That was certainly the case at Parc Griffith Jones when Laugharne made the short, four mile trip to neighbouring St Clears for a classic derby match in District G1 of the WRU Bowl competition.
The two local rivals were neck and neck in Division 3 West A before lockdown struck – St Clears were second in the table three points ahead of Laugharne, who had three games in hand – and it was always going to be a close run affair.
Not that it started in that way. In spite of the hot conditions, St Clears went off at a cracking pace and managed to build up a 12-0 lead thanks to tries from full back Rhodri Jones and scrum half Jac Howells. Che Thomas converted the latter and it looked as though the home side were in the mood to run riot.
But that is not the nature of local derbies. The Laugharne pack got to grips with the pace of the game and surprisingly there were no more points in a highly competitive contest.
“I said to the boys before we started that this is what we’ve missed. Getting together for training on Tuesday’s and Thursdays’s, the camaraderie, the crowds and the post-match occasion,” said Laugharne skipper Rhys Thomas.
“We have had some real good derby games of late, but our first half performance was disappointing. It started very quickly, but then slowed down – that’s what happens when you’ve got amateurs playing in the heat!
“We came here thinking we would win, but they shocked us with the way they came out of the blocks. They got two really good tries early on and we were chasing the game from there.
“The ball was in their court. We needed more structure in our game, it was all a bit too helter-skelter from us.”
Laugharne got up to, and over, the home line in the second half but were held up, while St Clears also thought they had got a third try when the outstanding No 8 Will Icke chased a long range kick and chase. Once again the referee ruled no try.
St Clears win line-out ball
The visitors certainly tested the home defensive line in the second half and will surely only get better with a few more games under their belt. They host Tregaron this weekend when they will be hoping to notch their first victory.
St Clears, who beat Tregaron 50-0, will be at Lampeter Town seeking to knock them off the top of the table as two unbeaten teams go head-to-head. Lampeter have won all three games to date.
“We are happy with the result against Laugharne, but we know that with another four or five games under our belt we will be performing even better. We want to keep building and it is very exciting,” said St Clears captain Gareth Jones
“It was very warm out there, but we pulled away in the first half and we wanted to keep building, fair play to Laugharne, they carried well in the second half and put us under a bit of pressure.
“It was nice for us to play in front of a crowd because sometimes in the middle of November when it is raining there aren’t so many people out. This has been a good way for us to get back into rugby after the lockdown.
“There are going to be disruptions, but we want to make the most of when we can train and play together. With the Bowl competition there is an end goal, although we’re not exactly sure what it will be, and we’ve at least got something to play for.”
Both Thomas and Jones provided the experience up front for both teams, but were quick to point out the number of young and exciting players coming through their ranks. The game also came at the end of a week in which the WRU announced the return of National League rugby in November.
“There is still a lot of confusion about how it is all going to work. We are effectively starting the season two months later than normal, but only playing each other once,” said Thomas.
“I don’t know when the breaks come in or what happens when the Wales games are on. We will play St Clears twice in the Bowl competition, but only once in the league, so it’s a bit of a weird one.
“But we are just happy to be playing rugby again and it’s nice to be playing in August. It’s nice to have some summer rugby, although we are seeing some injuries due to the hard grounds. We saw one today and one in a pre-season friendly, which is concerning.”
As well as doing a roaring trade in their bars, St Clears were also able to showcase their singing talents in the dressing rooms after the game. The captain had to turn down the first request for a post-match interview because he had to ‘conduct’ the celebratory singing.
“We practice our singing quite a lot. We like to think we have got some of the best facilities around this area and we are very proud of what this club is all about,” said Jones.
“We are a family friendly club at which everyone gets involved. That’s why we love it and our job is to put something out on the pitch for everyone to enjoy.
“The league coming back will be great because all we want to do is play rugby. It’s a bit disappointing there won’t be any promotion or relegation, but at the same time we realise it is difficult with the way things are.
“Bottom line is that we are just grateful to be playing again and to have a little bit of normality back in our lives.”
Pictures: Derek Mouncher
