."

Above : Mike Peard