Delight as Scorpions WIN away at Skolars after 11-month wait

Almost everyone in Mountain Ash, let alone South Wales, will not be aware it even happened, but a small piece of sporting history unfolded on Sunday afternoon that will mean so very much to a small band of people.

Just over 11 months to the day since their last triumph, the South Wales Scorpions have won a game of rugby league – claiming a dramatic 26-20 win at London Skolars to bring joy to the club’s small following of long-suffering fans.

The visitors kept in contention throughout the first-half, despite falling behind early to an Aaron Small try. However, a 14-10 half-time deficit bred hope that the elusive victory – the first of the season – was in sight.

Two tries from Yannic Parker, and a Paul Emanuelli conversion kept the Mountain Ash outfit firmly in with a shout.

Score sites were refreshed, Twitter feeds nervously checked as the second-half progressed – and an agonising 22 minutes passed before Ian Newbury scored, Emanuelli converted and the Scorps seized the lead for the first time.

The game then burst into a flurry of action. Skolars, first, grabbed back the initiative with Jermaine Coleman’s converted try tipping the scoreboard back in their favour.

However, as Scorps fans prepared themselves for a ‘near miss’, the XIII delivered one of the most superb finishes in the club’s tumultuous history to snatch a hard-fought six-point win.

Tala Petelo's try on 71 minutes, converted moments later, handed South Wales a slender two-point lead in a grandstand finish, before Ian Newbury claimed the game’s final try, sparking scenes of delirium from the handful of travelling fans at the New River Stadium, and those supporters further afield glued to their mobile devices.

Make no mistake – this was a vital win for the very future of rugby league in South Wales, and offers a boost fans needed. To wrestle the lead back in the closing stages shows tremendous character, and these two points highlight that Scorpions are relevant, can compete and warrant a spot in Championship One.

Too often, we hear about “positives” after a right royal thumping. But this was different - and, indeed, a gutsy away win at the Skolars, breaking an 11-month duck in the process, is something to shout about, and build upon. The club must build on this opportunity to unite a hurting, sore fanbase and take the club forward.

Well done South Wales. GET IN!

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