Bedwas 3 v 17 Whites
09 Dec 2006 - Home
The introduction of Ospreys utility back Jonny Vaughton had a major impact on a Swansea side that has struggled so far this campaign. The speedster set up countless attacking moves and appeared to lift those around him with the backline in particular working in tandem. Bedwas brought with them a formidable pack, but the Swansea front eight, under the leadership of Gareth Newman, maintained an edge throughout the contest.
Swansea were awarded an early penalty after Bedwas were guilty of hands in the ruck but winger Nicky Thomas' kick drifted wide of the post. The home side nearly broke through after 18 minutes as Chris Shelmerdine and Vaughton made devastating breaks only for the supporting Rhys Jones to be tackled into touch.
A barnstorming run by David Watts, followed by searing breaks from Shelmerdine and Vaughton, again saw the Whites come close but the visitors managed to steal possession and race upfield with Michael Collins making a try saving tackle on flanker Neil Lewis. Swansea's dominance of possession finally paid off as Ricky Williams was fed quick turnover ball and he chipped ahead, a wicked bounce taking Deri Mattravers out of play and allowing the fly half to score under the posts. Nicky Thomas converted.
By the end of the half, Swansea were playing some thrilling rugby and almost scored a second as Watts broke clear and fed Habir Singh who chipped through only for Rhys Jones to miscue his own kick. Both sides have three-pointer chances during injury, Andrew James missing and Nicky Thomas converting after the Bedwas chasers were in front of the kicker.
Half-Time:- Swansea 10 Bedwas 0
Bedwas were obviously given a stern lecture by their coach during the interval and came out fired up as centre James Lewis drove play up to the line with a powerful run, although indiscipline crept into the Bedwas ranks with an off the ball incident gifting Swansea the chance to clear their lines. The Whites' second try came as a result of clever thinking by Nicky Thomas, who took a quick lineout to Vaughton to send the full back racing away for a try under the posts. Thomas converted.
Bedwas winger Nathan Hill suffered an unfortunate neck injury during the first half, resulting in the spectacular sight of an Air Ambulance helicopter circling the ground before gracing the cricket field at St. Helen's. During all the commotion, the visitors' stuck to their task of reducing the lead with a James penalty after Swansea were offside.
A superb break by Daniel Lloyd-Jones nearly set up David Blyth but he was hauled down just short of the line. The visitors should have scored after 59 minutes as Andrew Harrison and Lee Mullane broke clear and created an overlap only for the final pass to sail over the touchline. The final ten minutes certainly tested the Swansea defence but they were more than a match for the visitors, who were forced into countless mistakes. There was a rather unsavoury moment in injury time as both James and Rhys Jones were sin-binned for starting a punch-up.
Vaughton thoroughly deserved his man of the match award, as his presence at full back both in attack and defence seemed to generate positive vibes throughout the team. The performance was certainly no one man show though as the centre partnership of Watts and Shelmerdine was in fine form, and Martin Jones, Lloyd-Jones and Newman helped gain the upper hand in the pack. Next up is a tough home match against Pontypridd and a win for Swansea could mean a rise to as high as seventh in the table.
Full-Time:- Swansea 17 Bedwas 3
Venue:- St. Helen's, Swansea
Weather:- Sunny, 5C
Competition:- Principality Premiership
Swansea Scorers:- R. Williams (Try), N. Thomas (2 Cons, Pen), Vaughton (Try)
Bedwas Scorers:- James (Pen)
Swansea Team:- 15 J. Vaughton 14 Rhys Jones 13 C. Shelmerdine (rep: L. Bevan) 12 D. Watts 11 N. Thomas 10 R. Williams 9 D. Pittard 1 T. Snellgrove 2 D. Colclough (rep: A. James) 3 M. Jones (rep: C. Williams) 4 D. Lloyd-Jones 5 M. Collins 6 G. Newman 7 H. Singh (rep: R. Gallagher) 8 D. Blyth (rep: I. Evans)
By Paul Hopkins
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