With an outside chance of finishing top of the Pontypool and District league, Monmouth Druids were optimistic of beating Gwernyfed on Chippenham Mead. This last league game of this year’s campaign was played in heavy conditions on a greasy pitch. Gwernyfed had the bare fifteen which gave the Druids some confidence of a successful result. For their part the Druids were disrupted again from first team call ups, injuries and a christening! Both packs were sizing each other up at the start of the first half and the Druids sought some form of dominance at lineout and scrimmage. The Gwernyfed Eight were real spoilers and contested strongly in all facets of play. Generally though the Druids had the better of the play but it was Gwernyfed took advantage of an incursion into the home 22 metre area. Winning a lineout cleanly the Gwernyfed pack drove a rolling maul over the Druids line for an unconverted try. This try was a copy of many a try scored by the Druids in the last five or so seasons. One good three quarter move (a rarity), by the Druids put Wing Sam Harding away. He probably took the wrong option by trying to chip the ball over the defenders head but to be fair, Harding ran strongly throughout the match and his running was a source of danger to the visitors. The Druids were handicapped by a yellow card awarded against one of their forwards for foul play. At half time the Druids supporters must have anticipated that the home side would have raised their standard of play and pulled back their deficit. If only.....they made a couple of substitutions to help their cause but no one person took a grip of the game to raise spirits. Number Eight Chris Davies and Flanker Graham Smith worked tirelessly and with fifteen minutes remaining the Druids scored a try from a rolling maul through Second Row Andy Scourfield. The conversion kick failed but the try had brought the scores level. Dropped passes, forward passes, knock on’s, fumbles etc continued until the referee saw mercy on everyone by blowing the final whistle. Gwernyfed were delighted with gaining a share of the spoils against a Druids side who will want to forget the whole affair. What has happened to the successful Druids side up until last Christmas? A real end of season classic which must have disappointed the whole Druids squad but there’s always next week and the good news was that the first team won to ease relegation worries.
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