Aberavon RFC v Newport RFC – 26th September 2024 by John Evans
Following the uneasy win on the road at Swansea the Black & Ambers were again on their travels, this time to the homely environs of the Talbot Athletic Ground, home of Aberavon RFC. The game was moved to a Thursday evening to allow S4C to broadcast the match live on their Clic YouTube channel.
Ty Morris had rotated his squad again, some of last Saturday’s Bomb Squad being rewarded with starts for their impact, whilst others retained their place on merit.
The Wizards have a 50% record in Super Rygbi Cymru, having suffered an opening week reverse at Ebbw Vale but beating Carmarthen Quins last weekend. They’ve long been a club with potential, it would be interesting to see how the Black & Ambers would go against them.
As supporters left Newport for the journey along the M4 to Port Talbot, the heavens opened. It rained until the sole subject of discussion in cars was “Would the game even go ahead”. Yes, it would. A 2pm pitch inspection had deemed the pitch playable. However, the precipitation was such that, by 7.20pm, it wasn’t clear whether we needed Touch Judges or the Inshore Lifeboat.
Ben Roach led his team onto the field before Carwyn Penny kicked off, Newport attacking the ‘Town’ end of the ground. Both teams set about sizing each other up, putting up bombs for the opposing fullbacks to deal with, driving into their opposite numbers, while a neat break by Aberavon wing Cori Lewis-Jenkins threatened to unravel Newport at the outset, but his kick ahead was straight at Ioan Davies and the danger receded.
Newport went aerial, a knock-on yielding a scrum in the Aberavon half. Chay Foster-Smith’s burst gave Newport a penalty advantage, Joe Peard got a shoulder around a tackle and popped the ball onward, but no advantage came. Carwyn Penny took the penalty quickly and kicked ahead for Lloyd Lewis to chase, forcing Aberavon to ground the ball behind the line and concede a goal line drop out. Nothing came of it as Newport conceded in contact themselves. The Wizards were able to kick to the corner, Shay Smallman claiming the lineout for the home team. Aberavon set a steady, patient rolling maul as Newport conceded another penalty. Perhaps wisely, in the conditions, Ed Dunford, the Wizards outside half, opted to kick at goal. His kick rattled off the right-hand post and almost into the hands of centre Brad Roderick, but he spilled the ball with the line almost at his mercy. Honestly, it would have been a small miracle had he held onto that in the conditions.
Josh Skinner was his usual ultra-committed self, hurling his powerful frame into contact situations and, at one point, virtually counter-rucking Aberavon by himself. Crisp hands by Jonny Morris carried a promising move on, but Luke Crane was pegged back and the ball, understandably, spilled.
The rain continued to pour down as Carwyn Penny nursed the touchline following an Aberavon penalty conceded. Nick Thomas slammed into contact, but several sharp peeps on the whistle by the referee, Mr Matthew Leon, indicated that something was amiss. Home flanker Gwilym Evans appeared in some distress and was soon replaced by Taine Morgan on 18 minutes.
The game was steadily descending into a lottery as teams traded penalties, many of which were difficult to avoid in the sopping wet. Ed Dunford kicked his team to the corner, Shay Smallman winning the lineout again, only for Josh Skinner to emerge, ball in hand, through the Aberavon maul entirely. Mr Leon, however, wasn’t best please, calling Ben Roach across for a discussion. The Wizards went to the corner again, this time Newport getting fingers to the ball and spoiling the Aberavon line out.
An 24th minute Aberavon scrum, quite close to the Newport line looked dangerous, scrum half Scott Whitlock being forced to play the ball, but, again, the ball shot from its carriers grasp like a bar of soap in a shower.
Kyle Tayler made a thrilling solo break on 28 minutes, but, once again, couldn’t hold on to the ball.
Ed Dunford was quite smart in ensuring that the ball spun end over end as he kicked it, making sure Ioan Davies had only the trickiest of catches to make, with the ball emerging out of the floodlights with the backdrop of a downpour. Thankfully, balls like that don’t usually trouble our assured fullback, so Aberavon would have to think of something else.
Prop Geraint James made a popular clean catch of the ball on 31 minutes, charging forward as he did. Newport were penalised on the new ‘not retreating’ law. Ed Dunford lined up his second shot at goal, but the effort sailed harmlessly wide of the right post.
Ollie Drake took a heavy knock at this point, so was replaced in the Newport front row by Nathan Evans. Two players injured in half and hour. Surely the weather must be having an effect?
Unbelievably, the rain got even heavier as small pools appeared along the near touchline, while the pitch itself, worryingly, seemed to develop a shallow end.
A clearing kick by Newport was met with a similar response by Aberavon, the difference was that their kick cannoned off a Newport body and chaos ensued. Brad Roderick was first to the ball for The Wizards, but Chay Foster-Smith and Kyle Tayler were only half a second behind, the pair combining well to earn a penalty as the red and black shirted centre clung onto the ball illegally. Carwyn Penny kicked the penalty to nudge Newport into a 0-3 lead on 34 minutes.
Newport were pinged for a seatbelt tackle, Aberavon playing with an advantage. Fullback Scott Delnevo appeared to be through, but a firm Black & Amber rearguard dealt with him although it was difficult to tell as the rain was so heavy anything that end of the pitch just appeared to be shadows in a waterfall.
Ben Roach, teeth gritted, carried the ball into, and through, contact like a warrior, but when even Ben Roach fails to control a ball, then something is clearly amiss. The game finally descended into farce when The Wizards, trying to put in a good 50:22 kick, found the ball stop dead in the shallow end of the pitch.
This was getting silly.
Into added time and a fumbled ball saw Carwyn Penny swipe his boot at it. Again, panic ensued in the home defence as one player went cartwheeling over the ball, making the situation worse, before Cori Lewis-Jenkins got his body across it, and Scott Whitlock could sensibly kick the ball to touch bringing the half to an end.
Half Time: Aberavon RFC 0 Newport RFC 3
Straight at the halftime whistle, Mr Leon and his team went to look specifically at the large pool of water that had gathered around the 22-metre line. He was accompanied by Jason Hyatt and the Aberavon management team. Ty Morris and his team then took a look of their own and it was soon apparent that no further play would take place this evening. Indeed, some representatives of the broadcaster appeared to confirm this.
As far as any of us can recall, that was Newport RFC’s first match abandonment since January 1981, when Bridgend RFC visited Rodney Parade and frost ensured that a bone-hard surface became downright dangerous, so play was ended after just 20 minutes of that fixture.
Unfortunately for Newport RFC, this result will not stand, so the game will have to be replayed. That’s not a problem, it’s another opportunity to visit one of the most welcoming clubs in the league as well as sample another chunk of their famous corned beef pie!
Full Time: Aberavon RFC 0 Newport RFC 3
We get to play Aberavon again next Saturday when The Wizards visit us on October 5th at Newport Stadium. This, of course, is a Super Rygbi Cymru fixture.
Onwards and upwards Newport.
Your City. Your Colours. Your Club
#cotp
Newport RFC Man of the Match; Nick Thomas
Final Score – Aberavon RFC 0 Newport RFC 3 Match abandoned on 40 minutes