Paines‑Lang penalty seals Barry’s storming second‑half comeback to stay unbeaten at the top

A last-minute penalty by Marley Paines-Lang ensured Barry’s second-half fightback paid off with a victory, their third in three matches, which leaves the Bombers top of the table and the only unbeaten side.

Barry, despite losing two players to injury in their previous match, and two more in midweek, were still able to field a strong 23 against previously unbeaten Quins. A further blow came when Jake Niblett suffered an ankle injury in the warm-up.

Playing up the slope, and into the strong wind, Barry were made to work hard from the start, and found themselves trailing 12-0 at the interval.

“They were a really strong scrummaging pack, they kicked well, put us under pressure and we struggled to get out of our half,” said head coach Peter O’Sulivan. “Their centre pairing was the best we’ve come up against, and it’s credit to our relentless defence that we were only opened up twice in that first 35 minutes.

“We had a few chances late in the half, spilling the ball twice in slippery conditions with the try line beckoning and being ruled to have become detached at a powerful driving lineout. However, only two scores down, with the elements in our favour, the instruction was stick to the structure and fire our shots when we get the chance.”

Barry’s lineout was a constant source of possession, with hooker Jensen Wilding’s accuracy and No 8 Max O’Sullivan’s ariel dominance causing Quins real problems. Cam Hughes at 9 and Paines-Lang at 10 put Barry where they needed to be and the game started to turn.

Paines-Lang got Barry on the scoreboard, and converted his try, which was followed by a try for full back Jacob Hunter after a fortunate bounce from his grubber through, Paines-Lang again converting, and Barry were 14-12 ahead with 15 minutes left.

Quins were now being forced to play out from their own 22, and to their credit kept trying, but the energy was all with Barry. A thunderous hit from George Strong stopped one attack while replacement prop Eli Morgan hit the Quins no 8 hard to halt another.

With time running out and Quins desperate to break out, the tireless Barry back row forced a penalty 25 metres out, and with the last play Paines-Lang made no mistake.

“The lads really earned that one. After a couple of scrappy wins where we only played well in parts, we were much more accurate and worked hard for long periods for that win,” said O’Sullivan. “We stuck to the plan, and it was a great effort from the whole squad.”

Barry’s next fixture is at Rumney on October 3.