Fixture

After the tremendous display in the WRU plate the previous weekend Croesy resumed their league campaign by welcoming Abergavenny to Woodland Road.

Unfortunately the first-half display was deeply frustrating as passes went astray and knock-ons were plentiful as the team struggled to break down a resolute Abergavenny team, whose pack for the majority of the half matched the Croesy scrum that has dominated so many opponents this season, even when their blindside flanker spent 10 minutes in the bin after being yellow carded. The yellow card being the result of persistent infringing at the ruck.

Abergavenny took an early lead via a penalty goal from full back Josh Parr following an obstruction. This was ultimately to prove their only score of the game. The lead was short lived however as within five minutes Croesy had scored their first try of the afternoon after a series of pick up and drives near the Abergavenny line, saw scrum half Luke Brown cross for a try. The try was well converted by outside half Haydn Simons.

These were too prove to be the only points of the first half which ended with Croesy leading 7-3.

A few well chosen words by the coaches at half-time however had the desired effect on the team in a vastly improved second half performance. An early penalty goal by Haydn Simons was followed by a period of sustained pressure near the Abergavenny line. A series of scrums on the 5 metre line saw Abergavenny penalised twice for collapsing and breaking away from the scrum as Croesy began to dominate this aspect of the game. No.8 Scott Copsey was also held up twice over the line before eventually the Croesy 8 managed to get a straight drive in the scrum pushing the Abergavenny scrum over its own line leaving Scott Copsey the simple job of touching the ball down. The try was just reward for  the perseverence of the pack.The try went unconverted.

Abergavenny, despite being under the cosh at the scrum would not lie down and for a ten minute period were camped in the Croesy half in which they tried unsuccessfully in phase after phase of play to breach the Croesy defence, with each Croesy player putting in a number of hits thst stopped the Abergavenny players in their tracks.The period was also notable for the discipline in the Croesy defence in not conceding penalties. Eventually Croesy broke free and the threequarters linked well to nearly score a third try, the attack breaking down wirh a knock on in the Abergavenny 22. 

Abergavenny again managed to work their way back into the Croesy half before the Croesy forwards turned the ball over, once again releasing the threequarters who again linked well, with good offloads out of the tackle, to release left wing Rhys Roberts who shrugged off the vain attempt to tackle him by the Abergavenny full back to score an excellent try. Haydn Simons converted from wide out in tricky conditions on a sticky pitch.

The only question now was whether Croesy could obtain a bonus point, which they achieved  with approximately 5 minutes left on the clock. An Abergavenny attack broke down near the half way line which allowed right wing Steve Drummond the opportunity to show his pace as he cut inside one defender and outsprinted a secod defender to cross for an unconverted try. 

This was the final score of a game, which ended at 27 points to 3. Captain David Davies summed up the game immediately afterwards when he said "sometimes you have to win ugly". It is perhapa a measure of where the team has come that they were disappointed despite it being a bonus point victory. It was again difficult to pick a man of the match but Scott Copsey shaded it, not because of his try but for his destructive defence.