A missed chance to close gap on Dovery
RGC assistant coach Phil John felt his side “lacked urgency” as they managed only a draw at a lowly Swansea side who had been reduced to 14-men for nearly 75 minutes.
The 16-16 draw at St Helens saw the North Walians remain in second place, but miss the chance to close the gap on leaders Llandovery, who went down to a first loss of the campaign on Saturday.
RGC will know they need to put in a better performance this Saturday as they entertain Carmarthen at Parc Eirias.
St Helens has been the site of some history for RGC as well as last-minute drama, as two seasons ago the home side clinched a dramatic win in the Championship.
RGC may not have lost on this occasion, but the penalty at the death from Swansea to tie the match was another to add to the list.
The home side were reduced to 14 men after five minutes when hooker Ashleigh James was given a red card.
But the visitors were not able to capitalise on their numerical advantage, with John stating they gave the ball away far too much.
“We didn’t keep possession of the ball, and I also felt we lacked urgency,” said the former prop.
“Really we didn’t use our extra man advantage because we didn’t actually hold onto the ball.
“Our performance levels were not where they needed to be, and it summed it up at the end.
“We got turned over at the line-out and two phases later they got the penalty.
“We will be looking to tighten up on all aspects this week as a group, and individually players will have to look at the details of the game, as a lot is needed this week in training.”
With the man advantage, Tom Hughes crossed the line for the first try of the game, but as the half progressed the All Whites began to camp in the RGC 22-meter zone.
And with a minute remaining before the break, the home side got their just rewards, Morgan Morris forcing his way over for the score as the pressure told, and Owen Howe adding the conversion to give Swansea a 7-5 lead at the break.
The 14 men of Swansea edged even further ahead when Howe knocked over a couple of penalties, but RGC hit back with another try from centre Hughes, with Dion Jones and Cam Davies playing a part in the score with some good attacking play, while the usually reliable Jacob Botica was unable to convert.
Botica found his sights with a penalty to make it all square at 13-13 before seemingly snatching a late win, sending over a second penalty in the 78th minute.
However, poor execution at a lineout gifted Swansea the chance to steal a draw, and the calm boot of Howe ensured a 16-16 stalemate in the dying embers of the match.
After the game, blindside flanker Andrew Williams gave his thoughts.
“As a group we are very disappointed with our performance,” said Williams.
“Our attitude wasn’t where it should have been and it ultimately ended up costing us.
“We could have managed the game better. Credit to Swansea for digging in, they could have won the game in fairness.”