At the start of the week Pethy were facing selection issues, in terms of who would miss out, but come the start of the game Pethy had no subs and centre Russell Williams had to move to the flank in a last minute re-jig of the pack due to Harley Brown being stuck in traffic. Powerhouse Mike Coles and ever improving prop John Webber were ruled out Thursday due to injuries. Andy Agar and Steve Doyle were also unavailable, and to make the whole thing worse Matt Brown found out Saturday morning that he would be unable to leave work due to colleague illnesses.

Pethy went into the game knowing what it would take to win and how the home side would play. With this in mind the experienced new man Foad was moved to the wing to inject some pace out wide. Pethy, playing up the slope started in the worst possible way, and after 20 minutes were two unconverted tries down, both scored by the home team’s captain and number 8. The first try came after several phases of play just inside Pethy’s half, during which a few Petherton forwards found themselves in the backline, and one missed tackle on the large Bristol centre allowed him through and just before he was brought down he off-loaded to the eight who was running at pace and went over despite a desperate cover tackle by Tom Williams.

Before the next try Pethy did get going but were halted by a succession of penalties and eventually Tom Williams took a shot at goal which narrowly missed. The Pethy backs threw the ball wide and were searching for any possible gaps, but poor handling and good tackling on the flanks kept them frustrated. The home team’s second try wasn’t long coming, after a few handling errors and a few wrong decisions Pethy found themselves on their 22m line. A pick and go from a scrum set up clean ball for the home team, in a effort to close down the opposition backs quickly the defence line shot up, however this left a dog legs near the fringe allowing the fly half to get in behind, it went through two pairs of hands and the eight crashed his way over again.

The backs looked dangerous when running clearance kicks back, but at the breakdown the ball was either lost or the home team managed to slow it down so much they were able to reorganise their defence. Pethy finally got control of the ball and it looked as if a try would come. Foad was put into space and took the ball within 5 meters of the line where quick ball was produced, but with almost too many players in the back line the ball was spread wide too slowly, allowing the out numbered defence to cover across the pitch stopping the attack.

The rest of the half was littered with penalty after penalty as the home team tried everything to stop Pethy getting some sort of control over the game. Pethy did get close to scoring again, after a penalty was kicked to the corner and the drive from the lineout got close before yet another penalty. The same thing happened again after another kick to the corner, and this time the drive was illegally brought down. When no action was taken or a try awarded, Tom Williams had a successful shot at goal, getting points on the board before half time.

The second half continued as the first, Pethy were getting into scoring positions by a combination of half breaks by both forwards and backs, and more success around the breakdowns, and with the home team conceding penalty after penalty. Within 10 minutes the score was 10- 9 after two well taken penalties by Tom Williams.

However, the control was lost at the restart through a string of events. The kick didn’t go 10 and Pethy had the scrum, as Rybaruk set himself to pass the ball from the foot of the scrum, the home team were awarded a free kick, which was ran by the powerful number eight, with several players sucked in to take him down, the attack continued down the flanks, before the Bristol winger was well tackled by Foad and Rob Havill was quickly on hand to steal the ball. Unfortunately, he was judged to be off his feet and the resulting penalty was kicked to the corner. At the lineout, hooker Matt Glanville intercepted the ball from the throw and was off, but the ball had not travelled 5 metres and another free kick was awarded. The 8 tapped but was held up and then drove back over the try line, only to release the ball for another forward to collect and crash over. Again the conversion was missed.

Still with 20 minutes to go, Pethy knew that they had a chance to win if they could get the ball and put some attacking phases together. However, they became guilty of rushing, taking unnecessary risks and kicking poorly; all meaning they couldn’t get any control of the game.

With good ball produced by the scrum, which had been a major asset all day, the ball was spread wide quickly. Finally the lines of run opened a gap and Havill was away, with only the full-back to beat and Tom Williams on his shoulder a score was almost certain. Havill stepped the last man, but was half tackled, slowing the attack, Tom received the ball but had to check his run as the covering defence caught up, and he then sent a pass to the supporting Ben Williams. The score seemed back on, however as Ben went close, to his surprise a defender was on his shoulder and knocked the ball out of his hands as the tackle was made.

Soon after Pethy went close again through some forward charges after the ball was turned over, several phases of quick ball gave Pethy numbers on both sides, only 5 meters from the line. As Pethy spread it wide trying to make the overlap pay, the home team were guilty of being offside stopping the ball from getting to the wing. Playing with the advantage Pethy went to the short side but were bundled into touch on the corner flag. A penalty in front of the posts was awarded and still with time to play, Tom Williams slotted it over, making the score 15-12.

The kick-off didn’t go 10, giving Pethy a scrum, however the kick that was sent to gain field position went dead, and the home team gained possession and field position, which they didn’t give up. Pethy themselves started to concede penalties trying to regain the ball, and the home team were in no rush, running the clock down with every opportunity. With the last play of the game, the Pethy pack produced a huge drive and turned over the ball, and it was spread wide in a last ditch attempt, but the backs continued to struggle with their angles of run and basic handling, and after the ball was spread wide again a poor pass resulted in a knock on and the game was over.

The pack held their own in the scrum against a heavy opposition, especially the front five of Burge, Glanville, Kingston, Gingell and Pocock, who worked tirelessly and made the scrum a solid platform. The lineout’s were 50- 50 as Pethy struggled with some of the refereeing of the lineout jumping, and therefore did not produce the normal quantity of clean ball. The home team were allowed the slow the ball too often and this resulted in all the Pethy forwards being required to secure the ball, meaning there was no powerful runners to run at the fringes and get involved in the backs moves, which the home team did well. Keith Robinson worked tirelessly and tackled all afternoon.

The backs had a bad day, apart from the odd break, and in patches they looked as if they had never played together. In set plays the general timing or handling often let the attack down. The ball was often just thrown along the line giving the wings little opportunity to run in space. When they did get phases together the opposition did their very best, often illegally, to stop the ball being released quickly when Pethy had the advantage of numbers.

Pethy have had to rely on the boot of Tom Williams in the last two matches and will continue to do so if something doesn’t change. All agreed that it would have to be on the training pitch, as the team have not trained as a unit for a considerable time.

H/T: 10-3

Tries:

Cons:

Pens: T.Williams (4)

Drop Goals:

Team: 15. T.Williams, 14. B.Williams, 13. Pearn, 12. Havill, 11. Foad, 10. L.Williams, 9. Rybaruk, 1. M.Burge, 2. Glanville, 3. Kingston, 4. Pocock (Rep. H.Brown, 55), 5. Gingell, 6. R.Williams, 7. Robinson, 8. Lees.