In this season for being charitable, the incredibly cold wind at Lydney last Saturday got to the hands of Monmouth’s 1st XV causing too many handling failures and thus losing to a young Lydney United side 22-18. But on reflection Lydney did not suffer the same problems so perhaps it was more to do with thinking about festivities soon to begin or the Lovely Jublees dance this coming Saturday for which there are still tickets available, or more seriously lack of concentration and not getting the basics right. Young though the home team pack was it was clear they had been drilled well in some respects and so it was a psychological set-back for Monmouth when they were readily winning scrums and competing well in the loose, to be driven over their own line from a maul for a 7 point reversal as early as eight minutes into the game. Monmouth rallied but on several occasions their handling let them down although during one period of pressure Matt King was able to slot a 30 yard penalty awarded for offside by over eager defenders. At 7-3 there followed 20 minutes of give and take but a pattern was setting in. Monmouth’s line kicking was too adventurous and Lydney were strong on the counter-attack recovering ground lost with fast and well supported runners. On one such occasion the home forwards were up in support and from some clever inter-passing put their left wing in almost untouched. The kick was to far out but at 12-3 Monmouth now had much to do and yet the signs had been that the game was there for the taking. A rally by Monmouth brought a penalty for handling in the ruck on the half hour but Lydney replied with one of their own five minutes later. Potential redemption came through a pacey dart for the line by No8 Adam Seymour following some slick handing by his forward colleagues but sadly too far out for King to convert. Still with a half-time score of 11-15 there was all to play for and with the Coach urging the team to tighten up on their handling and keeping the ball secure in contact confidence was high at the start of the second half. Monmouth set about their task well with lots of pressure but found the English referee hard to please. When he might have been expected to be hard on the home side for apparent infringements he was not and the visitors’ heads began to go down as nothing they tried seemed to achieve the break through they needed. In fact worse was to come with Lydney once again crossing en masse from a driving maul for a converted try and an extended lead of 22-11 when it had been largely Monmouth making the moves albeit sometimes more as individuals than a team. The frustration showed in an enormous fracas which took a while to be calmed down. Perversely this reversal spurred Monmouth again and it was they in the 70th minute who fashioned a driving maul of their own from the rear of which scrum-half Gareth Morgan sped over the line for a try which King comfortably kicked. At 22-18 with ten minutes to go things were suddenly looking good. First Monmouth drove Lydney off the ball at a scrum only for good ball to be wasted in the backs by a knock-on but by now their hands were in fairness decidedly icy. And then, still with a head of steam up, the ball got to left wing Baker in fairness looking for the ball surprisingly near the right who seemed to realise there were acres of space on the left towards which he headed, running away from any supporting players only to be shepherded into touch by the grateful Lydney defence. For all his size and pace this 45 yard run gained at best ten yards of territory and handed possession to the home team via the ensuing line-out. Monmouth’s woes were complete when almost immediately Baker recovered a ball in defence and rather than make the same mistake again ran the ball and kicked to touch at the very time the team needed to keep it in play as the final whistle almost immediately sounded. How this friendly will prepare the team for their important away game in the league against Machen next week is not clear. But what is clear is that they will need to win there if they are not to plummet further down the table. Worse still they may even come second to Usk on Boxing Day afternoon away at 2.30p.m. if they are not careful!
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