A confidence builder

This game was set up with the intention of giving fringe players a game especially from the Uplands, who have been very strong this year and for whom quantities in training can make the difference between a team with structure and an unstructured team, contrast that to Dunvant where the continual absences in training have effected results, and that with other circumstances has led to a team that had been going through the motions, however lately we have had fluctuating performances where a core of players have kept playing, but other numbers of players have fluctuated. This has led to good performances from the pack one week, and in general not so good from the backs as players have been out of position, however a poor pack performance against South Gower had been replaced by a stronger performance from our backs who in general were playing in the right positions.
This weak we had a strong pack but a few illnesses and injuries during the game led to the difference in the teams.
Dunvant turned up with 12 players as we were waiting on 3 players who were coming late due to work commitments, so started with 3 Uplands players who to give them credit gave solid performances, however during the first quarter we were the far stronger team pressurising the Uplands try line, but coughing the ball up at times and also making the wrong decisions going back against the grain instead of going for percentage rugby, with a strong wind behind their backs the Uplands forced some pressure, at this moment we lost our first player to injury and were playing with 14 players for a couple of minutes, and the Uplands scored, this was quickly followed up by another injury and with 13 players and some to be honest very poor decision making and poor kicking led to a soft break away try , at this point we were 10 points down. Then arrived the cavalry and back up to 15 we were approaching half time, when a deep kick into our half with no pressure led our 15 trying to pick up a bobbling ball when he had time to build a sandcastle, all he had to do was put his boot on the ball and leather it deep into the darkness of the uplands training pitch. A defensive lineout would have been far easier to defend and pressurise, than would a scrum on the 15 yard mark, the resulting scrum saw basic hands across the line on a very wide pitch and Dunvants disorganisation due to the changes in personnel were exposed.
We found ourselves 15 points down due to our mistakes, and Uplands team work and ethos which come from training together in numbers.
The second half started off tragically we had another 2 players come into the team and were now playing with 14 Dunvant players and a very strong left wing from the Uplands.However we thought we'd give the Uplands another go and decided to kick poorly again, leading to their full back who was very sharp cutting our defence apart and a further Uplands try. Now down 20 nil we changed a bit of positional personnel, we started to use the elements and with James our 10 dictating the back line he started using his team mates and runners in uni with him, and all of a sudden Uplands started to implode, we quickly scored 3 tries which were down to sheers doggedness from our pack, who had been good all night with a strong lineout which was organised at short notice with new calls. We were back to 20-17 with 10 to go, 2 conversions had been missed that could have put us ahead. Unexplicably our left wing had now disappeared and we played the game out with 14. We pressed again deep into their 22 and a scramble on their try line saw our flanker claiming a try from a short movement over the line, this was disallowed wither the ref had been unsighted or simply our flanker had not kept possession long enough to justify the award of a try, here we picked up again from the base and yet again went against the grain when a charge down the 5 yard channel at a winger who didn't quite seem to be looking forward to the possibility of a ginger monster coming his way would have probably resulted in a try 17 stone v 15 stone 5 m from your line is hard to defend, we were then knocked back to their 10 yard line, We were attacking again, when a really poor pass led to us going back wards when we were ready to press again, this resulted in a game of pass the parcel with a hand grenade, this was compounded with a kick in which all you can say is the only contact was with thin air, when any half decent contact would have sent the Uplands back towards their try line, the loose ball was collected and yet again Uplands scored from our mistake.
5 minutes to go, yet another attack 8 points down we had a very kickable penalty, James went for touch and admitted afterwards that a kick for goal might have been the better option, he will learn from that as a penalty would have made it a 5 point game with us to receive with 3 minutes to go. It didn't happen and despite further pressure the game petered out.
All in all an excellent display, with some excellent play and yet some shocking errors that will always give a well drilled organised team opportunities to score. We will keep on fighting and moving forward and keep on playing we have played proabaly more games than any other team in the Ospreys region and will always offer players regular game time, and we saw today how a player in our side who is the smallest player on the pitch is getting game time getting stuck in and improving every time he pulls a shirt on. As the youth boys know there are opportunities to play up in the 2nds and in the youth, the results this year have been poor but their commitment is to be commended.