Sport – Referee is collateral damage as pre-season game is abandoned
Barry RFC 5, Newport HSOB 12 - Pre-season match
AN injury to referee Tom Griffin 10 minutes from time, after a visiting player ran into him, led to this scrappy, windswept match being abandoned. The official, flattened in the collision, needed attention from both physios before calling the game off.
This was a game of far too many stoppages, punctuated by the odd flash of quality rugby, as the penalty count mounted, many of the offences not clear to the players, or spectators. Diplomatically, head coach Mike Morgan described the match as “a test of character” for his team.
As in the previous week Barry, playing against the strong wind in the first half, were forced to spend spells deep in their own 22, but after conceding a ninth-minute try, they generally kept the visitors at bay, with Morgan praising their “skill and vision to get out with the ball in hand”.
Another major positive, he felt, was the fitness Barry demonstrated, something the players have been worked hard on in training. Holiday absences meant passive scrums following injuries, and a further reduction to 13 men when Josh Edwards got an undeserved second half yellow card, but both made little difference.
“Fitness will tell in the coming season,” said Morgan. “I’m happy with the fitness. When we were down to 13 players, we were still playing like minute one. The players are now seeing the fruits of their labour in training.”
Barry scored an excellent 48th minute try. Alyn Evans stole possession at a lineout, surged forward and fed Edwards, near the touchline, who outpaced the defence before cutting in to touch down. Owen Rees’ conversion shaved the outside of the post. The visitors’ 60th minute second try came when Barry were down to 13.
The scrum and lineout were, Morgan felt, an improvement on the previous week, although Barry were too high in the maul. Something to work on before the opening league match on September 7, when Penarth are the visitors to the Reservoir Field.
The visitors obviously came determined to battle – one first-half punch was not spotted, along with other offences of varying degrees. On those Morgan said: “You can’t control what’s going on around you, but you can control how you react to it.
“The game challenged us. If players get pinged it’s not always their fault. But the boys kept their cool. I thought we acted positively, and the game brought us together a bit more.”
Ken Watkins
Photo by Judith Dutton.
- Penalty shoot out leads to Cup exit for Airport
- Ring rusty Barry RFC make a promising start
- King Billy go top of League One after 10-goal thriller
⭐ All of our social media in one handy place – here
First Minister accused of ‘letting victims down’ over grooming gangs inquiry
What does my ‘Sentinel Apiary’ actually do?
Trio are sentenced over ‘drugs in prison’ plot
The bells, the bells – bringing a Time and Tide Bell to Barry
Penalty shoot out leads to Cup exit for Airport
Ring rusty Barry RFC make a promising start
