Sport

Untidy game – but Barry notch a much-needed win

Admiral National League Division One East Central

Glamorgan Star news 27/02/2023

3 minutes read

Sport: Untidy game – but Barry notch a much-needed win:

Rhiwbina 10 Barry RFC 14:

BARRY RFC moved up to sixth with this victory, but the match will not linger long in the memory. Too many errors, together with some questionable official decisions, made for a disjointed stop-start scrap.

While the narrow, but finally frustrating, defeat at Cambrian Welfare a week earlier had been highly entertaining, Friday night’s match hardly ever set the pulses racing. And while the floodlights on the Cardiff University sports campus certainly sparkled, sadly the same could not be said of the game.

After two defeats, head coach Liam Scott was pleased to come away with a win, but “not happy about the way we went about it. At times we did everything possible to lose the game. It was disappointing in terms of overall performance.”

Barry had a difficult first half, spending much of it in defence, but they dug in and kept Rhiwbina at bay until the 34th minute, when they were caught out by a quickly-taken penalty. Joe MacPherson touched down out wide, and then added the extras.

But the Bombers were much improved in the second half. “We played percentages and went through the phases,” said Scott. “We did that to good effect, and to win 14-10 against a team we haven’t beaten in several years is a major positive.”

The lineout once again proved a problem, and it needed their dominant pack to get them level after 46 minutes. Rhiwbina repeatedly infringed at the scrum in the red zone, and Barry were awarded a penalty try. But surprisingly there was no yellow card for the hosts.

“The lineout is great in training,” said Scott,” but we just don’t execute in the heat of the game. We should be able to have a driving lineout as well as a dominant scrum. We’ve got to get better if we are going to compete in the long term.”

On the hour, following a poor Rhiwbina clearance as Barry pressed, Jake Williams accelerated through the home defence to put Barry in front. Einan Scott, later helped off with a leg injury, converted. Three minutes later Macpherson’s penalty narrowed the gap, but Rhiwbina rarely threatened again.

Barry host struggling Ynysybwl at the Reservoir Field on Saturday, having beaten the Bulls 28-5 in October. “The test,” said Scott, “is being able to back it up [Friday’s win] and maintain momentum before another two-week shutdown.”

Youth team move into semi final

Barry RFC Youth are through to the semi-final of the WRU Youth Cup, their scheduled last eight opponents Pontypridd having withdrawn from the competition after suffering two massive league defeats at the hands of the young Bombers.

In the two WRU Admiral Youth League Cardiff Premiership Blue meetings between the clubs Barry have run in 18 tries, seven in the 50-12 victory at Pontypridd on January 7, and 11 in their 65-14 home victory on February 18.

The quarter-final tie was scheduled for Saturday (4 March), but Barry will now travel to St Peter’s for a Premiership Blue fixture, having beaten the Cardiff side 19-12 at the Reservoir Field in their first meeting on January 14.

Barry currently top the league table with four victories from their four matches, having also beaten Treorchy 43-7. But their 19 points from the four games have been cut to 14 following an administrative error in the match at Pontypridd. A Barry player was taken ill in the warm-up, and another substituted by agreement, but the initial team sheet was handed in. As a result, the WRU has ruled Barry fielded an ineligible player and deducted five points.

The three remaining WRU Youth Cup quarter-final ties – Tondu v Bethesda, Gorseinon v Narberth, Carmarthen v Machen – are due to be played on Saturday. Semi-finals will be played on neutral grounds.

Ken Watkins