SOUTHERN Bay Cyclones senior rugby team beat Wests 19-12 in a very tough clash on Saturday.
Following the early settling in period, Cyclones began to dominate the forward exchanges despite the fact that Wests with a bigger forward pack had elected to play uncontested scrums.
Denied scrum dominance, it was Cyclones lineout that provided quality primary possession and by faithfully following the game plan the forwards laid a very solid platform for the backs to launch their attacks on the Wests line.
Midway through the half, Cyclones were rewarded with their first try to flanker Steve Berry from a driving maul over almost 20 metres, following a lineout win. Cyclones up 5-0.
Cyclones backs were determined to register the next score and late in the half they executed a set move to allow winger,
Bren Robinson to cross untouched. With five eighth Matt Byrne’s conversion, Cyclones led 12-0.
Wests numbers were boosted when the returning grade players fronted up and this allowed Wests to change a number of their team and replace them with the higher grade “cavalry”, and against the run of play, right on the half time bell, Wests scored for 12-7.
Cyclones stepped it up in the second half, and ten minutes in, fullback Jimmy Miles jinked through the Wests defence to score beside the posts, and
with Byrne’s conversion Cyclones were up 19-7.
The quality of play deteriorated at this point, through the sheer physicality and at times, brutality of the opposition resulting in a number of Cyclones players spending time in the blood bin.
From a turnover, the last play of the game saw Wests kick the ball downfield and the Wests winger won the race for the ball, to score in the corner for the final score of 19-12.
The Phil’s Street Customs player of the day was Brad Urquhart.