Bedlinog 9 pts. Narberth 12

Strong nerves were needed by Otters supporters last Saturday; indeed strong organisation and courage was also needed by the young Otters in this tough, and at times brutal Championship encounter.

Where is Bedlinog? It lies to the south-east of Merthyr Tydfil in a relatively remote valley, but falling within the administration of the old iron, coal borough. Their ground, whilst level, is small in comparison to the Lloyd Lewis ground. The game took place in persistent rain, with floodlights needed from the start.

The Otters kicked off, with Bedlinog immediately knocking-on. Jake Simm was soon on the charge, but at the ruck the Otters were penalised and this continued to occur.

After both sides had attempted to move forward, on eight minutes the Bedlinog fly-half, Luke Morgan, failed to find the posts with a penalty attempt, but was more successful a few minutes later to give his side a three-point lead.

The Otters responded immediately and centre Jack Price was soon charging forward through the initial defence, with Jack Parkinson continuing the attack and seemingly touching down for a try with opponents clinging and diving over him, only for the referee to award a scrum five metres out.

There followed several re-sets of the scrum, before a penalty try was awarded, with Ianto Griffiths making no mistake with the conversion to put the Otters 7-3 ahead.

This was followed by Bedlinog kicking for territorial advantage and also some high hanging kicks, which Ianto Griffiths fielded well and was able to kick into touch on their 22.

Bedlinog cleared from the lineout, but their kick was fielded and the Otters again attacked via Ianto Griffiths, only for his kick to cross the deadball line.

Bedlinog kicked out, with the ball eventually reaching touch, where from the resultant lineout, the Otters scored a second try. Gaining possession, they moved forward, a ruck was formed and the ball was successfully released for scrum-half Rhys Lane who fed Jack Price. In inimitable fashion, he forced his way forward and, when challenged, timed to perfection his pass outside to Jack Parkinson, who dashed down the touchline, making very sure this time of his touchdown.

Unfortunately, Ianto Griffiths was unable to convert and the score remained at 12-3 to Narberth.

For the remaining period of the first half, the Otters seemed to have control and were looking very threatening. Supporters, now well-drenched, were expecting a further score.

Ianto Griffiths was controlling the attack with some tactical kicking and the back row of the pack was very effective, with all eight playing their part and the whole team looked very competent in the conditions, with a strong defence when needed.

A period followed where the Otters were camped on the line, with the pack attempting several pushovers, but Bedlinog resisted and eventually were able to clear the danger. No doubt, in drier conditions, the Otters would have spread the ball wide and stretched the defence.

There was no further scoring as the referee blew for half-time, with Narberth still holding their nine-point advantage.

Bedlinog were promoted into the Championship having been unbeaten the previous season. It was clear they have perfected how to play the high ball in wet conditions. Their fullback and several of their threes were completely safe under the kicks, with the fullback using his feet, soccer style, to trap the greasy ball, avoiding knock-ons.

The second half started with another high kicking duel, clearly with Bedlinog attempting to unsettle the Otters’ defence. The ground conditions by now had worsened, the ball was extremely difficult to hold and errors began to creep in.

Both teams concentrated on playing phased rugby and it was noticeable how the Bedlinog forwards used their leg strength to charge forward, resulting in some fierce tackling by the Otters, whose defence remained strong.

The home number eight was withdrawn with a head injury and on 53 minutes, the Otters’ coaches began to make their own substitutions, with Dylan Cooper replacing prop Bradley Davies. On 60 minutes, Richard Rees, playing as a flank forward, was replaced by Dewi Williams and was followed a few minutes later by Jonathon Rogers replacing Ianto Griffiths. This was Rogers’s first game for the Otters since breaking his wrist in September.

On 69 minutes, the Otters were penalised and the Bedlinog kicker, Luke Morgan, reduced the deficit to six points at 12-6.

The Otters kicked out and Bedlinog replied with a huge high kick which was knocked forward, resulting in a scrum. On release from the scrum, Bedlinog set up a ruck, where the Otters were again penalised and Luke Morgan again made no mistake with the penalty kick, bringing Bedlinog within three points of the Narberth score.

Further Narberth changes were made, with Steffan Phillips replacing Calumn Tree and Lewys Gibby replacing Rhys Lane.

The Otters then turned the pressure back on Bedlinog, with Jonathon Rogers putting some really high kicks into the opponents’ 22 and there were some really fierce moments with hard tackling as both sides attempted to move forward.

However, with time up, Jonathan Rogers ended the game by kicking the ball out of play. The sodden, wet travelling supporters raised enthusiastic cheers and applause for the Otters’ strong performance in difficult conditions.

Later Sean Gale, head coach, commented: “This was a tough encounter against a big team. We used a brutal defence which brought us through the sometimes intense pressure. We played with grit and determination in a hostile environment and we outplayed them, but the conditions were difficult.

“Both Bradley Davies and Tom Slater in the front row need a mention and in Tom’s case, it was only his second game of the season against a heavy pack. Richard Rees in the back row played well and the captain, Alex Jenkins, was man-of-the-match with his performance. Ianto Griffiths at fly-half also performed well.

“I am very pleased with the result in what was a difficult match, played in difficult circumstances. It was noticeable compared to the previous week that the game was free of flying fists.”

Narberth fielded: James Stephenson, Liam Hutchings, Joel Hutchings, Jack Parkinson, Ianto Griffiths (Jonathan Rogers), Rhys Lane (Lewys Gibby), Bradley Davies (Lyndon Cooper), Dan Smith Tom Slater, Jake Sinn, Alex Jenkins (capt.), Richard Rees (Dewi Williams), Sean Jenkins, Calumn Tree (Steffan Phillips).