Fixture

Pwllheli RFC | 1st Team 48 - 34 Caernarfon RFC | 1st Team
Osian Jones
Try 2
Conversion 5
Penalty 1
Gareth Williams
Try 1
Robin Jones
Try 1
Kalim Joshua Park Kelemete
Try 1
Nicholas Butterworth
Try 1
Rhys Williams
Try 1

Match Report
21 April 2017 / Team News

Pwllheli RFC 48 Caernarfon RFC 34

Conditions were excellent for this key fixture. The ground had softened somewhat after the Friday night rain and playing surface was ideal for rugby.Tension was high among the large crowd with many having made the short run from Caernarfon to support their team.
Pwllheli opened the scoring after four minutes with a penalty from wing Osian Parry Jones but this was matched within a minute by fullback Aled Jones' kick for Caernarfon. The visitors took the game to Pwllheli . They neatly varied their game with both pack and backs inter-passing well. Their incisive running stretched Pwllheli but on ten minutes ,with their back sin an attacking alignment they dropped the ball thirty metres from the Pwllheli line. Wing Robin Hughes Jones latched on to the loose ball and his pace and stamina saw him run the length of the pitch to score under the posts. Parry Jones slotted the straightforward conversion to give his side a ten to three lead.
Five minutes later the situation was reversed. With the home side having created a clear overlap twenty metres from the Caernarfon line they failed to move the ball swifly enough. Pwllheli were caught in the tackle. The visitors turned over possession and recycled the ball quickly. It was now Pwllheli's defence which was exposed  as Caernarfon attacked from deep. Centre Mark Jones made good yardage .Flanker Gruff Ifor supported the break and was rewarded with the touch down. Aled Jones' conversion brought he game level at ten points apiece. 
The frantic pace of the game did not diminish. Both sides tested the opposition commitment and organisation. Both sides threatened but Pwllheli scored next. They powered towards the Caernarfon line. Initial thrusts were effectively halted but Pwllheli then switched the ball quickly to the right. The ball reached Osian Parry Jones who still had a lot of work to do but he used his size and power to crash through two would be tacklers to score wide out his conversion attempt missed. The tempo was maintained and heavy tackles came raining in. Pwllheli increasingly had the nudge in the scrums and their line out functioned well but in open play the teams continued to vie for supremacy.
Though Caernafon had more of the territory Pwllheli were countering at pace. After thirty three minutes Pwllheli were awarded a penalty. Captain Nick Butterworth tapped and went. He found centre John Pugh on his shoullder. Pugh made ground and as he was about to be tackled he offloaded to fellow centre Gareth LLoyd Williams who crashed over under the posts. Parry Jones conversion gave the Lleyn side a twenty two to ten lead. Caernarfon were not intimidated by Pwllheli's lead and responded with gusto and skill. They probed the Pwllheli defence via their heavy pack before switching the ball left .Centre Dafydd Lloyd beat the cover to score wide out. 
This was the last score of a high quality exciting first half with Pwllheli leading by twenty two points to fifteen.
The opening six minutes of the second period went well for Caernarfon. After only four minutes they made ground through the heart of Pwllheli's defence. Two slickly executed offloads put centre Dafydd Lloyd within five metres of the Pwllheli line. His strength took him over the whitewash to score under the posts. Aled Jones' conversion tied the score at twenty two points points each. Two minutes later a speculative kick ahead on the left seemed to be covered by Pwllheli. As it was the bounce beat the cover. Caernarfon wing Dylan Gwyn Owen was the first to the bouncing ball and he scorched through to score unopposed.The conversion gave the visitors a seven point lead.
Pwllheli responded by bringing on the experienced Elgan Davies and young flanker Harry Roberts who replaced Ifan Roberts who  had to leave the filed with an eye injury. They also changed the direction of the game which become tighter and much more forward orientated. The changes worked. Pwllheli were now more structured in the loose. They made ground steadily and denied Caernarfon the clean possession they had previously enjoyed. Twelve minutes in the pack set up a driving mall outside the Caernarfon twenty two. The cohesive drive paid dividends as prop Rhys Williams crashed over to score. The try crucially gave Pwllheli their much needed try bonus point. Osian Parry Jones' conversion brought the scores level at twenty nine points each.
Pwllheli's discipline became on important factor in the game. They placed secure organised rugby and kept Caernarfon on the back foot. It was Osian Parry Jones who scored his team's fifth try as he was the beneficiary of the close support of Pwllheli's marauding back row. His touchline conversion was the best of the game. Nick Butterworth scored a typical close quarter try on twenty seven minutes to give his team a forty one to twenty nine lead. Not to be outdone fellow half back Kallim Kelemete danced through the cover to score under the posts to seal the result.Parry Jones' conversion was a formality.
To their credit Caernarfon had the last say. In the forty sixth minute of the half centre Dafydd Lloyd achieved his hat-trick with a well taken score.The whistle went immediately after the missed conversion attempt.
This was a high quality tense rugby match which demonstrated community rugby at its best. Both teams were wholly committed but it was never a dirty game. The crowd of over two hundred and fifty appreciated the efforts of the players.Of the four fixtures between the clubs this season this was far and away the most fiercely contested. It was only when Pwllheli fundamentally changed their tactics and kept the ball tight that they were able to secure the spoils.
On Saturday Pwllheli host Abergele RFC at Bodegroes. This is  a Conway Landrover North Wales Cup semi final match but also a league double header. This is another key fixture for Pwllheli. They have three league fixtures to go - Abergele ,then Bala away on 29 April and Mold away on May 6. Pwllheli need to win all three with at least one game having a try bonus point. Should this be achieved then Pwllheli will claim a third consecutive Division 1 North Championship title.
If Pwllheli  beat Abergele on Saturday then they will play Bala RFC in the North Wales Cup Final at Eirias Park on Saturday May 13.
 
Players Fixture player info not published.
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