Caerphilly v Neath

Welsh Premiership fixture played home at Virginia Park on Saturday 2nd November 2002
Half-time score: Caerphilly 12 - Neath 17
Attendance 1,500
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia), Clayton Thomas (Neath), Richard Rees (Tredegar), Hopkin Thomas (Bridgend)

CHAIRMAN of Caerphilly RFC Phil Williams has called on local people to re-create the spirit of last year's Aberavon play-off match and get behind the club. The Cheesemen have yet to win a competitive match this season and if ever the players need a lift it is now. Mr Williams said: "We may not be getting the best of results at the moment but we need as much support as possible. "It is vital that we get more people through the gates. When we stayed up in the play-off against Aberavon all the public rallied around and got behind the team and this helped us stay up." Mr Williams warned that the area may not have a Premiership team to support unless they receive greater backing. "We are the pride of the Rhymney Valley but we should have more fans considering our population and need more to stay afloat," he said.

Match report by Chris Slavin (Caerphilly Campaign reporter), pictures by Mark Tamplin

DESPITE admitting that defeat to Neath was "a bitter pill to swallow" Caerphilly coach Mark Ring drew consolation from the performance. He was right to do so because with a bit more luck the Cheesemen could well have earned their first win of the season. It was an encouraging performance by Caerphilly against formidable rivals and Ring knows that a repeat of Saturday's form will bring better results after the international break. "We will not be going into games looking to play second fiddle. The standard of the Welsh League is not that great at the moment and we can be confident against anyone," he said. Hopefully, Caerphilly will return to competitive action in mid-december with the confidence to beat some of their main Welsh rivals and they could well be boosted by the return of Luke Richards, who Ring says has been an "immense loss." Ring was quick to point out that Justin Thomas has performed well in his absence but he hinted that the main reason Neath ended up victorious on Saturday was their inner belief at vital moments. "They were more confident than us, which comes with winning. We were perhaps naïve in that 15-minute spell when the game went away from us," he said. It was mid-way through the second half when this game was won and lost.

The score was very close at 15-17 when Neath earned a try that turned the match in their favour. Caerphilly were caught upfield when a kick by Shaun Connor into the corner resulted in Shaun Marsden going over the line.

Connor added the kick and this gave the away side the cushion they needed. In a match played on a rain-sodden pitch, it was Neath who gained the upper-hand early on. After ten minutes the power of Neath at a scrum forced Caerphilly to concede a penalty try.

Connor added to his earlier penalty to convert and put the away side ten points to the good. The Castletown men had already missed two penalties of their own through Sione Tuipolutu and Allen Chiltern, highlighting the loss of confident kicker Richards.

Adrian Durston added another try for Neath and Connor added the extras to make the score 0-17. It was after former Caerphilly player Alfie Mocelutu was sin-binned on the half-hour that the home side gained a foothold in the match.

Owain Ashman played in Karl Hocking, and a great run and kick put him over the line to reduce the arrears. Another great try on the stroke of half-time by Roddy Boobyer made the score 12-17. Tuipolutu kicked two penalties in the second-half but sandwiched in between was that unfortunate Marsden try that gave Neath the advantage.

With 15 minutes to go, Lee Jarvis put another three points on the board for Neath before a Shane Williams try and another Jarvis conversion made the score 18-34.

In an action packed finale, Taunaholo Taufahema received a pass from Sam Cox to score a consolation try for Caerphilly but Dave Tiueti added another try and Jarvis converted to put the seal in the win. The final score was harsh on the home side as it was an even contest for much of the game, offering hope for Caerphilly that they managed to match one of the top teams in Wales.