Tribute South West 1 – West
Wells 10 – North Petherton 20
Saturday 9th January 2016
Report By Simon Freeman
Phew!! Just what Pethy needed. In the conditions experienced by the whole country and many fixtures cancelled, both teams mixed their game but the visitors showed more composure to edge out Wells who were victorious 17-21 in the early fixture between the two teams!
Captains comments (Damian Griffin) “We were certainly more clinical than last week and played smarter in the horrible conditions!! We agreed that we would not just play a tight game because we thought that was what Wells would expect. The forwards all worked hard and provided a great platform and the backs showed some good handling which kept the home team working hard. I thought we played the conditions well and we felt more comfortable in the rain! They are a good side so we had to put them under pressure which we did with a rush defence and tactical kicking. Well done to all the lads and especially the supporters who braved the conditions!!
The players deserve credit for producing some enterprising rugby in atrocious conditions, Pethy adapted to the conditions slightly quicker. Both sets of forwards threw themselves into the breakdowns which influenced the quality of possession. Wells made some sharp breaks and tested the Pethy defence but the visitors held firm and applied just enough pressure to force turnovers. The official and players played their part in trying to keep the game moving. The game itself was tight with both teams seeming equally well matched with a lot of the game between the two ten yard lines.
Pethy stuck to their plans without playing in a straight jacket and took the lead through Damian Griffin after good work from the forwards, Harry Roberts converted to give Pethy a 0-7 half time lead.
The second half saw conditions deteriorate further but not the commitment as both teams strived for any momentum they could find. The tackling throughout was determined and kept out many numerous attacks. As in the first half the game was equal but Pethy varied their game slightly more and continued with the rush defence. The players became unrecognisable and only the set piece allowed the spectators to identify personnel or positional play.
Wells deservedly scored two unconverted tries but Pethy had just enough answers with a James Taylor try converted by Roberts who also slotted over 2 penalties to complete the scoring 10-20.
