Glamorgan Wanderers 44 v 27 Whites
18 Apr 2007 - The Memorial Ground
Swansea were unable to extend their winning league run despite leading Glamorgan Wanderers by twelve points early on. The result means Swansea are still yet to record a victory at the Memorial Ground since the Welsh leagues began back in the early ‘90s. The match will mainly be remembered as the final act of Anthony Clement’s Swansea career where he has served the club with such honour as a player and latterly a coach since 1985.
Full back Damian Karauna came close to opening the scoring after a strong burst by captain Gareth Newman and a dart forward by Darren Pittard, but the New Zealander was tackled into touch. Two minutes later, quick ball spread along the backline resulted in Karauna feeding Richard Payne for a well taken try. In the absence of a kicking tee, Karauna was forced to drop kick the conversion, but he failed with the attempt.
A massive hit by Lee May resulted in a crucial turnover for the Whites as the home side threatened to score with an overlap on the left. With the clock on 17 minutes, Swansea further extended their lead after Nicky Jones took the ball at speed and beat two tackles to score. Karauna converted.
Scrum half Andrew Cawley missed a penalty for the home side straight after the restart as Swansea were guilty of an offside offence. However their persistence paid off three minutes later as a scintillating run by Charlie Johnson was well finished off by lock Keith Stewart. Cawley added the extras.
Swansea reasserted themselves soon after with a Karauna penalty from in front of the posts after the Wanderers’ defence crept offside. Wanderers scored their second try through a lineout drive with Peter De Snyder touching down. Cawley converted. The home side camped on the Swansea line prior to half time with the visitors only surviving due to a well timed interception by Chris Shelmerdine with Karauna clearing.
Half-Time:- Glamorgan Wanderers 14 Swansea 15
Swansea were gifted a golden chance to extend their lead just minutes after the restart but Karauna missed a penalty chance from in front of the posts. Cawley made no mistake with an effort of his own in front of the sticks to take Wanderers into the lead for the first time in the match after the Swansea defence killed the ball.
A poor attempted clearance by Watts was charged down by Rhys Hewitt resulting in an easy touch down for the hooker. Cawley converted. Karauna chipped into the corner with a penalty and to their credit the Swansea pack produced a well constructed lineout with May crashing over to score. Karauna failed with the conversion.
A calamity of errors by the Swansea defence handed the initiative back to the home side after Cawley was able to pick up a loose ball and race in to score unopposed. He converted his own try. The scrum half further extended the lead to fourteen points with a penalty after a Swansea defender was guilty of holding a man back.
The inspiring Cawley scored his second try of the match after dancing past numerous Swansea tackles to race in under the posts. He again converted. Watts stole in for a well taken consolation try moments later after a poor error in midfield by the visitors. Karauna converted but it was Cawley who had the final say with a late penalty goal.
It was a disappointing ending to the season for the Whites but many lessons have been learned throughout the campaign, not least the need to tighten up the defence. In the latter half of the season, the side have thrilled fans with free flowing rugby and long may it continue in the 2007/08 campaign! For now all Whites fans will join together and bid farewell to a great stalwart of Swansea Rugby Club. Thank you Clem!
Full-Time:- Glamorgan Wanderers 44 Swansea 27
Venue:- Memorial Ground, Ely
Weather:- Sunny, 22C
Referee:- David Williams
Competition:- Principality Premiership
Glamorgan Wanderers Scorers:- Stewart (Try), Warman (5 Cons, 3 Pens, 2 Tries), De Snyder (Try), R. Hewitt (Try)
Swansea Scorers:- Payne (Try), N. Jones (Try), Karauna (2 Cons, Pen), May (Try), Watts (Try)
Swansea Team:- 15 D. Karauna 14 C. Shelmerdine 13 R. Payne 12 A. Thomas 11 N. Jones 10 D. Watts 9 D. Pittard (rep: J. Hooper) 1 L. May 2 R. Hibbard (rep: D. Blyth) 3 C. Mitchell (rep: C. Williams) 4 D. Lloyd-Jones 5 N. Thomas (rep: I. Evans) 6 M. Popham (rep: D. Colclough) 7 H. Singh (rep: S. Kiley) 8 G. Newman (rep: R. Gallagher)
By Paul Hopkins
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