Westcombe blown away by Lydney in six minute-spell

Rugby Union National League Three

WESTCOMBE Park travelled to the Gloucestershire border with Wales in the Forest of Dean with more confidence than usual after beating Lydney earlier in the season, writes Mike Attewell.

Despite the confidence the outcome was exactly as you might expect but with the scores level at the interval and still the same after an hour the almost inevitable result was determined in a six-minute spell.

Combe could so easily have come away from this game with something so it would have been a long, glum journey home.

Lydney started in a bright and positive mood trying to get the early advantage but Combe contained their attacks with increasing ease.

Having absorbed the early pressure Combe started to exert some authority of their own through the boot of Jean-Pierre Joubert who kicked to touch to create chaos in Lydney's defence.

After 10 minutes the Combe forwards took advantage of the position gained to push home an attack with comparative ease with skipper Rupert Chitty claiming the touch-down and Sam Barnett getting the conversion.

Combe's seven-point lead remained intact for 23 minutes as Combe were allowing the ball to be turned over too regularly either in open play or more likely through poor line out and conceding penalties.

The inevitable Lydney try came on 33 minutes when Combe missed too many tackles and right-winger Andy Macrea crossed the line and stand-off Craig Jones nailed the difficult conversion.

Combe had a chance to regain the lead a few minutes later with a penalty but at half-time the scores were level at seven points a-piece.

Lydney started the second much the same way as they had the first and gained a penalty right at the start but the chance was almost inexplicably spurned and it took them another 10 minutes to gain the lead for the first time.

When they did it was the start of a six-minute spell which blew Westcombe Park away.

It started with a fine three-quarter move stretching the Combe defence and scrum-half Leon Liggett hit the gap for a try Craig Jones converted.

The Combe forwards were the better of their opposite numbers but with everyone else poised to mount their own three-quarters attack Combe left themselves desperately barren in defence.

Lydney cross the line, not once but twice in as many minutes, with sweeping attacks.

The first try fell to winger Tom Beechey and the other fell to Macrea.

The second try was converted and Lydney had taken their score to 26 with 19 points in six minutes.

It took Westcombe Park to the end of ordinary time to add to their score with a Mathew Calitz touchdown and a Sam Barnett conversion.

There was still time for Combe to mount another promising attack but when it broke down with a penalty it was the end of the game.

Lydney deserved their win but Combe did enough to get more than what they ended with.

Although only half-way through the season Combe are stuck at the bottom end of the table and if they are to avoid the traumas of last season they need to take more away from home than they did in this game.