WHITEHEADS RFC 7 - BEAUFORT RFC 24 POINTS

Date:-19th November 2011

Venue:- Newport

Fixture:- WRU Division 6 East

WHITEHEADS RFC 7 - BEAUFORT RFC 24 POINTS

This was a scrappy encounter which Beaufort managed to turn into a bonus point win from four tries to one conceded. For them the primary agents of agony were the horrors and policing at the breakdown which they were not happy about but most of all it was at the lineout that Beaufort failed most. The gremlins returned again to haunt and deny them a solid platform to launch their attacks that were only sporadic in a less than inspiring first half. Whiteheads had a decent pack of forwards that outweighed Beaufort. They were occasionally dynamic but discipline was an issue for both teams and Whiteheads were punished most for their indiscretions. There was steady stream of players sent to the side lines throughout the contest which did little to inject some zest into the performances from both sides

The first points came after fifteen minutes when some honest endeavour fom the home side bigger pack helped by the heavy conditions kept Beaufort pinned down . The visitors had a clearance kick charge down and Whiteheads grabbed a corner try which was converted from the touchline. Beaufort's response was immediate . They managed to string a series of passes together with precision and at pace . Centre Kyle Purnell's final pass put his wing Lee Roper on a touchline run which he finished off superbly in the corner. Lewis Hodson narrowly missed the conversion and Beaufort went into the break 7 points to 5 in arrears

In the third quarter Beaufort at last put some energy and snap into their attack. Their back row of Justin Bennett, Jason Taylor and No 8 Andrew Morgan as the chief ball carriers were making deep incisions into the Whitehead's heartland. It was Morgan who was justly awarded a try for his efforts . Hodson kicked the extra points and Beaufort were now in the lead. Their third try came after a comedy of errors following a Whitehead lineout. The referee waved play on leaving the Whitehead pack in a fog of bewilderment as fullback Matthew Burrows sped away down the right flank . A perfectly judged pass to his left gave Hodson a clear run to the posts and he converted his own try to stretch the lead to 19 points to 5. The game was now slipping away from the host team and with ten minutes of game time left was settled beyond all doubt when hooker Aaron Thompson speed in the loose was demonstrated for him to latch on to a pass to score the bonus point try