Taunton 2's Vs Yatton

It would be easy to highlight those members of the team who scored the fifteen tries, but this would not highlight the skills and hard work put in by those members of the team to provide the platform for these finishers.  The first of the tries is a very good example of this and it was a result of Brian Ncube the tight head prop, breaking down the right of the field, selling a shimmy, making a break, and passing one handed behind the back of his tackler.  Chris Francis took the ball on and from being tackled it was spun wide to Jack Connor on the left wing who when he was tackled was supported by Alex Rodd, the loose head prop, to score in the left corner. It took 10 minutes to get to that point, but Taunton were on the scoreboard with a 5-point lead.  The next try was this time Alex Rodd making a break and handing on to Rhodri Hopkins who passed on to hooker Chris Francis, a try which Rhodri converted to give Taunton a 12-point lead.  The crowd thought that Brian Ncube had scored the third try when the forwards got up from their melee suggesting that the “front row union” were really in charge of this game but it was Seth Findlay who had made the touchdown which Rhodri converted to give Taunton a 19-point lead.  We then saw a brilliant individual try by Rhodri Hopkins where he sold several dummies and gave enormous side steps to go halfway down the field, leaving the defence groping at shadows to score a try which he converted to now give Taunton a 26-point lead and their 5th try of the afternoon.  Within two minutes of that score Rhodri went over again for his second try which he converted meaning that Taunton had now scored33 unanswered points.  The forwards were rampant and producing some good clean ball and giving Rhodri lots of options and it was from a superbly timed pass that full back Ben Alvis burst through the gap and scored the first of his two tries of the afternoon.  Unusually the conversion was missed but only two minutes after the re-start Rhodri then put in the deftest kick for Ben Alvis to follow through, steal the ball from a grasping Yatton player and score his second try which Rhodri did convert leaving the half-time score Taunton 45 Yatton nil.

Coach John Wrelton rang the changes at half time bring on his substitutes and with Rhodri rested Ollie Massey-Birch moved into the flyhalf position.  With a second row and hooker change as well, it took a few minutes for the changes to settle. However, after 6 minutes of the second half Brian Ncube overturned the Yatton ball and it was spun wide For Jack Connor to score the first of his four tries in the left corner.  Up stepped Niall Crouch for the conversion wide out which was successful.  This gave Taunton a 52-point lead and demonstrated that the team had another good kicker.  On 56 minutes Charlie Parr , the other wing forward, went over for a try which Niall converted giving Taunton a 59-point lead.  Surely unassailable but Yatton had other ideas and from a Taunton kick, and in his own half Yatton number 8 Dan Williams took the catch and set off at speed to completely elude the Taunton defence and score what was probably the best individual try of the match.  This put Yatton on the score sheet and gave them some confidence.  For the next 10 minutes they were in the ascendency and were rewarded with a second try taking the score in Taunton’s favour to59-14.  It was then that the Taunton pace and fitness started to show through when on 68 minutes Jack Connor went over for his second try which Niall converted only for two minutes later Jack to go in for his third try which Niall converted taking the Taunton lead to 73-points to 14.  On 76 minutes we saw perhaps one of the most well-judged tries seen at Veritas Park for along time with Ben Alvis on the left-hand side of the pitch putting in a kick which Henry Webb on the right wing collected at pace on the full to score under the posts.  He then took the ball turned and dropped a goal for the conversion showing his immense talent. The score had now reached 80-points for Taunton with les than three minutes on the clock. This was still time for Jack Connor to go in for his 4th of the afternoon which Niall converted before Henry Webb rounded off the afternoon with his second try which was not converted and the final whistle.

As we said at the beginning this could not have happened without the full support of the forwards who turned over ball as well as winning their own and providing a superb platform for some very pacey and talented three quarters.

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