Valiant effort but Dinas RFC lose out to league leaders

RUNAWAY league leaders CRCC, unbeaten in the league this year and unbeaten at home for more than two years, proved too good for a gallant Dinas side.

The hosts dominated the lineout, depriving the visitors' threequarters of possession from this vital set phase – indeed the home lineout was to prove their most potent attacking weapon.

The half time score was 17-0 to the home side which included three tries, and it was only down to a huge second half performance from the Villagers that CRCC were limited to 5 points in the second half, and had to wait until the final quarter to secure the bonus point try.

The Villagers seemed overawed in the initial exchanges and they kicked away far too much hard-won possession, allowing the talented CRCC full back to run back each of these erroneous kicks.

He was making huge inroads with each run, breaking the first tackle and usually a few more before feeding the ball wide to his wingers. It was from such an incident that they scored a try after 5 minutes.

The tone for the rest of the afternoon was set as the referee awarded the home side a penalty for the restart for some chatter by a Villager.

There was a smart break from scrum half Nathan Williams, which freed Mark Goode on the wing for a threatening run, and powerful bursts from the base of the scrum by number 8 Nick Vaggas, before a mysterious penalty award allowed CRCC fly half Oli Jenkins to kick to the left hand corner. The lineout was rolled onwards before the scrum half fed the left wing to score a second try.

CRCC's lineout tactic was contentious; they would hold the ball-catcher in the air and before returning him to earth, another player would move behind him, and they would gain penalty after penalty for players coming from the side at the ensuing rolling maul.

If legal, this tactic should be employed by our national side as it is a constant supply for penalties and yellow cards.

With the score 10-0 after 10 minutes, a long and difficult afternoon lay ahead.

In trying to prevent the second try, right wing Tom Chapman suffered a double fracture of his nose and left the field, to be replaced by Rhys Williams returning for his first game this season.

The Villagers now gained a foothold in the opposition half but persisted in kicking away too much ball, and a dropped pass allowed the hosts to kick and chase, going close to scoring a third try.

Brave defence by full back Lewis Morgan prevented the score but it was at the cost of a serious ankle injury. His brother Ashley, home from Spain for a few days visiting family and there to watch his beloved Villagers, had to help carry him from the field to the car of Huw Stark to ferry him to hospital.

The hosts scored their third try after 25 minutes from another rolling maul from a lineout. The conversion was successful for 17-0.

Such is the character of this youthful Villagers side that it was a further 40 minutes before CRCC scored again, and in the remainder of the game they only scored 5 more points.

The Dinas scrum was powerful with props Tom Paterson and Mike Jones, aided by hooker David Goode, exerting such pressure on the opposition feed that the home hooker was unable to lift his foot to strike and several feeds were won against the head.

The effort in the scrum is also much down to the power supplied by Matthew Knibbs and Wes Tokalon in the second row, and scrum after scrum saw home hooker Mark Taylor forced to stand up or the home loose head Hywel Jones forced to go to ground, although these offences went unpunished.

Scrum half Nathan Williams has been a revelation this season. It is a challenge for the other players to match him, and if they could achieve this the Villagers would be guaranteed success. In this game his defensive effort was immense and his offensive contribution always threatening.

The Dinas youth team had a league fixture at the same time, and several of the individuals who had performed admirably in recent weeks for the 1st XV were scoring tries on the Common in the victory over St Peters, rather than helping turn the tide against Cardiff Welsh at Llandaff Fields.

The pressure exerted as the hosts pressed for their fourth try was repelled by an immense defensive effort led by diminutive Lewys John, small in stature but with the heart of a true warrior. His efforts were even more admirable as he had suffered a shoulder injury in training, but his commitment to the cause was total.

Assisted by fellow back rowers Vaggas and Joe Khan, the defence was shored up and the hosts were struggling to add to their score.

Centres John Evans and Adam Williams, aided by aggressive fly half David Lloyd, strangled all CRCC back play and the hosts were reduced to driving lineouts.

CRCC are renowned for their adventurous back play, so the Villagers will reflect with pleasure on negating this.

With the ship stabilised, the contest was not as one-sided as the score suggested and from a powerful scrum, Vaggas picked up at the base to feed fly half Lloyd who fed centre Williams with 40 metres in front of him to the tryline. A clever chip and chase saw Williams score the try in the corner.

Following the amazing comebacks of recent weeks, hope sprang eternal that a further victory or at least a losing bonus point could be gained, but this was not to happen.

Eventually CRCC scored their fourth try to secure the bonus point, and the score became 22-5 with prop Mike Jones unjustly yellow carded – but the 14 men kept the home side from further scores.

On reflection the better side won, but they did not deserve a bonus point, and the Villagers deserved a better deal from the match official and probably a losing bonus point.

The referee did not return to the CRCC clubhouse so the coaches and officials could not question him about decisions taken.

A frustrating afternoon that reminded the Villagers that much progress has been made, and a game in which they may have capitulated in recent seasons saw them draw the second half 5-5, but also that further improvement has to be made .

The mood in the clubhouse was reflective but buoyed by the fine victory of the youth team over St Peters.

The Villagers return to league action on the Common this Saturday against Cefn Coed, seeking revenge for the 33-19 defeat earlier in the season.