Barry RFC 23

Pontyclun 7

LAST weekend Barry RFC finally got their first win of 2017 with a 23 - 7 victory against Pontyclun although they were made to work hard for the victory.

Boosted by the return of some recent injured and unavailable players Barry played with a lot more confidence than has been seen inn previous games.

It was the visitors who had the better of the opening exchanges as they probed the Barry defence with varied attacks showing they possessed pace both in the threequarters and back row especially.

Weathering the early storm Barry countered with attacks of their own and somewhat against the run of play took the lead when from a breakdown they cleverly linked to allow O'Sullivan to cross for the first try which Barros converted for a 7 - 0 lead.

The game was proving to be entertaining as both sides took the opportunity to move the ball wide, their efforts often halted by the referees whistle from which the visitors were coming off worse.

Barry were to go further into the lead when from one such incident Barross again was on target with a penalty.

This reverse stung the visitors into action and in the next minutes they laid siege to the Barry line with a series of attacks which the home defence not only weathered but forced a heavier pack into reverse.

With this boost to their confidence apparent Barry again took play upfield and as the visitors got on the wrong side of the referee again Barross was on hand to stretch the lead to 13 - 0 with half-time approaching.

Failure to control the restart nearly cost Barry dear as the visitors drove from a lineout metres from the Barry line and appeared to have crossed only for the referee to spot an infringement in the act of crossing, so at half-time Barry retained their 13 - 0 lead.

Supporters would have expected more of the same as Barry began the second half with the slope advantage but ironically they changed tactics completely by playing for territory and not using the backs who had carved out several chances in the first half.

With the defensive kicking not accurate, Barry were not for the first time this season putting themselves under pressure of their own making and again it was to prove costly when after a series of attacks had been repelled by a hard working defence their line was finally breached wide out and with a fine conversion to go with it. The Barry lead was reduced to six points and Pontyclun had their tails up.

Barry brought on captain Hadfield for his first game in some weeks together with Jones into the second row.

The restart brought an early riposte from Barry as reached the visitors 22 and were awarded a penalty which was to put the lead up to nine points.

Barry's tactics remained and so did the pressure from the visitors counter attacks but fortunately the home defence held firm although more accurate finishing by the visitors may well have seen the match change.

One of the strengths of the team this season is its ability to play for 80 minutes and as a frustrated Pontyclun side showed signs of tiring Barry suddenly found themselves with more possession than they had enjoyed for the majority of the second half.

It was time for the visitors to defend but although chances were created Barry were unable to add to their score and ironically it was Pontyclun who nearly got the next score.

Having got themselves near the Barry line a series of drives and scrums seemed to have created the try scoring chance but the Barry defensive effort was huge, culminating with a vital scrum at which they drove the visitors back at a rate of knots and cleared the danger.

Having got back in visitors territory Barry needed a score after being under so much pressure for long periods.

The chance came as the referee played advantage from a knock on giving Barry the opportunity to set themselves up for one last effort. Retaining and recycling the ball they finally created the space for Perry to cross for the try and together with the conversion from Barros, they saw the score increase to 23 - 7 as the final whistle went.

Good to get back to winning ways and overall a vastly improved performance against a side who had beaten Barry only a few weeks ago in the reverse fixture.

Certainly there were signs that the confidence is returning and that can only bode well for the remainder of the season.

Barry's next fixture is on Saturday, March 4, when they travel to play Clwb Rygbi Caerdydd with a 2.30pm kick-off

Winning the club lottery is still proving elusive as last week's numbers of 10, 12, 22 and 24 were again not matched. This week's jackpot will be £3800.