Another day of depressing underperformance was the outcome of the return game against Llandaff last Saturday which means that Monmouth are now reliant on others to make mistakes, as well as winning all their remaining games and well, if their promotion hopes are to be kept flickering let alone likely. Llandaff hustled and bustled Monmouth into errors galore in a first half that brought a 22-3 lead for the home team including three tries to nil in return. Players performed sporadically but as individuals rather than the cohesive team they can be and barely anyone looked as if they knew how to tackle let alone wanting to. Llandaff’s vigour brought rucks in the centre and then fast hands engineered an overlap on the right for the first unconverted score. Monmouth responded well through left wing Gareth Jones who nearly scored in the corner but when he spilled the ball, Llandaff used the strong wind at their backs to kick well beyond half-way for relief. There followed a penalty for the visitors trying to slow down the game but the next round of attacks saw Monmouth’s defence leaking badly with missed tackles too numerous to count. A scrum offence led to a quickly taken penalty and a further 7 points to take the score to15-0 after only 20 minutes. Some slight relief arrived when full back David Brace kicked a penalty after 35 minutes, but the tables were again turned when the home team counter-attacked, rampaging through the middle, aided by clever interpassing and yet more missed tackles for the 22-3 half-time score. After a stern talking-to Monmouth started the second half as if they were trying to salvage something but it took a good 12 minutes of pressurising the home team’s line before scrum-half Gareth Morgan ran flat across the face of the home defence keeping everyone guessing, before he cut inside the opposing centres to score under the posts. Brace added the easy two points and things were looking up. Llandaff had mentally eased up but were quite determined in frustrating the Monmouth forward attacks helped by the tolerant referee. Infringement upon infringement near their line led to regular penalties and further scrummages chosen, until the referee had enough and sin-binned a Llandaff back row forward. One more scrum following the penalty and a further defensive transgression led to a penalty try and a 22-17 score-line just on the start of the fourth quarter. Hopes were raised but soon dashed a mere four minutes later when the short-numbered Llandaff went left, won the ensuing ruck and spun the ball right for their man of the match fly-half to score just to the right of the posts providing an easy kick for his full-back With their numbers restored to 15 and Monmouth wondering how they had conceded the last try the game fizzled out with a gap too wide for the visitors to bridge. True they kept playing right to the end but it is equally depressing that those who appear to play most consistently and doggedly are the old hands and they cannot go on for ever! Interest now extends to the progress of the Druids who meet Garndiffaith away on Wednesday evening in the Ivor Jones Cup semi-final followed by a home game versus Risca at the Sports Ground next Sarurday, k.o. 2-30p.m. After that, who knows? But if it is tickets for Wales World Cup warm up games in August you want, contact Pete Walters now on 01600 860399 or it will be too late. |