Fixture

Lampeter RFC Under Tens 1 Bridgend Sports Under Tens 7

Aberaeron Combined 10’s and 11’s  0  Bridgend Sports Under Tens 2

The 2015/16 season is entering the final weeks for mini and junior rugby teams and attention turns to touring. Last week end Bridgend Sports RFC ventured west to Ceredigion and the former Cardiganshire County as they were hosted by Lampeter RFC on Saturday morning and Aberaeron RFC on Sunday. The tour was a great success with all ages fielding sides from Under seven through to Under fourteen, children and parents enjoyed a fantastic time both on and off the field. The previous week the under sixteens and youth had enjoyed their successful tour to Belgium where the youth team lifted the cup in the Ghent rugby festival and the Under Sixteens were also finalists. 

It was perhaps symbolic that the rain returned on the Saturday, to remind everybody that the 2015/16 season has been one of the wettest of seasons in recent years. The weather and the holiday atmosphere contributed to make the first half difficult for the Under Tens, in their game against Lampeter.  Both sides scored a try each in the first half, a half where spilled passes and loose tackling meant that neither team was able to dominate. Lampeter took an early lead as they used a direct run to crash through to score.  It took another ten minutes before the Sports levelled the scores. The try came after the Sports withstood a period of sustained pressure on their own line, they broke out of defence up to half way with a break from Dylan Morgan who took play up to the half way line before passing to Cian John, he used his blistering pace down the wing and then the ball was moved inside for Harri Williams to finish off with a try.

The half time motivational talk from the coaches provided the required inspiration for the Sports. They started with possession, Dylan Morgan continued where he had left off from the first half, he received the ball, attacked the defender on the outside to break through the line and then raced in for the try. From the restart, Lampeter felt the full force of the away teams tackling as the Blue and Whites rediscovered their defensive skills, possession was turned over for Cian john to enjoy another run down the wing, he was tackled into touch just short of the line. Lampeter restarted but they were forced over the line by an alert Ieuan Pilliner, from the scrum, Harri Wiliams switched the direction of play to score.  

The Sports now dominated play with some solid tackling and rucking that saw them monopolise possession.  They scored their fourth try following a direct run from Ieuan Pilliner, he linked with Dylan Morgan who put Harri Williams into space for his third and the sports fourth try of the game. Callum Lewis scored an interception try next and Harri Williams scored a further try to take the score to 1 – 6. 

The final try of the game was down to sheer individual brilliance from Tom Chick, he received the ball near the Sports try line after a Lampeter attack had broken down, he threw a dummy to beat the first defender, then used his pace to take play up to half way, where he turned the covering defenders inside then outside before accelerating away again to take the Sports into a commanding 1-7 lead.

The Lampeter team showed great spirit from the restart but an attack was brought to a halt by an excellent tackle from Jodie Keane, this epitomised the Sports team effort with further notable defensive contributions from Bailey Llewelyn Hopkins, Dylan Morgan, Ieuan Pilliner and Harri Williams. The team ran out 1 – 7 winners.

On Sunday the team travelled to Aberaeron and produced an excellent performance against a mixed under tens and under elevens side.  Whilst there may have been a little apprehension beforehand, the players rose to the challenge superbly. They pressured and tackled their opponents to deny them possession from the start and it was not long before they registered the first score when Cian John found space on the outside to touch down for the perfect start. Aberaeron tried to break out of their half but they could not find their way through the Sports wall of defenders. Pinned down deep in their half, they succumbed to a Callum Lewis interception as he came from the flank to intercept a pass to score for the Sports to lead 2 -0 at half time. It was a lead they retained through a second half that proved very competitive. They secured the victory to finish a highly successful weekend where some of the more inexperienced players took a giant step forward in their development.

Bridgend Sports Tour Squad: Bailey Llewellyn Hopkins, Cadan Hayes, Callum Lewis, Cian John, Dylan Morgan, Harri Williams, Ieuan Pilliner, Jodie Keane, Rhys Wilson, Thomas Chick and Tyler Burton.