Tredegar Ironsides may have given Monmouth a few hidings in recent years, but last Saturday was payback time with a vengeance with the home team ending up 32-10 winners at the Sports Ground. It was not all plain sailing though with much of the game, kindly sponsored this week by Lexus Cars, being highly vigorous with play moving from side to side and end to end, but it was Monmouth who first crossed the line after only seven minutes of play. Full back Dave Brace carved an opening that took play right upfield and from a succession of rucks, Stuart Boylan took several defenders over with him for the first try to which Dave Croudace added two points with the conversion. The Irons were rattled and immediately responded with a move deep into Monmouth territory but sound defence turned the ball over and relieved the pressure. Hooker Dave Morgan next surprised the opposition with his pace and determination making a large incursion through the centre of the field but despite good support from centre Andrew Davies, the move petered out due to a knock-on. The impressed home support had only another two minutes to wait though before Baker scored the second try made possible by fast ball from a ruck. Croudace again converted. Impressed by such achievements in the first quarter of an hour Monmouth slackened slightly allowing Tredegar to break through a missed tackle, passing the ball to the right along the line to score in the corner. It was obvious they had pace and skill in their backs too and Monmouth could not afford to give them an inch. And within five minutes another break through nearly resulted in a score after a charged down kick ahead from a scrum had centre Davies scurrying back to ground the ball over the line just in time. Play went to and fro with some excellent handling of the ball being displayed by Monmouth players who were clearly up for the challenge and the pressure appeared to have paid off when Croudace kicked a penalty as far as both the touch judges were concerned but sadly the referee believed differently leaving the score at 14-5 at half-time. Monmouth were looking the better but Coach Ian Seymour urged no complacency in his pep-talk. Maintaining the intensity was the key whilst avoiding any give-away mistakes and so it largely proved. The game recommenced with a great deal of vigour from both sides but it was Monmouth who were to score first when their pressure tempted the visitors off-side and Croudace edged them further ahead with another penalty. The team was firing on all four cylinders now but the eagerness of some individuals was becoming a weakness and leading to missed tackles. None were catastrophic however and it was a further mistake by the visitors which brought another penalty and a 20-5 lead at the end of the third quarter. Ben Berry, standing in excellently at scrum-half, threw the Tredegar defence with a long cut-out pass from the base of an attacking ruck, eventually allowing left wing Baker to wrong foot the opposition to score his second try only to receive a boot to the head which was to end his game but provoked a general skirmish amongst the teams. Croudace found the angle too difficult on this occasion. Monmouth forwards now came into their own as they kept up the pace and drive they had shown throughout but now also despite considerable attempts at intimidation by the visitors who could see the game all but slipping out of their grasp. A shuffle of players and positions momentarily affected the home team’s cohesion with Tredegar clawing back a right hand corner try which again went unconverted, but the alarm bells had rung sufficiently for Monmouth to lock out the game and then for earlier centre and now wing Gareth Jones to stretch the score with a sharp try which Croudace rounded off with style to bury Tredegar 32-10. The return should be interesting on Tredegar’s larger pitch but for now Monmouth can take comfort with the way they are setting the pace in Asda Division 4 East, thoroughly deserving their highly successful Hawaiian Disco Evening celebration which the Club hopes to repeat on a regular basis.
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