Blackwood RFC - 32
Abergavenny RFC - 13
AFTER a lengthy lay-off the Clarets travelled to Glan-yr-Afon park with high hopes of throwing the monkey off their back and picking up a win on the road, but it turns out Blackwood had other ideas.
After observing the Last Post and a minute’s silence the match began in earnest. With both teams determined to play an open brand of rugby and a willingness to run the ball it was very much game on!
Aber won an early penalty which scrum half Lewis Evans converted to give the Clarets a three-point lead.
Some loose kicking from the away side gave Blackwood the opportunity to run the ball from deep, resulting in a converted try for the home team.
The first-half concluded with further errors by Abergavenny, which a potent Blackwood back-line capitalized on to take a 20-3 lead at half time.
In the second-half Abergavenny’s forwards really got stuck in with a faultless set piece giving good first phase ball for the Genny to attack.
Strong carrying from stand-out performer Tom Powell and a powerful driving maul resulted in a try for captain Josh Davies, taking the score to 20-8 going in to the final quarter.
Aber continued to dominate the second-half with some good phase play, leading to a good team try finished by Rhys Dawe in the corner to make it 20-13 going in to the final 10 minutes.
As the away side pushed hard to level the score, a resilient Blackwood defence prevented them from doing so as they regained possession and attacked a tired Abergavenny defensive line, who conceded a further two tries to give Blackwood the bonus point win.
Abergavenny XV return to familiar territories next Saturday as they welcome Caerleon to Bailey park. Kick-off is 2:30pm. The Quins travel to Pill Harriers.
A youthful Quins team travelled to Monmouth to play the Druids who always provide a stern test for Abergavenny. Strong performances from several youth players playing their first game in senior rugby helped Abergavenny secure a 18-0 win, with tries coming from Steve Jones and debutant Lewis Fryer. Kevin Palmer kicked the remainder of the points.