Croesyceiliog RFC - 16

Abergavenny RFC - 10

NEXT week's break due to the Six Nations tournament could not have come at a better time for a war torn Abergavenny side who were unceremoniously beaten by a second from bottom Croesyceiliog outfit on the weekend.

In recent weeks, club playing resources have been stretched to the limit to cover for injured and unavailable players and the pressure is starting to show.

Ahead of Saturday, Aber would have looked at the Croesy fixture, who languish near the foot of the Division Three East table, as a probable victory after defeating them easily at Bailey Park 45-10 in September, but alas, this time around it was a different story altogether.

Going into the match, the front row of Ryan Morgan and the experienced Gareth Williams and Brian Wright were supported by locks Steve Coles and Dan Anstey, and number eight Paul Cornock was flanked by Ruddi Lewis and Josh Hitchman.

Jon Owen played at scrum half with captain Stuart Davies at outside half. At centre was Ed Davies and Nathan Byrne, and wings Ian Davies and Steve Jones were joined by Will Williams at full back.

On a very heavy pitch at Woodland Sports ground both sides slugged out the first 20 minutes at a frantic pace, testing out each others weaknesses, of which there were many, but it was Croesy who took the initial lead following a converted penalty.

In the aftermath, Aber sought to spread the ball wide and they were rewarded from a scrum on the home 22. The ball was fed to Stuart Davies who ran across the pitch before popping a pass to wing Ian Davies who dissected the defence with his angle of running and was untouched as he ran to the line to score, (3-5).

Aber have struggled all season to find an accurate kicker and countless points have been missed as a result. Kicking out of hand has also been a problem, with Aber often putting pressure back on themselves with loose kicking.

Croesy took advantage of this obvious weakness in Aber's game by kicking for territory and adding another penalty to take the lead once more, (6-5).

Aber looked to respond immediately, and did through a fine catch and run from Paul Cornock who ran through several defenders up the centre of the field before releasing Ian Davies in support who sped to the corner for a try (6-10).

Just before half-time, Aber were dealt a blow when they lost Steve Coles to a back injury. The reshuffling of the pack meant a loss of power in the scrums which was to prove costly come the second-half.

Aber's injury woes deepened further during the interval as their captain Stuart Davies was also ruled out for the remainder of the game with a strained back.

Croesy began the second half strongly and Aber had to defend in their 22 for long periods. A rolling maul from a five yard line-out saw Aber yield a try and the home side regain the lead, 11-10.

Croesy now had their tails up and applied the pressure to the Aber pack. The front row held up well and Paul Cornock was immense in defence and tidying up what possession Aber had.

Yet Croesy would not be denied, and their second try, when it came, was a carbon copy of their first, with a heavy forward crashing over from a five yard line-out (16-10).

Aber defended resolutely for the rest of the match and in doing so salvaged some sort of result in defeat by securing a bonus point.

Abergavenny's next game is away to Pontypool United on February 3 where they will hope to come away with a better result.

On another note, 41-year-old club stalwart Steve Coles had to be admitted to hospital with his back injury and all at the club wish him a speedy recovery.