Post by Steve on Apr 16, 2008 4:56:40 GMT
NEWPORT SARACENS 19 - BLACKWOOD 12
Newport Saracens edged towards safety after beating a disappointing Blackwood side at Maesglas.
Sarries played with the wind first half and their early pressure paid off when wing Wesley Cunliffe crossed in the corner. There was an immediate riposte by the visitors, as skipper Gavin Rees equalised from the resulting kick off.
Blackwood's pack had the edge, and after 30 minutes things were looking good, but then it all went wrong, as Woods achilles heel showed itself. In an almost "groundhog day" repeat of last weeks game at UWIC, the visitors conceded identical tries, scored by Ross Madden and Scott Marasco, both from line outs given close to the line. Owen Biddlescombe, converted both.
Blackwood were not dis-pleased to hear referee Gareth Symonds whistle after an unusual 52 minutes play.
Wood had the wind, in the second half, and pinned down the Sarries on their own line. But in another eerie coincidence with last week, they dropped the ball twice over the line in the act of scoring.
Finally the defence cracked and Gareth Rusby-Davies broke through a couple of tackles to score underneath the sticks. David James kicked the easy 2 points.
But with plenty of time left, and the breeze still strong, Blackwood couldn't find the killer scores.
The frustration was summed up as James kicked a sixty yard touch finder, only for it to bounce the wrong side of the flag and go dead. The trudge back up the field seemed to inspire the Sarries, and if anything for the last ten minutes they seemed more likely to score. Their celebrations at the end summed up their emotions at the 19-12 result.
Tony Evans
Newport Saracens edged towards safety after beating a disappointing Blackwood side at Maesglas.
Sarries played with the wind first half and their early pressure paid off when wing Wesley Cunliffe crossed in the corner. There was an immediate riposte by the visitors, as skipper Gavin Rees equalised from the resulting kick off.
Blackwood's pack had the edge, and after 30 minutes things were looking good, but then it all went wrong, as Woods achilles heel showed itself. In an almost "groundhog day" repeat of last weeks game at UWIC, the visitors conceded identical tries, scored by Ross Madden and Scott Marasco, both from line outs given close to the line. Owen Biddlescombe, converted both.
Blackwood were not dis-pleased to hear referee Gareth Symonds whistle after an unusual 52 minutes play.
Wood had the wind, in the second half, and pinned down the Sarries on their own line. But in another eerie coincidence with last week, they dropped the ball twice over the line in the act of scoring.
Finally the defence cracked and Gareth Rusby-Davies broke through a couple of tackles to score underneath the sticks. David James kicked the easy 2 points.
But with plenty of time left, and the breeze still strong, Blackwood couldn't find the killer scores.
The frustration was summed up as James kicked a sixty yard touch finder, only for it to bounce the wrong side of the flag and go dead. The trudge back up the field seemed to inspire the Sarries, and if anything for the last ten minutes they seemed more likely to score. Their celebrations at the end summed up their emotions at the 19-12 result.
Tony Evans