Sat 22 Oct 2022, 15:00
Regional 1 Tribute South West
Weston-super-Mare 36 Devonport Services 41
Report by Chris Heath
If ever a match was the proverbial game of two halves, then this was it. Weston were quite awful in the first half. Getting on the wrong side of the referee early on and conceding sloppy penalties throughout.
“As they say in the old cliché, it was certainly a game of two halves,” said Weston’s head coach Darren Crompton. “You would have thought there was a slop and a 90 mile an hour wind looking at the scores in each half with no rugby played down one side.
“Devonport played very well positionally in the first half with the wind behind them and then in the second half we responded in a similar way but unfortunately, we just didn’t come back with enough to take the game.
“In the end it was a close thing but having been 34-nil down at half time but to come back and get two bonus points is encouraging. In hindsight, if we’d have had another two or three minutes we would have gone on and won the game.”
The visitors hit the front after a catch and drive poorly defended which their fly half who had a fine half with the boot capitalised on with a touch line conversion. He then slotted two quick fire penalties before converting again when no absolutely no defence was offered for Devonports second try.
Another penalty kicked to the corner and another catch and drive put the visitors over for a converted try followed by their final converted try of the half.
There were harsh words at the break in what had been an embarrassing forty minutes and the introduction of Josh Mynett along with debutant Joe Connelly and Archie Tilsley were a final throw of the dice.
It didn't look promising when the Services opened the scoring in the second period with another converted try but then something changed.
The referee began to appreciate Weston's dominance in the scrum and with a forty one point deficit the hosts finally got on the score sheet.
A fine break by centre Huw Morgan followed by a long pass by Chris Young put left wing Kyran Devitt over in the corner. Young expertly converting from wide out.
Weston started winning forward battles and they were rewarded when a break by right wing Hayden Main carried on by the pack led to Morgan crossing for a try converted by Young.
Connelly started disrupting the visitors line out and Mynett was a menace around the park and Weston started firing. A Devitt charge down led the winger to cross for his second under the sticks and with Young adding the extras Weston were now only twenty points in arrears.
A yellow card for the visitors led to a scrum which allowed other centre Jake Knight and Tilsley to combine to put Young over for another converted try. In the seventieth minute Mynett went on a charging run which eventually led to him crossing wide out on the right. Young missed this one and it seemed that Weston now only eight points behind may have left it too late.
With only a couple of minutes to go Weston's second half dominance was rewarded when the visitors concede another penalty which the hosts wisely chose to kick to goal. Young succeeded and Weston now had two bonus points with the kick off to receive.
Could the come back of all come backs be achieved well unfortunately not but with the crowd right behind the team the whistle was blown and the hosts came up just short.
An exciting but ultimately disappointing ending for Weston who left themselves far too much to do in the end but with the belief that even though they have an epidemic of injuries at the moment they can still compete at this level.
