Bedlinog 11 - Narberth 19: The Otters and supporters made their way to the hidden village of Bedlinog, which administratively is part of the Borough of Merthyr Tydfil, but is well isolated from the town and way off the beaten track. Their ground, in the foot of the valley, is well drained and south of the village.

The previous Saturday both clubs had been knocked out of the WRU National Cup, the Otters losing 27-10 to Swansea, but Bedlinog suffered a 3-59 reverse against nearby Pontypridd.

At Bedlinog, on the day, a strong, icy wind was blowing from the north under an overcast sky. With no stand, Otters supporters spread themselves along the touchline, some on the slopes above the pitch. The local supporters spread themselves on the opposite side alongside the river.

The progress of Bedlinog through the WRU National Leagues has been phenomenal, rising from Division Four to the Championship in 10 seasons. In the WRU Championship League, Bedlinog, before the game, were lying immediately below the Otters, but some 12 points behind. They are always very competitive and this game proved equally so.

Narberth won the toss of the coin and chose to play into the wind first half. From the kick-off they attempted to move out of their half through phased rugby, with Jonathan Rogers kicking for field position, but his strong kicks were not achieving their target because of the conditions.

Bedlinog, on the other hand, were attempting to play attacking rugby, spreading the ball wide.

After 10 minutes, the Otters were penalised at a breakdown, in a favourable kicking position, which enabled fullback Rhys Walker to give Bedlinog a three-point lead.

As the half moved on, icy fingers seemed to cause the Otters to misfield and drop passes, causing several occasions where the movements broke down aiding the home team, who kept the pressure on the visitors.

On 16 minutes, Bedlinog went further ahead. They had a series of rucks with some strong forward surges, particularly by number eight Andrew Murphy, which took them on the river side to near the Otters’ line and, from a further breakdown, hooker Ieaun Morris forced himself amongst a melee of players over the line to touch down. Rhys Walker failed to convert the try, but Bedlinog were now eight points in the lead.

The Otters restarted the game and attempted to set up threequarter movements, but again handling errors defeated their initiative.

The play continued with both teams being penalised and then at 22 minutes Bedlinog were awarded a penalty close to the Otters’ 22, This time, Rhys Walker made no mistake and kicked Bedlinog further ahead. The score was now 11-0.

Two minutes later, Bedlinog offended on their 40-metre line and angry strong words resulted in them being sent back a further 10 metres. This put the kick well within Nick Gale’s range and, despite the strong wind, he kicked the Otters’ first points of the afternoon.

In the remaining time left of the half, Bedlinog had a red patch and several high tackles saw the referee issue their captain Nathan Huish a severe warning regarding their future conduct.

Both teams were penalised for knocking-on the ball at breakdowns and also the Otters movements kept breaking down because of the handling errors.

Then near the end of the half, the Otters made ground on the river side and advanced close to the Bedlinog line with some strong forward surges before being penalised. This enabled Bedlinog to break out, but they then knocked-on before the referee blew for half-time with the score at 11-3.

Clearly Bedlinog had shaken off the drubbing of the previous Saturday, playing with confidence and with attacking rugby, whereas the Otters had a disappointing first half, making many handling errors.

However, visiting supporters were confident that the score could be overturned, though it seemed as though the strength of the wind was lessening.

In the half-time period, supporters viewed the semblance of a small shelter at the far end of the ground where smoke was rising at the back. The thoughts turned from rugby to hot dogs or burgers!

The game restarted with both teams unchanged. Clearly Bedlinog were determined to protect and possibly increase their lead, as from the kick-off they were intent on keeping the Otters pinned in their own half.

Both sides were making determined tackles. Eventually, the Otters were able to break clear and on 50 minutes, with play outside the Bedlinog 22, fly-half Jonathan Rogers surprised supporters with an excellent drop goal. This made the score 11-6.

A minute later, with play on the halfway point on the river side, the ball fell loose at a breakdown. Flanker Andrew Cooke scooped it up and we witnessed an exciting movement, with Nick Gale, Rhys Lane and Andrew Cooke involved in close passing at speed, before Rhys Lane, seeing the way clear, sprinted down by the touchline to score in the bottom corner. Nick Gale, faced with a difficult kick and the wind varying, landed his conversion plumb between the posts to give the Otters a 13-11 lead.

The Otters’ fortunes were now changing, Jonathan Rogers was beginning to get a measure of the wind and made several tactical kicks to pin Bedlinog back to their 22.

And their good fortune continued with Nick Gale scoring a further three points from a penalty kick.

We then saw Dan Jacobs replace Tom Kaijak at loose-head and Ryan Bean, suffering an injury, was replaced by Steffan Phillips.

At the subsequent scrum, the Bedlinog pack were forced to back pedal and with two of their players offside, they were penalised. Jonathan Rogers kicked to touch. Alex Jenkins gained good ball, but Bedlinog were again penalised, this time at the lineout. It was a distance of at least 45 metres to the posts, riverside end. Nick Gale stepped up and with careful preparation kicked a fine penalty. The Otters now had a 19-11 lead, requiring Bedlinog to score at least twice to win.

Gethin Gibby replaced Will Lewis on the wing and Tom Kaijak had to return to replace Tom Slater in the front row.

After further pressure from the Otters, with Bedlinog again being penalised, young Harry Phillips replaced Andrew Cooke in the back row and Mathew Morgan replaced Rhys Lane at scrum-half.

The Otters now had control of the game and attempts by Bedlinog to break out were thwarted by some determined tackling. The game ended some minutes later, with the Otters very much in control.

Whilst the first half had been full of handling errors, the Otters’ second half display was so different and the squad played with determination and togetherness. It is difficult to pick out any one player. The backs saw centres Jack Price and Keiron Jones playing their part, with Nick Gale making decisive breaks and excellent spot kicks. Jonathan Rogers had a good second half and his influence with his kicking was an important part and the drop goal was a turning point for the Otters.

In the pack, the front row again showed their merit, the second row toiled hard in the loose and the back row never stopped plying their skills and efforts. It was a good win in somewhat difficult circumstances against a very committed and determined opposition.

Tomorrow (Saturday), Narberth have an attractive fixture, at home to league leaders Pontypool, a game in which the Otters will be determined to do well. At the Bedlinog game, Pontypool had scouts noting the Otters’ strengths and tactics.

Narberth fielded: Ianto Griffiths, Nick Gale, Keiron Jones, Jack Price, Will Lewis (Gethin Gibby), Jonathan Rogers, Rhys Lane (Mathew Morgan), Tom Kaijak (Dan Jacobs), Rhodri Owens, Tom Slater Ryan Bean (Steffan Phillips), Alex Jenkins (Capt.), Andrew Cooke (Harry Philips), Tom Powell, Richard Rees.