Following a late season rally Monmouth went to Crumlin with high hopes of saving themselves from the feared drop into National League 5 but despite starting well under Crumlin’s new lights as well as a second half of 15 minutes injury time they still could not overcome the home team’s dogged defence once they had their noses in front. It took 7 minutes of both teams probing one another’s defence before Monmouth surged up-field, quickly recycled the ball setting scrum-half Gareth Morgan off on one of his trademark bursts to feed Tom Baker to run in a try from the left wing. With Ben Berry’s conversion the score of 7-0. Now was the time to heap on the pressure but Crumlin were not going to roll over on this bitter and blustery night and at times in the first quarter they ran Monmouth close but to no avail as Monmouth played as if they needed the result more. But precisely on the 20 minute mark, following an appalling bout of weak tackling, the home scrum-half was allowed in for an unconverted try and a 7-5 score. Monmouth’s scrum was exceptionally solid and giving Crumlin some difficulty but the defences around the fringes were not as sure despite some strong individual commitment, and not long before half-time Monmouth succumbed to sustained pressure to go 12-7 down at the half. To be first to score was Monmouth’s challenge but in only three minutes of the second half Crumlin was able to make a large advance through some deft inter-passing between their big forwards to go 19-7 ahead. Monmouth’s season now depended upon their response and it was heartening and typical that it was long term stalwart Stacey Edwards who crashed over for a try which Ben Berry was to safely steering a difficult kick over the bar just minutes after his suffering a bone-shaking tackle which he survived bravely to play on. At 19-14 behind, Monmouth had a full thirty minutes on the clock to recover the position but try as they might they could not cross the line. Professional foul after foul eventually led to a yellow card but to no avail as Crumlin to their credit dug in. Scrums broke up again and again and players collapsed like flies on the home team ostensibly for the pressures they were put under but more probably to prevent Monmouth building up any momentum, but even though the half was eventually extended by a full fifteen minutes for stoppages, Monmouth were unable to recover the deficit. Faces were glum at the end because the effort had been intense but it was also clear that Crumlin knew how to hang on to a lead, which Monmouth have singularly failed to do over this year’s campaign. One can only hope for a miracle in the rest of this season if the worst s not to happen, but roll on Chepstow at home next Saturday to ensure that Monmouth go out with all guns blazing!
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