Preamble
A pleasing sell-out crowd and a Big (Chief) Red Cloud-sponsored Nige reffing augured well for a festive atmosphere and a good local derby contest. Even the weather was fair at the start, favouring the Blues in the first half before turning Newport Docks evil in the second, when the unfortunate Dragons had to play into the bitter wind and driving rain.
The Encounter
After a start almost as bright as the Dragons’ peeled-satsuma away kit, things looked promising. Decent lineout ball and early indications of a strong mauling game, Ashton Hewitt vigorous with and without the ball, Moriarty making a couple of inroads and Taine Basham a whirlwind of energy. After 20 minutes I realized I hadn’t used the fast-forward button, which is normally a technological godsend when watching a recording of a Drags match.
There was even a half-break from The Most Handsome Man in Rugby™, finally getting some injury-free game time for the Dragons.
Perhaps inevitably, the tide slowly turned in the Blues direction. Cardiff’s ‘interesting’ but effective breakdown tactics and the Drags poor clear-out work / sluggish passing combined to slow us down. The Blues defensive line speed and some seasonal goodwill from Nige’s patrolling of the offside line saw us under pressure and getting pushed backwards.
Our attempts to cross the gain line emphasized the poor quality of the Drags front five as ball-carriers, and our 9’s sluggish service meant they often made a standing stand rather running on to the ball at speed.
In contrast to Cardiff, the Drags deployed a more passive gain line defence, spreading across the field like a tangerine daisy chain. Unfortunately, this suited Jarrod Evans’ excellent heads-up with time-to-spare game management. A lovely dummy sent Welsh Legend Wainwright into the wrong player as Evans glided through a gap to send winger Lewis-Hughes in for the opening try.
Cardiff were taking command, and some very poor box kicking from Rhodri Williams who seemed to misjudge the conditions and playing surface (we are not in Rodney anymore, Rhodri), meant the bright start petered out. But lo, against the run of play the Drags executed a good driving maul from a lineout, and that man Basham bustled over for the touchdown. 10-5 at the, ahem, oranges.
Cardiff started the better at the outset of the second half, unsurprisingly with all the elements in their favour. But some dolly-drop passing on the Drags 22 saw an intercept from Basham, who sprinted towards the Cardiff line chin-on-chest, like a ram looking for a gate. Evans caught up and made the tackle, but Basham kept the ball alive, and after a couple of surge-and-fumbles Screech scorched over at lightspeed..
That was as good as it got from a Drags perspective. The Blues forwards further dominated the collisions and started to push our boys backwards in the tackle. The Drags bench didn’t really make an impact, and after a poor clearing kick from Williams Josh Adams went on a typically surging run. Lane was unable to gather the resulting cross-kick, but Nige yellow-carded Hewitt for I think loitering in his own 22, and a tired Drags team started to leak penalties. The Blues eased to a 16-12 victory.
Pastries and Crumbs
Although the set-piece forward battle was well contested it underlined how both teams have underpowered packs, with neither side really getting the upper hand. The Blues defence was quicker and better organised, and the Drags suffered throughout from slow ball and a lack of forward power. Basham is a fierce competitor and earned his Player of the Match status, and he seems a good leader by example.
Cardiff’s ancient warriors Gill, Andrews and Turnbull seemed to be enjoying themselves, but their Welsh Legends had quiet games, as did our lads Dee, Wainwright and Hill. Amos and Adams seem good acquisitions for the Blues, and Tovey’s last quarter kicking game (the best one of the 3 fly-halves on show) complimented Jarrod’s earlier passing and running work to close out the game.On a positive note, I always thought the Dragons has a squad good enough to compete rather than capitulate as was the case under Blarney Jackman’s peculiar tenure, and so it seems to be. We need more front five oomph which would hopefully speed the half-backs up, but otherwise matches are now bearable to watch. Marvellous.
As reported by OvallyBalls operative MisterIks.
On the telly this week
Friday 27th December
| Ulster 35 – 3 Connacht | 19:35 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Bristol 21 – 26 Wasps | 19:45 | BT Sport 1 |
Saturday 28th December
| Treviso 36 – 25 Zebre | 13:00 | Freesports |
| Northampton 33 – 26 Gloucester | 14:00 | BT Sport 2 |
| Edinburgh 29 – 19 Glasgow | 15:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Harlequins 30 – 30 Leicester | 16:30 | Channel 5 / Premier Sports 2 |
| Munster 6 – 13 Leinster | 18:00 | Premier Sports 1 |
Sunday 29th December
| Exeter 14 – 7 Saracens | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
Ovally Balls 
Marcell was born there but I’ve always thought of him as a Durbanite.
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Robson has been on the Christmas sherry.
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“ Robson has been on the Christmas sherry.”
That doesn’t explain the other thirty odd weeks he comments on
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Ticht, heard a joke about a guy from Glasgow whose best friends when he was growing up were Raj and Barry. He said that’d never have happened in Edinburgh.
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“That doesn’t explain the other thirty odd weeks he comments on”
He’s on the non-Christmas sherry them weeks.
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Oh no that might be s double movement
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Fantastic score for Billy Burns.
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Tam, when I was growing up “ya rage bastard” (sounds like raj) was a term of affection, it meant someone who was full of confidence and possibly a bit violent too.
Barry just meant good, so you could say,” That was barry ya rage bastard”
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Begbie would be a bit more than a rage bastard
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Ulster opening up now, they play some exciting rugby
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Thanks for the updates, as I can’t watch it! What’s the score?
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14-3. Coetzee and Ludik off for HIAs
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One or two Connacht lads off as well.
It’s a good game. Connacht not out of it but Ulster a little classier.
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Great stat from Disco, the Glasgow stats guy
Ali Price’s try last week brought up the 1000th point scored in 1872 Cup matches and the aggregate score (across 27 fixtures) stands at Glasgow 511 – 508 Edinburgh.
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Thanks!
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Supreme defence by Ulster – albeit with lots of penalties and they give up a yellow card. Held out for 30+ phases.
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Do minutes over the 40 count in terms of the yellow card?
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Very close for Connacht. Fitzgerald chases the ball in goal but knocks on. Back for the penalty at the scrum.
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Ulster hold out again, no further score going in at HT
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Yes, they do. Remember that France-Wales 100-minute game a couple of years ago. Wales lost Samson Lee to the bin on minute 83 or so and he came back on to play the last 5 minutes.
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3-0 to Bristol at the oranges in Bear Country.
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Robbie B gets the 3rd. A fine move. 21-3.
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Oh lovely hands down the short side from Ulsyer sets up Baloucoune for the score
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Robbie B is much quicker than checking the spelling each time
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Rob H in for the BP off the back of a maul
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This is more or less done now, I’ll give ot a few more minutes and then go to the Brizzle game
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Super run by Nizaam Carr wins the game for Wasps. Not very good defending by Bristol but he finished very well.
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Wasps now 7 points ahead of Leicester. Be a good game for Quins to win tomorrow.
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Well, I’m so glad I swapped games, what a brilliant final 20mins or so to the Brizzle Wasps game – less so for Refit, but it was a terrific final quarter with the lead changing hands a few times and the game being decided by a Wasps try in the final throws of the game after Wasps had taken the lead with a penalty around the 78th minute.
Great stuff.
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We should have turned over to watch Wolves turn over CIty.
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My next door, well, diagonally opposite, neighbour will be chuffed, big Wolves fan.
He set off early today to get to the match.
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Tam, can you tune into BT Sport?
“Stop the Tour” is about to start,
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Woo! West Wales
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https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/dec/27/potters-corner-prevails-home-winner-of-welsh-grand-national
“part-owned by a member of the Welsh sporting aristocracy in the shape of the rugby international Jonathan Davies”
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Foxy wins again. Bois I’m steaming. Tell BRB to put one in the Boars and I might be there Monday.
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Ticht, is that the thing about the 1969-70 tour? i read the interview with Peter Hain in the Guardian earlier in the week. It’s a very interesting story. The Special Branch were in spying on the Stop The Tour people. Mannetjies Roux was idolised in some quarters for kicking a protestor in the arse.
The 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand and that UK tour are pretty well-known but the story of the 1971 tour to Australia is one I’d like to find out more about.
Am always a little suspicious of people that say it was vital in bringing down apartheid but of course Hain and the others were on the right side of the argument.
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Yeah, that’s the one.
I’m recording it to watch over the weekend.
I think every little thing plays its part in turning public opinion, which leads to major change – when I was a student there was a big thing about certain banks being directly involved with the Apartheid government and you wouldn’t be seen dead banking with them as a result, it all helps, imo
It really pisses me off that the age coming up after my own kids are going to have to start again, back where we were*, but that is the fight they will have to take on
*I’m not comparing our situation in the UK to Apartheid, but that was part of a global fight, Trump, Putin, Bozo, the wanker in Brazil etc are taking us back forty years, we have to start again.
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Why did it take you so long to pick Ellis Jenkins?
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You’re right. John Taylor’ll be in the documentary I reckon. He went on the Lions tour to SA in 1968 and then refused to play against the 1969/70 tourists. Windsor-Lewis, the Barbarians chairman, wouldn’t pick him for the Barbars after.
The rugby establishment in the UK (and France and Australia and Ireland and NZ) was well up for contact after 1970 and so the protestors in those countries did important work.
I remember two things very clearly – one was in 1986 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of something the 5 Nations played v the Southern Hemisphere at Twickenham and i went along as a 14-year-old to watch it and saw the truly great Danie Gerber play alongside Naas Botha and Carel du Plessis (and a couple of Saffer forwards). They were amazing players but should they have been invited? There’s video on youtube of Gerber and Errol Tobias playing glorious rugby for the Barbarians at Cardiff. It’s magical but again the same question. The second was the England-South Africa test in 1992 when Peter Yarranton, Wasps bigwig and one-time RFU President, welcoming South Africa back in very warm terms.
In a way the exclusion of the Boks from international competition (cough, Lions touring in 1980, Ireland in 1981, England in 1984, the NZ Cavaliers in 1986, the Celebration games in 1989, cough) made rugby what it is now: professional, a TV product, and minor things like lifting in the line-out, kicking tees etc.
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Woof! Or should that be Howl! The mighty Wolves have done it again.
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My Mum, Irish (London Irish really), bought my dad a coach’s autobiography for Christmas. She saw the name Jones on the front and thought that must be the Welsh coach’s tome. They’re not speaking. I hope for her sake Wayne Barnes and Nige don’t issue autobiographies for next Christmas as you’re a long time divorced.
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Or Awooooo!
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Catching up so sorry if this has been referenced already – a really good piece from the Beeb’s website about the anti-apartheid mayhem in Swansea when the Boks played there in 1969.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-50422755
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Tam, I was working a rugby club bar when Jim Renwick was a speaker at a dinner. I remember him saying, “As far as I’m concerned rugby is a game and I’ll play it anywhere”
I don’t know if I was more disappointed in him or angry at the fat cigar-smoking bastard at the top table* who loudly proclaimed Hear Hear
*the ringpiece was never around from one year to the next only turning up when we had celebrity speakers, the fucking prick.
Another thing I remember was an article by John Beattie, where a young Borders player was quoted saying to Beattie, “Wouldn’t it be great if we were the only country not having a player touring there” in response to the news that one of ours would join a Gleneagles-busting tour
Of course nowadays it’s par for the course that Scottish players don’t make a multi-country touring team
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Yos: Bois I’m steaming
good work.
There’s one waiting for “Dai from Pentyrch” at the Boar’s Head.
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“Or Awooooo!”
MrIks, any excuse to post one of the best songs ever
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Good spot Ticht, exactly what I had in my heid!
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Northampton just started v Gloucester. Dan Biggar injured in the first minute. Heavy strapping now on his thigh.
In tribute to one of our finest he has DB on his shirts.
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Louis Rees-Zammit, best player in the world, in for the first try collecting a chip ahead.
Not quite sure what Northampton are trying to do but they’re just giving ball up to Gloucester with poor kicking.
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Looks like I’ve got blog blood on my hands.
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