Lydney 12 - Taunton 13 (Match Report)

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Taunton secured a second successive victory by beating Lydney 13-12 on Saturday in a scrappy but hard fought match.

It is rarely an easy days work in Gloucestershire, and this fixture wasn’t expected to be a spectacle of textbook champagne rugby. Needless to say it was often ugly, and far from entertaining compared to recent performances, but it was a win nonetheless and another valuable one at that. Despite travelling away from home on the back of a fantastic result against Henley the Taunton squad were under no illusions that this would be a guaranteed result in the bag for them.

In an error strewn first half on a very heavy pitch, the scoreline was to be altered only once when Lydney were penalised for offside allowing Tony Yapp to have a shot at goal after seven minutes. His kick was successful, giving Taunton a three-point lead in what was a dour first half.

The only other entertainment for the small travelling crowd of supporters came twelve minutes in when tempers began to fray. Lydney prop Nicholas Selway clearly stamped on the chest of Greg Charlton, as he lay prone and unable to defend himself at the bottom of a ruck, to which enforcer Nick Burnett took exception. Both players received a yellow card reducing each team to fourteen men for ten minutes.

Shortly after, Charlton channelled his frustration at the earlier offence by putting in a big tackle on the advancing Lydney full back and once again tempers flared up, this time with the home side taking exception. Things were clearly boiling over, but the result was only to be a penalty as the referee did well to retain control of the match.

Taunton were forced into an early change when Jason Luff had to retire with a broken finger that’s now likely to keep him out for six weeks. Joe Bartlett replaced him, with Tom Popham stepping into the midfield alongside Christian Gervais. Jack Conway had to leave the field shortly after, to be replaced by Oli Marriott, forcing yet another reshuffle.

Both sides looked to create chances only to see them go begging through unforced errors, conceding penalties, or failing to retain the ball in contact. The only other scoring opportunity of the half fell to Yapp, but his penalty kick was narrowly wide. A welcome whistle ended the half with Taunton holding a slender 0-3 lead at the break.

The second half did not fare any better by way of entertainment, but the game was there to be won or lost for both sides. Lydney started the half the stronger, and looked to use their big forward pack to steamroller their guests. Their change in tactics paid dividends when flanker Matt Taylor went over for an unconverted try following a strong Lydney push over drive. Anthony Wicks failed with the conversion attempt but the home side now held the lead for the first and only time in the match, the score now 5-3 after 43 minutes.

Another key moment came amidst yet more controversy when Lydney were reduced to fourteen men for the remainder of the match. A strong run by Reuben Haile got Taunton deep into Lydney territory and the supporting Alex Hemsley hit the deck. Barely five metres from the assistant referee, Lydney second row James McMahon needlessly kicked Hemsley in the back and subsequently earned himself a straight red card for his efforts.

Lydney continued to make a nuisance of themselves, but after Taunton put a couple of phases together they were forced to defend illegally. Yapp stepped up to add another penalty regaining the lead for the visitors, making the score 5-6 after 57 minutes.

After much of the same, Taunton secured their victory with five minutes left on the clock. After a couple of try-less weeks, Haile tackled his opposite number, stripping him of possession in the process. He spun out of the contact and sprinted in from twenty metres to regain his spot at the top of the league try-scoring table with his seventeenth of the season. Yapp was sublime with his conversion kick, which would leave Lydney now needing two scores if they were to win it in front of their own crowd. The score was now 5-13 after 74 minutes.

In the final minute Lydney gave their guests a scare when they added a converted try through Selway. A number of attempts went close but the hard working Taunton defence remained strong until the home side prop picked up from the base and found a hole to burrow over the line. Wicks added the conversion with the last kick of the game to earn a losing bonus point. The final score 12-13.

It was never going to be pretty in the mud but, as they say, a win is a win and to win ugly is often just as precious as winning in style! It was yet another hard fought victory but one that ensures Taunton finish the year on a high as far as results go. The players and coaches can now enjoy a two week break before they entertain Hartpury College at Hyde Park on Saturday, 07 January 2012.