Croesyceiliog - 24

ABERGAVENNY RFC's continual problem of lacking the necessary players needed to fill key positions was apparent once again on Saturday, as they were beaten by a team from a lower division in Round One of the Swalec Plate.

"We obviously need to look for new players to bolster our squad," said coach Gary Lawrence after his team's disappointing defeat at the hands of Division Three East's Croesyceiliog. "We knew Croesy would give us a good game, but to lose at home to a team from a division lower than ourselves is a sure indication, if any was needed, that we are lacking in certain departments."

Going into their fixture against the cockerels, Aber had at least managed to temporarily solve their scrum-half dilemma by fielding a number nine who is currently on the books of Rogerstone RFC.

Yet what rugby gives with one hand it takes away with the other, and Aber's half-back availability issues resurfaced on the day with the absence of regular number ten Steve Lang.

Lawrence told the Chronicle, "Thanks to forwards coach Gareth Taylor's connections we secured a scrum-half for the Croesy game, and considering it was his first time meeting the boys he settled in well and did a fine job.

"Unfortunately Steve Lang had dropped out of this match due to personal reasons, and not having any other options at fly-half, we had to pick players from elsewhere on the pitch who could cover.

"In the first-half we played Jessie Nowers at number 10, and in the second it was Paul Cornock's turn. Now although both of them did admirable jobs, it's not their natural position, and as a result other teams will take advantage."

In a game that was pretty much up for grabs until the final whistle, it was Jessie Nowers, James Smith, and Ryan Williams who all, crossed for tries to keep the claret and ambers in contention, but unfortunately on the day it was the Cockerels who crowed the loudest, as Aber limped away from another narrow loss.

Lawrence added, "We were a bit lightweight up front in that game as well, and didn't have enough ball carriers on the park, which once again harks back to the need to strengthen our squad.

"In rugby, players are always going to pick up injuries or be unavailable for one reason or another at certain times. What we lack at the moment are the resources needed to draw upon in the event of such contingencies.

"I'm pretty positive that if we had been able to field the team we would have liked to every time this season, things would have been different. As it is we've only been losing most games by single scores, but I think if we had been afforded the opportunity to play first choice players such as Lee Oakley, Ollie Fielding, James Harris, James Williams, and Steve Lang all at the same time, week in, week out, we'd be in a different position to the one we're in now.

"As it is, we're now actively on the hunt for new players ahead of our Division Two East league encounter with Tredegar in two weeks time.

"Tredegar are currently sitting at the top of the league, and we're playing them away, but who knows, we've now got a bit of breathing space to rectify a few things and perhaps we'll produce something of a shock on the day."