10:00am Thursday 18th March 2010
Narberth 27
Cwmllynfell 15
Narberth fought back from a 15-8 deficit with just 12 minutes to go as tries by powerful young No 8 Steffan Phillips (2) and talented full back Roger Davies saw them snatch the initiative from
bottom of the table club Cwmllynfell.
But it wasn’t a good performance by The Otters against a side which played with far more spirit and craft than their two wins from 13 league games would suggest. There were errors aplenty and technical offences saw five players yellow-carded which inevitably brought a stop-start feel to play.
Cwmllynfell had the better of the first quarter and took the lead after 16 minutes when winger Andrew Luther joined a lineout catch and drive, orchestrated by veteran No 8 Jim Morgan, to claim the touchdown.
Craig Jones responded for Narberth with a 28th minute penalty but the outside-half had an off day with the boot, as he missed a second attempt before a powerful run by centre John Leyshon set up the chance for winger Nick Jones to cross for an unconverted corner try.
Cwmllynfell regained the lead when centre Paul Davies slotted a good 40 metre penalty but Jones was again off target for Narberth — and then the visitors added a try by flanker Daniel Jones.
The Otters came back as they brought on Chris Scarf, Dan Smith and Andrew Davies, who all made an impact as Alex Jenkins created the initial space for Steffan Phillips to crash over in the right corner for an unconverted try.
The Otters desperately needed some flair and found it when Roger Davies fielded a kick ahead by Cwmllynfell and sped up the touchline in front of the stand, chipped over the bemused cover and regathered to score a try which he also converted.
Cwmllynfell tried to play ‘catch up rugby’ near their own posts in the closing moments but paid the price when a pass went to ground over their own line. Phillips was well placed to claim a soft second try, which Roger Davies converted to set the seal on a Narberth win, which left Cwmllynfell with nothing to show for their efforts for much of the game.
Narberth: Roger Davies, Nick Jones, Richard Davies (Capt), John Leyshon, Adam Thomas, Craig Jones, Adrian Killa, Sean Lloyd, Aled Harries, Justin Hughes, Alex Jenkins, Jason Jennings, Gareth Bateman, Simon Griffiths, Steffan Phillips. Replacements (all used): Chris Scarf, Dan Smith, Andrew Davies, Tom Powell, Tom Slater.
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