Monmouth were well beaten away at Garndiffaith in mid October but the lesson learned was that their pack needed to be taken on right from the start. On a glorious day for rugby Monmouth did just that and had their visitors on the back foot for much of the first half and if they had taken all of the opportunities that came their way they would have been home and dry. But enthusiasm and wrong options cost them dearly How often do backs need to be told to keep the ball in hand when approaching their opponents’ line rather than try and chip kick over the defensive line. Two clear tries went a-begging this way with the result that all the immense pressure and possession of the first half brought only a dropped goal by Dave Brace to ‘The Garn’s’ unconverted try. Within five minutes the visiting side had missed a penalty and when Brace notched up the first score everyone believed, or at least hoped, that Monmouth’s dominant pack, beefed up by the formidable bulk of Druid’s captain Julian Powell at tight head, would set the scene. Fly-half stand-in Andrew Davies who is fast making a case for permanency in the position and scrum-half Gareth Morgan were combining well off the back of Monmouth’s fast and aggressive back row trio. Set piece dominance should have meant points on the board, but Brace who kicked so well at Tredegar missed some easy points and wayward passes and over eager play completed the disappointment. Disappointing because throughout this time their opponents were reeling. Garndiffaith had an outstanding counter-attacker in their midst so it was perhaps no surprise after a failed attack that the visitors broke out, running 70 yards and more to score the first try of the match with a substantial overlap. Hopes were still high with a high energy game but with greater control but inside only four minutes of the second half Monmouth were defending desperately and worse still, losing left wing Tom Baker yellow-carded for preventing the recycling if the ball. Although the onus is on the player to make an effort to roll away, the presence of John Powell’s bulk cannot have made the tak easy. The visitors were fired up by this and through a driving maul crossed the Monmouth line for a seven point try. But Monmout were determined to give their all and were soon at a line-out 7 yards from the Garn’s line. The ensuing knock down was pounced upon by veteran hooker Mark Jones much to the disgust of the visitors. The kick was a hard one so play resumed with the scores 8-12 but still time to win provided the lungs and legs held out. But then with three minutes of ordinary play to go a crucial missed tackle in the centre let the visitors run in for a converted try. Monmouth had barely realised what had happened when they lost their shape again only to see a prop charging over for yet another seven points. The scoreboard does not lie but for all their effort Monmouth deserved something better than an 8-24 result and it was little consolation to be told by the visiting team manager that this was the hardest test that his team had faced all season. Internationals interfere with the playing arrangements over the coming weeks but a friendly is hopefully being sought to maintain continuity. For non-players the warmth of the club-house and its three TV screens beckon for viewing Wales in their attempt to get their RBS 6 Nations campaign back on course against Scotland next Saturday. There is quite a parallel between Monmouth and Wales respective losing yet gutsy performances this past weekend.
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