Fixture

Sighs of relief all round as Barry retrieved a deserved victory they came so close to throwing away. This was a vital, and much needed first league win of the season, clinched with a late, late try as the clock moved into the red.

The Bombers had been in front until the 75^th minute when Rhydyfelin, playing with 14 men throughout the second half, scored a third try put them two points ahead. But if they thought it was all over, Barry had other ideas, a fine positive move bringing the score which proved decisive.

“At this level it’s all about winning, that’s the ultimate positive from today,” said head coach Mike Morgan. “But there were times when, if we had stuck to the game plan, we would have been far more comfortable. Unfortunately, we got a little bit lost in our play at times and made some poor decisions.”

Twice Barry were awarded penalties in good positions, but scorned a shot at goal, leaving Morgan, who clearly urged Barry to ‘take the points’, frustrated on the sidelines. An almost certain six points would have left Rhydyfelin with a far harder target to chase down.

“We have odd patches where we put ourselves under pressure,” said Morgan. “It’s almost as if we are waiting to see what the other team does, sit back and allow the opposition to play. And when we get the ball back we tend to scramble a bit. But that’s fixable.”

Frustration apart, Morgan was pleased with the three tries Barry scored. “When we stuck to the game plan, and unleashed our true potential, we scored comfortably and confidently. Our tries were well worked.”

Cam Williams scored two, the first after 20 minutes, cutting through the defence following a scrum and backs move. His second, after 44 minutes, came from a penalty lineout catch and drive, Kyle Barros adding the conversion to his 27^th minute penalty.

Rhydyfelin, who argued almost every decision that went against them and saw Callum Jones get a straight red card in the 40^th minute, scored tries through Ben Fudge on 30 minutes, Dai Gratton converting, and Scott Pritchard in the 61^st and 75^th minutes. The latter put them ahead for the first time, and seemingly on course to plunder a victory they did not deserve.

The late winner came from George Cottrell, the ball moving through the backs following a lineout, with Tom Perry driving deep into the home 22 before feeding Cottrell to score in the corner. Barros was again on target.