Bridgend Ravens secured a 19 points to nil victory over
Ospreylian rivals Swansea at the Bridgend Ford Brewery Field, seeing the
Ravens climb to third spot in the race for the playoffs.
A
first half dominated by defence saw Bridgend head in at halftime with a
3-0 lead thanks to an eighth minute penalty from Jamie Murphy. Bridgend
should have added tries throughout the half, Mike Powell broke away out
wide but Swansea held Bridgend up over the line, and Murphy touched
down just before halftime but play was pulled back for a foot in touch
following great fast hands from Tom Morgan and Tom O'Flaherty.
Swansea’s
only real chance for a try throughout the match came midway through the
first half. A scrum deep in the Ravens 22 set the platform for the
Whites to attack but Bridgend Ravens Supporters Man of The Match Gareth
Beer, destructive at the breakdown all afternoon, won an important turn
over to halt a threatening Swansea attack.
HT Bridgend Ravens 3-0 Swansea RFC
The
Bridgend defence looked comfortable all match and were rarely troubled
throughout the second half. Despite an edgy start to the second half,
Bridgend looked the more likely to score. A break from Mathew Edwards
put Bridgend in a great attacking situation. A lazy run from an offside
position from Tudor Hughes saw the lock shown a yellow card and Bridgend
looked to punish the visitors.
The first try of the match
arrived at the hour mark following a fantastic counter attack from flyer
Tom O'Flaherty. Beating the Swansea defence for pace and able to break
three tackles on his way into the Swansea 22, O’Flaherty was looking to
finish in the corner. The Swansea scramble defence looked to be edging
O'Flaherty into touch and the move looked to break down as the inside
ball was batted down by the visitors. Up in support, Michael Powell was
the quickest to react to the loose ball bagging the Ravens first try.
Jamie
Murphy added two further penalties to stretch the Bridgend lead to 14
with the clock winding down before the influential centre crashed over
for the Ravens’ second try. Strong carrying from Matthew John and Ollie
Evans put Bridgend on the front foot. Another line break from fullback
Mathew Edwards followed by quick recycling left a big gap for Murphy to
take his personal tally to 14 for the match.
An important
victory for Bridgend lifts them into third spot in the race for the
playoffs, as well as providing a boost to confidence. The Ravens will
now be looking for a strong finish to the campaign with just three
regular season matches remaining.
FT Bridgend Ravens 19-0 Swansea RFC