Valley remain tough customers of old under their new jerseys

Brand new strip. Same old result. Asahi Valley forsook their traditional colours yesterday and donned a jersey which resembled a mix between orange and red. If their sartorial style raised a few eyebrows among old-timers at Happy Valley, there was no cause for complaint as far as the rugby was concerned when they beat Aberdeen 27-3 to remain the only unbeaten team in the First Division.

High-flying Aberdeen were brought down to earth with a bump as Valley ran in five tries, three of which were scored in the first half and effectively sealed the match. It was the same old Valley underneath their new image. Dynamic, focused and playing the game at a pace unmatched by their opponents.

'Aberdeen were competitive but we recycled the ball better. Our defence was also good,' said skipper Paul Dingley. He could afford to be smug for Valley have yet to concede a try in the league this season. Never mind about beating Valley, just breaching their goalline is proving to be a psychological barrier for the opposition.

Aberdeen began as if they would be the first side to cross this Rubicon as they camped on Valley's 22 for the first 10 minutes. But all that pressure could not be turned into points as a resolute defence held. To make matters worse, Aberdeen misplaced their kicking tee and flyhalf Justin Te Mara was forced to drop-kick a penalty in this period. Not surprisingly, he missed.

It did not take Valley long to find their feet. Against the run of play, Valley scored a try with effervescent scrumhalf Andrew Wong Kee making a break before popping up a try-scoring pass for centre Eric Hanare.

Valley doubled the score to 10-0 when, midway through the first half, prop Pete Spizerri drove over the line with the help of his forwards from a lineout close in. It was a commendable effort as powerhouse No 8 Dingley was receiving treatment on the touchline.

The dominance of the Valley forwards set the tone of the match. They won plenty of possession and kept it alive superbly to put Aberdeen under immense pressure. Flanker Kris Inglis was outstanding in support while Dingley had another big game both in cover and attack. Props Ben Hindmarsh and Pete Spizzeri were solid while locks Lachlan Miller and Tom Hall ruled the air.