Bombers facing Division One survival battle

Barry RFC are facing an uphill battle in the Admiral League following a 24-19 defeat to Abercwmboi in Division One East Central.

A much-improved second half performance was not enough to save the Bombers from another crucial defeat at The Reservoir Field - this one against fellow strugglers. The damage was done in a poor first half which saw the host concede three tries for a 17-0 deficit at the break.

While Barry hit back with three tries of their own after the break, Abercwmboi scored a fourth for a bonus point victory, lifting them four points clear of the Bombers, who are doing themselves no favours in the battle to avoid relegation and remain just above the drop zone with games running out. 

“That first half really hurt us,” said head coach Mike Morgan. “It was an absolute must-win for us to put ourselves in a healthy position and provide a springboard to take us into the next game."

"Our first half performance wasn’t good enough, a complete departure from the game plan, and as a result we were 17-0 down at half-time."

“The second half, it was borderline heroic to come back. If our second half performance had been there from the off…but we’ve proved a point."

"If we don’t stick to the game plan, we lose. We did stick to it in the second half. The opportunity to stay up is all in our hands. If we find our stride and put our game plan together, then we will win."

Abercwmboi enjoyed the majority of possession in the first half with Barry squandering their limited time with the ball. Too many penalties conceded, kicking from hand giving possession back to the visitors, plus the regular problem of missed tackles left the Bombers on the back foot.

Barry hit back in the first minute of the second half with Alyn Evans rounding off a quick handling move with a close-range score and Owen Rees converting. Eight minutes later, Evans got his second from a catch and drive following a penalty lineout as Barry dominated the set piece.

Abercwmboi turned a brief spell of pressure into a fourth try on the hour, and although Barry reduced the arrears again six minutes from time, winning lineout possession and a swift handling move sending Josh Edwards in, with Rees converting, that was as good as it got.

While the final score was a vast improvement on the 44-3 defeat at Abercwmboi back in October, this was another game that got away and Barry now have just six matches remaining to turn the season around, starting with another must-win fixture at Cambrian Welfare on Saturday.

“We know that a number of wins have gone begging, not because of the opposition, not because of the referee, but because we collectively didn’t get it right,” said Morgan.

“We’ve got to focus on our game and not worry about other teams. We need five or six good performances and to put our game plan into gear for the 80 minutes."

Abercwmboi scorers:
Tries - Shaun Davies 2, Dylan Fidler, Morgan Oakley
Conversions – Aaron Bolitho 2