Regional Two Midlands West

Hereford RFC 24 Newent RFC 24

THE league champions' season-long winning run came to an end in their penultimate league game against their dogged Hereford hosts, but an honorable draw ensured that Newent stayed unbeaten, reports PAUL DANDO.

Tom Webb put the visitors in front with a penalty after 21 minutes, but the hosts were soon back on level terms with their own three-pointer.

Newent built some pressure and, with some slick play, created a clear overlap out on the right hand side, but the scoring pass was dropped, and the first chance of a try was gone.

A Webb restart kick from the twenty-two was then huge, and it wasn’t long before Webb found Jim Hartland running a perfect line, with the winger slicing through to score beside the posts, with Webb kicking the conversion for a 10-3 lead.

Webb then made what was possibly the kick of the season at this level, firing into touch from inside his own twenty-two to just 5m from the Hereford line.

From the lineout, skipper and powerful No 8 Ben Vincent broke a couple of tackles and crashed over the line just to the right of the posts, Webb converting again for a 17-3 half-time lead.

But if anyone thought the result was a formality, they were much mistaken, as second-from-bottom Hereford, with the wind now at their backs, started the second half strongly.

Newent soon picked up a yellow card and, as Hereford continued a period of sustained pressure, their No 10 Dean Powell shimmied through for a try under the posts, converted to make it 17-10.

Hereford sensed they were in the hunt for an unlikely victory, but Newent repulsed repeated attacks, again showing some of their best rugby when facing adversity.

And just before the sin-bin period was up, fullback Doug Long went on a jinking run to score a sparkling try 15m in from touch, Webb nailing a tricky conversion into the wind to make it 24-10.

Back came Hereford and they reduced the arrears again with a sparkling try of their own by Jamie Humphreys, again converted for 24-17.

Newent then conceded another yellow card, and Hereford capitalised with another try by Humphreys converted by Wright to tie the scores.

But the visitors, still wanting to extend their winning streak to 21 games, forced a kickable penalty on the 10m line to win the game.

But facing a stiff breeze and a little wide out they elected to put the ball in the corner, win the lineout and rumble over for a try to win in style.

It wasn’t to be however and the game finished all-square.

Head coach Sam Goatley said: “We played some good rugby in the first half but left a couple of scores out there and, playing into a strong wind in the second half, we knew territory would be harder to come by.

“Will Tanner got injured and the set piece fell apart. Another two yellow cards, so we played nearly 20 minutes of the second half with 14 which makes things even harder.”

Ross-on-Wye RFC finished their Counties 4 Tribute Gloucestershire campaign with a battling 42-30 loss at Smiths in Cheltenham, leaving them safe in fifth.

Newent finish off their league programme with a trip to Birmingham to face Moseley Oak this Saturday (April 5).