Clwb Rygbi Nant Conwy

Recap

Pwllheli 17 – 23 Nant Conwy

Aeth Nant Conwy i mewn i’r gêm hon heb golli gêm gynghrair yn ystod y tymor hwn a’r ddau dymor blaenorol, rhediad o dros 60 gêm. Ar ôl 20 munud, byddai wedi bod yn anodd dod o hyd i unrhyw un a fyddai wedi bod yn fodlon betio yn erbyn y rhediad hwnnw yn dod i ben. Ar ôl ildio tri chais, cael chwaraewr wedi derbyn cerdyn melyn a bod yn ail orau mewn sawl agwedd ar y gêm, edrychai Nant fel pebanet ar i lawr ac allan.

Mae’n glod mawr iddynt, felly, eu bod wedi dangos cymeriad o’r fath i ddod yn ôl a chymryd y gêm hon. Roedd yn help bod Pwllheli wedi sgorio yn gynnar yn y gêm felly gan roi’r amser i Nant dynnu eu hunain at ei gilydd.

Roedd y gêm yn edrych fel y byddai’n gystadleuaeth gyfartal am yr ychydig funudau cyntaf. Fodd bynnag, roedd Nant yn cael trafferth yn y sgrym ac arweiniodd siarad allan o dwrn gyda’r dyfarnwr mewn un sgrym at gosb a cherdyn melyn. Cic am gyffwrdd ac yna gyriant i’r llinell a chais rhif un a throsiad ar ôl 9 munud i Bwllheli. O’r ailgychwyn, roedd Pwllheli yn ôl yn ymosod ar unwaith. Dyfarnwyd cosb arall yn fuan. Unwaith eto, gwelodd y gic am gyffwrdd a’r gyriant yn arwain at gais rhif dau a 12 – 0 ar y blaen. Daeth y sgoriau hyn yn ystod y deg munud o effaith y cerdyn melyn.

Ymestynnwyd y fantais hon yn fuan pan welodd toriad cyflym i lawr y chwith gyfnewid pasiau a chais rhif tri i’w gwneud hi’n 17 – 0.

Roedd hyn yn ymddangos i ysgogiad i Nant ac yna dechreuon nhw roi’r rhan fwyaf o’r pwysau, gan orfodi Pwllheli i gamgymeriadau ac i roi cosbau i ffwrdd.

Aeth Ifan Williams drosodd ar ôl rhywfaint o bwysau parhaus ond cafodd ei farnu i fod wedi colli rheolaeth o’r bêl. Daeth eu sgôr gyntaf ar ôl 25 munud pan, gyda Nant yn gyrru yn agosach ag agosach at y llinell gan lusgo’r amddiffyn bob ochr, llwyddodd Tomos Williams i wthio’i ffordd drwodd. Roedd y trosiad gan Caron Davies yn ei gwneud hi’n 17 – 7.

Roedd llawer o weddill yr hanner yn perthyn i Nant ac ar strôc hanner amser trosodd Davies gic gosb i’w gwneud hi’n 17 – 10.

Roedd Nant i brofi’r tîm cryfach yn yr ail hanner a dechreuodd weithio ar dorri’r diffyg. Yn gyntaf, torrodd cic gosb y fantais i 4 pwynt. Yna aeth Nant ar y blaen ar ôl 65 munud. O sgrym ar 22 y tîm cartref, tarodd Nant yr amddiffyn yn galed, gan ailgylchu’r bêl yn barhaus. Yn y pen draw, daethpwyd o hyd i Carwyn Ellis a lwyddodd, serch iddo gael ei ddwyn i lawr i ddechrau, rhowlio i’r llinell i bwyso’r bȇl ar y llawr, gyda’r dyfarnwr wedi dyfarnu nad oedd wedi cael ei ddal. Gwnaeth trosiad Davies hi’n 17 – 20. Roedd gan Pwllheli, heb ddysgu o gerdyn melyn Nant, ormod i’w ddweud am y penderfyniad a arweiniodd at ailgychwyn cosb i’r Nant. Cymerodd Cain Jones drosodd y dyletswyddau cicio i lanio ymdrech hir.

Wrth geisio cael sgôr pellach, roedd Pwllheli yn rhwystredig gan amddiffyn yr ymwelwyr. Er iddyn nhw gael cwpl o gyfleoedd i ail-greu campau sgorio cais yr hanner cyntaf gyda chiciau cosb i’r gornel, daliodd Nant yn gryf i hawlio buddugoliaeth ryfeddol.

Nant Conwy entered this match not having lost a league game during this and the previous two seasons, a run of over 60 games. After 20 minutes it would have been hard to find anybody watching who would have been willing to bet against that run coming to an end. Having conceded three tries, had a player sin-binned and been second best in many aspects of the game, Nant looked down and out.

It is to their great credit, therefore, that they showed such character to come back and take this match. It helped that Pwllheli had scored early in the game so allowing Nant the time to pull themselves together.

The game looked like it would be an even contest for the first few minutes. However, Nant struggled in the scrum and a penalty and back-chat at one scrum resulted in a yellow card, a kick for touch followed by a drive for the line and try number one and conversion after 9 minutes. From the restart Pwllheli were immediately back on the attack. Another penalty was soon awarded. Again the kick for touch and the drive saw try number two for a 12 – 0 lead. These scores came during the ten minute sin binning.

This lead was soon extended when a fast break down the left saw an exchange of passes and try number three to make it 17 – 0.

This seemed to galvanise Nant and they then began to exert most of the pressure, forcing Pwllheli into mistakes and to give away penalties.

Ifan Williams went over after some sustained pressure but was adjudged to have lost control of the ball. The breakthrough came after 25 minutes when, with Nant driving ever closer to the line and dragging in the defence, Tomos Williams was able to crash through. The conversion by Caron Davies made it 17 – 7.

Much of the remainder of the half belonged to Nant and on the stroke of half-time Davies converted a penalty to make it 17 – 10.

Nant were to prove the stronger team in the second half and began to cut back the deficit. First a penalty cut the lead to 4 points. Nant then took the lead after 65 minutes. From a scrum on the home team’s 22, Nant hit the defence hard, continually recycling the ball. It eventually found Carwyn Ellis who, though initially brought down, rolled for the line to touch down, the referee having adjudged him not held. Davies’s conversion made it 17 – 20. Pwllheli, not having learned from Nant’s yellow card, had too much to say about the decision which resulted in a penalty restart to Nant. Cain Jones took over the kicking duties to land a long-range effort.

Try as they might to get a further score, Pwllheli were frustrated by the visitors. Though they had a couple of opportunities to recreate the try scoring feats of the first half with penalty kicks to the corner, Nant held strong to claim a remarkable comeback win.

The two teams meet again on 26 April at Pant Carw. Depending on how results go in the meantime this could prove to be a title deciding game.