As an unnamed Ruthin prop slumped into the dugout - shift done for the day - he lamented the heavy pitch, an early Christmas gift courtesy of Uncle Barra and Aunt Arwen.
The pot calling the kettle black. Perhaps.
Yet, he had a point.
As both sides trudged into their pre match huddles it was evident that energy reserves and ability to navigate the soft underfoot conditions at Caeau Les Phillips would be critical to derby day success.
With rivalry burning in the bellies, reserving energy was not high on the agenda early doors. The opening exchanges awash with high energy collisions to cherish, accompanied by whoops and hollers that - well - what is the opposite of cherish?
The visitors thought they had opened their account as they entered the hosts’ in goal area only to be held up by a boisterous Denbigh defence.
Building on positive energy derived from their rear guard action. The home side built pressure of their own.
Moving the ball with pace into wide channels, before getting their reward in a manner more befitting of the conditions, picking and going their way over the line in a position that made the extras a formality.
As the leaders scuttled back toward their own sticks, and the chasers huddled under their own, the gee up from the voices in both sides was focused on the value in the next score.
The opening try reflected a decent start for Denbigh. Another would have provided them the scoreboard pressure that when combined with the kicking game of Stand Off, Gruff Roberts, would have given them a commanding position from which to manipulate the narrative.
It was Ruthin Full Back, Iestyn Davies, who was next to register a score.
Playing with penalty advantage, the visitors transitioned from narrow to wide. Davies gathered the ball to the left of the uprights and accelerated against the grain of the defensive press exploiting an over enthusiastic drift to cross five metres to the right of the sticks. Allowing Nathan Jones a simple conversion, which he duly chipped over.
With Ruthin having doubled their tally with a try from Wing, Bryn Sheppard. The game’s decisive moment came just before the interval.
A penalty nudged into the 22 gave the visitors the field position from which they patiently built the phases that facilitated a short range special for Prop, Jack Wilson.
Ruthin secured a bonus point early in the second half when Iestyn Davies’ pace once again opened up the home defence. The Full Back looked like he could have slid over himself, instead he setup a ruck from which Jack Wilson was able to force his way over for a second.
Davies also went on to secure a brace. A dominant attacking scrum providing the platform that allowed the full back-cum-fly half to this time take the selfish option and wriggle his way over.
Wilson and Davies might have enjoyed the spotlight of glory, but it was Lock Cameron Lumsden who deserved the accolade of Man of the Match. His relentless effort and ferocity on both sides of the ball were very much the heartbeat of the winning performance.
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