BARRY 43-13 Llandaff

Tries: White (2), Perry (3)

Cons: E Scott (3)

Pens: E Scott (4)

Barry returned to league action after the festive period with their visitors Llandaff who have been their bogey team of recent seasons.

With the weather damp and inclement it was no surprise that the game began with a series of high balls as both sides tried to test the other team out. In the opening exchanges Barry gained the upper hand and from that territory Einan Scott put the home side into the lead with a well-struck penalty.

Barry was proving to be stronger in the scrum but the visitors held the upper hand in the line-out. Knowing that they had to put the hosts under early pressure, Llandaff duly obliged with a series of forward drives and from one such maul they found themselves in the lead with a well-worked converted try.

Barry awoke from their slumber, having realised their opponent’s game plan, and with Lee and Scott directing matters, conducted a series of raids via their back-line. Further pressure yielded another penalty for Scott who reduced the deficit to one.

Barry now had a firm foothold in the game and when captain Hywel Jones broke through from half way, the ball was recycled off the floor by Tiernan Scott, finding Brad White who finished superbly in the corner. Scott failed to add the extras.

Scott and his opposite kicker would swap penalties just before the break to leave the score 14-13 to the home side at the interval, and with the slope to their favour after the break, Barry would come out looking for more tries to potentially seal that bonus point.

Llandaff would try to mix things up early in the second half by bringing on a spate of substitutes, but it was Barry who laid siege to the away line. After several unsuccessful close range opportunities, it was instead a break from their own half that saw the next score, with Tomos Perry throwing an outrageous dummy before grounding in the corner. Scott failed with the conversion.

Barry continued to press and sense their opportunity when the away side was reduced to 14 men, but in that 10 minutes the green-and-whites only managed a solitary penalty.

With the bonus point seemingly slipping away the home side mounted a grandstand finale for the last 10 minutes, and when Llandaff received a second sin-binning Barry took full advantage.

After good work in the tight by the Barry forwards, Perry burst through to score under the posts, with the conversion a formality, justly rewarding the home side’s territorial dominance in the second half.

Within minutes Barry had the vital fourth try for the bonus point. A bulldozing run from Alyn Evans set the platform for a neat exchange on the wing between Danny Ryan and White, and the latter raced through for his 12th try of the season. Scott failed to add the extras.

There was still time for the introduction of James Sullivan into the proceedings, and the replacement prop demolished the Llandaff scrum in their own feed, and when the ball was spread to the left wing again, Perry was on hand to complete his hat-trick – his second in as many games. Scott rounded off the scoring by converting the try.

It was an impressive second half display by Barry in difficult conditions, and the players and management alike should be congratulated for their hard work on the training pitch which is now reflected by the results. The 1st XV travel to Old Illtydians next weekend, whilst the 2nd XV travel to Cardiff Harlequins.

Team: T Scott; White, Perry, Provis, Ryan; E Scott, Lee; Evans, Vidal, Hollister; G Jones, Giddings; Goodfellow, O Poole, H Jones (C)

Replacements: Sullivan, Oaten, L Jones, Gallivan, T Poole

Man-of-the-match: H Jones