Cowbridge and Bridgend Athletic Under 13’s

After a two week enforced lay-off due to the rain soaked pitches, Cowbridge Under 13’s welcomed their visitors, Bridgend Athletic, the reigning Osprey’s champions to a cold and frosty club pitch where the visitors had spectacularly won the previous season.

The first game mainly featured the development boys from the two sides, and it was soon obvious that the well known strength of the visitor’s pack extended to below their first choice players.

Despite brave defence, the Cowbridge boys were always playing second best to the rampaging Athletic forwards, and in fact did well to keep the score down to a respectable 24-0.

The second game featured the more experienced boys, and both sides showed just why they are rated so highly. The Cowbridge pack led by captain Gus McPherson contested every area of forward play, and with Blues flanker Jack Haines recording the highest tackle count on the pitch, suppressed the visitor’s attacks. Without doubt the Athletic pack are the best pack the boys have faced these last two seasons, but playing with a near full strength pack the home side won enough possession for the backs to show their mettle. Predictably it was centres Chris Walters (2) and Sam Roberts who scored, three tries by half time.

For most of the second half the two sides cancelled each other out, but towards the end of the game the visitors scored a well earned try.

An excellent game between two quality sides that shows the conveyor belt of young Welsh rugby talent is still working well. (Full report to follow)

Depleted Cowbridge Struggle against Penarth

Last Sunday saw two parties of Cowbridge Under 13s brave the masses as Santa arrived in town complete with his reindeer. The first party made their way to Machen where they were representing the Blues Under 13's, and the other party stayed in Cowbridge to entertain their visitors Penarth.

Of the two groups, it was the Cowbridge boys playing for the Blues that enjoyed the better rugby, with Gus McPherson captaining the side, Chris Walters scoring 4 tries, and Rhys Griffin scoring one and making two conversions. The side left to face Penarth at the Athletic ground were not only short of most of their Blues players, but also missing second row Matt Goodlad who had impressed against Bath the previous weekend, former district prop Evan Phillips through injury and flying winger, Harry Hitchcock . Fortunately the rota system at the Blues released the outstanding home flanker Jack Haines who was able to play for his home club that morning.

A makeshift home pack formed to receive the kick-off with the sounds of Xmas providing a seasonal back-drop. Right from the first whistle, the visiting pack tore into the Cowbridge boys and this aggression led to Penarth scoring a well worked try after a series of mauls drove the home side back. This wake up call sparked the home side into life and it became clear to the coaching staff that spreading the ball wide was the best option as the visitors were dominant up front. The home side followed these instructions which resulted in two tries being scored, the first coming from a quick tap from Sean Boga Lake and a miss pass to Sam Roberts who stepped the last defender to go over.

The second was scored in the same fashion with Tom Harper executing a pin point pass to Roberts and the ball was fed through the hands of the fast improving Charlie Morris and ever dependable Matt Sullivan who made a perfectly timed pass to Wes Burns.

Half time: Cowbridge 14 Penarth 5

The second half began in same manner as the first with the Penarth pack out muscling the home side in the contact area and for the first 15 minutes Cowbridge were unable to get a hand on the ball. This inevitably led to Penarth scoring tries despite non - stop, never say die tackling from Haines and Harry Trotman. Cowbridge did take the lead once again after Lewis Llewelyn released the potent back line for Burns to score (19-17).

Then for the last 10 minutes, the flood gates burst open and tackles were missed by the home side across the park, the forwards had lost heart and Penarth sensed blood. With the chance of taking the scalp of the District champions the visitors ran at every opportunity and scored 4 unanswered tries and at the final whistle the score was Cowbridge 19 Penarth 34.

This was a very disappointing morning for the Cowbridge squad as many of the players did not perform to the levels they are capable of reaching. As was stated by the coaches after the game, many of the squad, particularly the forwards, expected to turn up and beat their opposition easily and they clearly underestimated what was a very competitive Penarth team.

The full squad playing Penarth was: Lloyd Stock, Pete Edwards, Tom Cunnington, Keiran Smith, Andy Ward, Jamie Griffiths, Rhun Dafis, Ali Richards, Harry Trotman, Jack Haines, Sean Boga-Lake, Lewis Llewelyn, Tom Harper, Sam Roberts (c), Charlie Morris, Matt Sullivan, Freddie Harries, Cameron Hughes, Wes Burns, Jasper Watkins, Dafydd Esau

Great Win against Bath

38 -14

On a weekend of misfortune for the Welsh regions against their English counterparts in the Heineken Cup, it was left to Cowbridge RFC Under 13’s to try and redress the balance with a visit to unbeaten West Country champions Bath Rugby at their junior academy in Kingswood.

On a day of horizontal rain, freezing fog, and little or no natural light, both sets of boys braved the artic conditions to produce a display of fiercely competitive rugby that helped lift the winter gloom. This was the Cowbridge boys first ever game in England, and therefore the first time they had ever played contested scrums. Although the Cowbridge coaches spent much of the preceding week worrying about what might happen to their charges, on the day, the boys took to scrummaging like the proverbial ’ducks to water’. Props Lloyd Stock and Tom Cunnington gave as good as they got from the Bath front row, and hooker Pete Edwards, playing despite being ill the previous night, hooked well to secure the Cowbridge put-in and even took one against the head.

The early omens were not good for Cowbridge, after a quick foray into the home 22 the visitors were caught short of numbers and Bath converted a large overlap for their big outside centre to run from just inside his own half and touch down under the posts for the game’s opening score. Playing with the elements to their backs, the Cowbridge boys started to pressurise their opposite numbers into unforced errors, and from a home lineout, lively second row Matt Goodlad stole the Bath throw and burst through the first line of defence. A good offload to centre Chris Walters followed, and his strength combined with captain Gus MacPherson’s driving carried him over the line for the Cowbridge equaliser. A few minutes later, and revelling in his freedom to pick up from the back of the scrum (not allowed under Welsh rules), number eight MacPherson went blind from an attacking scrum, and after sucking in the defence made the perfect pop pass to supporting blind side flanker Jack Haines who powered his way over to put the Cowbridge boys in front. A superb touch line conversion from Walters followed, and for a while the visitors defied the icy conditions to threaten the Bath line with both wingers Wesley Burns and Freddie Harries going close. Eventually it was Walters again who crossed for the third try after a spectacular break. The Bath boys were in no mood to lose their unbeaten title, and came storming back to put pressure on the visitors’ line to cross for a well deserved try and bring the score to 19-14 at half time.

The second half saw Cowbridge turn to face the appalling elements, and most watching felt that a 5 point lead would not be enough to secure the win for Cowbridge. Fortunately the Cowbridge boys had other ideas, and from a series of attacking phases, MacPherson sent defenders flying as he crashed his way over to extend the Cowbridge lead. With players from both sides defying the conditions, it was the Cowbridge backs who looked the more threatening, and on two occasions both outside half Rhys Griffin and centre Sam Roberts came close to extending the lead with interceptions. The inventiveness of the backs was rewarded when centre Sam Roberts sold a classic dummy to send the defenders chasing shadows allowing him to burst through the last line of defence and score under the posts.

By now both sides had replaced large numbers of the original starting line up not just to give the reserves a chance to play, but to give the players on the pitch a chance to seek shelter from the elements. For Cowbridge, Rhun Dafydd, normally a flanker, bravely replaced hooker Edwards to play his first game of opposed scrummaging, with replacement prop Keiran Smith. Although the visitors were starting to feel the pressure in the scrum, the mobile pack more than made up for it in the loose where the tireless work of Haines, Jamie Griffiths, Hari Trotman, Tom Smith and Andy Ward provided plenty of useful phase possession for scrum halves Sion Boga Lake and Lewis Llewelyn to spin out long passes.

Defensive duties were well performed by first Matt Sullivan at full back, and then his replacement Cam Hughes. Replacement wingers Charley Morris, Dafydd Esau, and Jasper Watkins did well to hold on to the ball with their frozen hands and help keep up the attacking momentum. The final move of the game saw the irrepressible Walters complete his hat-trick and keep the boys’ unbeaten record against English opposition intact.

The hosts proved gracious in defeat, and all retired to their clubhouse for hot beverages, and Cornish pasties. The Bath boys are looking forward for the chance to avenge their defeat with a visit to Cowbridge next season.

Match day squad : Matt Sullivan, Cam Hughes, Jasper Watkins, Freddie Harries, Charley Morris, Wesley Burns, Sam Roberts, Chris Walters, Rhys Griffin, Sean Boga Lake, Lewis Llewelyn, Lloyd Stock, Keiran Smith, Pete Edwards, Tom Cunnington, Tom Smith, Matt Goodlad, Andy Ward, Jamie Griffiths, Gus McPherson, Rhun Dafydd, Jack Haines, and Hari Trotman.

4th November 2007

Cowbridge RFC Under 13’s win well at Fairwater

Cowbridge RFC Under 13’s travelled to Cardiff last Sunday to play the highly rated Fairwater side who had reached the semi-final stage of the District Tournament only a few weeks earlier.

As winners of that tournament, the Cowbridge boys expected a warm reception, and the home side provided exactly that as they started the game at a frantic pace. Aided initially by some mysterious refereeing decisions, the Cardiff boys defended their line well, and even threatened a score of their own. Cowbridge nerves were steadied when centre Chris Walters bulldozed his way though the home defence to open the scores. Although the home side pulled back one try, the Cowbridge boys started exerting a grip on the game with their rush defence causing all sorts of problems for the home backs. Centre Sam Roberts in particular forced the dangerous looking home backs into making errors, and it was from one such error that Hari Trotman forced his way over for his first try of the season. Another storming try from Walters consolidated the lead just before half time.

The second half continued the same way, with the Cowbridge backs presenting all sorts of threats, and it was not long before Walters completed his hat-trick following a failed clearance kick. By now the Cowbridge forwards had established supremacy, and charging runs from Gus McPherson, and Jack Haines kept play in the home half. Depsite valliant tackling, the home side could not contain the forward pressure, and McPherson crossed for two tries before the referee called time.

The next big fixture for the boys sees them entertain top English side Bath who will be visiting on November 18th, and who will be desperate to maintain their unbeaten record for this season.

Match day squad was Cam Hughes, Jasper Watkins, Freddie Harries, Harri Hitchcock, Sam Roberts, Chris Walters, Rhys Griffin, Sean Boga Lake, Lewis Llewelyn, Lloyd Stock, Keiran Smith, Ali Richards, Andy Ward, Jamie Griffiths, Gus McPherson, Jack Haines, and Hari Trotman.

28th October 2007

Cowbridge RFC Under 13’s made to work hard to win local derby

Cowbridge RFC Under 13’s travelled to nearby Llantwit Major last Sunday to play a home team supposedly still searching for some decent form. Having been crowned district champions the previous weekend, all the indicators pointed to a comfortable away win, but despite a clear winning margin, the Cowbridge boys were never allowed to relax by the spirited home resistance.

Cowbridge playing downhill in the first half made a number of forays into the home 22, but were unable to convert their pressure into points. Good defensive work by the lively Llantwit back-row prevented Cowbridge establishing any momentum, and the foraging work of Dafi Sion in particular turned over attacking ball to instigate spectacular counter attacks.

Having played a week of hard games, the Cowbridge boys looked jaded, and were standing off too many tackles, fortunately centre Chris Walters rescued them on a number of occasions with a couple of try saving cover tackles. Eventually the Cowbridge try scoring machine that had been so productive the previous weekend spluttered into life and it was Walters himself who crossed to open the score. For a while normal service was resumed and the ball was passed quickly out to the backs for a few more tries to finish the first half. To their credit, Llantwit scored a well deserved try following a flowing back movement of their own.

The Cowbridge backline was re-organised for the second half, and with Walters off the pitch, the visitors again made hard work of their opponents. Although the forwards had by now established supremacy, the backs did not play to their usual fluent style, and a number of scoring opportunities were missed. Eventually an outside break from Sam Roberts opened the scoring in the second half and the boys started playing with more confidence. Complimenting Roberts in the centre was Freddie Harries who caught the eye, and came close to emulating Robert’s try with a classic outside break of his own that was stopped inches just inches short. The ever present blindside flanker Jack Haines cleaned up any loose ball, and tackled ceaselessly, and thought he had been rewarded with a try after a storming run to cross the line, only to be called back for an injured player to receive treatment. As usual captain Gus McPherson caused havoc in the home defence with a number of barnstorming runs, and bone-crunching tackles.

The final score of 34-5 to Cowbridge might have looked impressive in the light of previous season’s scores, but Llantwit can take much solace from the fact that on Sunday’s form they are quite capable of upsetting a number of the local teams. Cowbridge will be playing away to Nantymoel next Sunday when it is hoped a week without school rugby will see them take to the field with their try scoring appetite restored. Scorers for Cowbridge were Walters (3), McPherson, Roberts, and Burns, the match day squad was Cam Hughes, Wesley Burns, Dafydd Esau, Jasper Watkins, Freddie Harries, Sam Roberts, Chris Walters, Rhys Griffin, Sean Boga Lake, Charley Morris, Lloyd Stock, Tom Cunnington, Ali Richards, Pete Edwards, Jamie Griffiths, Gus McPherson, Jack Haines, and Kerian Smith.

Jack Haines goes over for a great try, sadly disallowed by unsighted referee

Cowbridge RFC Under 13’s crowned District Champions

134 minutes of rugby, 7 games, 7 wins, 32 tries for, 3 against, 1 trophy

Having had a tough opening set of fixtures for the season, the Cowbridge boys were well prepared to take part in the annual Cardiff and Vale District Tournament held at St Peters RFC to find the best team in the area. Wins against top quality opposition Tondu and Pontypridd had given them a battle hardened edge to take on the best that Cardiff and the Vale teams could throw at them. The boys and coaches had targeted a place in the final, thus improving on last year’s impressive showing when they reached the semi-final only to be well beaten by eventual winners St Peters.

The tournament started with a game against former two times champions Pentyrch, featuring local boys Ollie Hitchins and Wil Anthony. After a few minutes sizing each other up, the Cowbridge boys ran the ball along the line in textbook fashion, drawing and passing to release speedster Wesley Burns to cross for the first of his many tries of the afternoon. Even though the Pentyrch pack rallied well, with their Cowbridge School boys to the fore, their backs were constantly harassed into making mistakes allowing Jack Haines to cross unopposed for the second try. Two more tries in the second half from Chris Walters saw the boys home to a comfortable 20-0 win.

Second up was Dinas Powys, a plucky team of youngsters who are starting to put a string of useful results together. However on the day their bravery was not enough to stop the Cowbridge backs in particular runnning riot scoring 8 tries without reply. The pack featuring Evan Phillips, Matt Goodlad, Pete Edwards, and Andy Ward maintained an iron grip on matters in the tight. The third game against Glamorgan Wanderers was much the same, although in fairness they did manage to cross the Cowbridge line to counter tries from Christian Walters (2) and Wesley Burns (2). By now a pattern of play was starting to emerge. Using squad rotation to minimise the risk of injury, all three boys who played at flanker excelled, none more so than the Blues blindside Jack Haines who tackled ferociously, and ‘hoovered-up’ any spilled ball. The openside duties were shared between Jamie Griffiths and Hari Trotman, who supported the Cowbridge backs and tackled the opposition forwards with equal measure. In the backs, both scrum halves Lewis Llewelyn and Sean Boga Lake smoothly fed the outside halves Rhys Griffin and Tom Harper who then both ensured the hugely impressive Cowbridge outside backs were given their head. Despite every opponent claiming to have a plan that nullified Walters, none of them did, and if they did concentrate on Walters he had outside him Sam Roberts who decided to play his best ever series of games since joining last year. When he wasn’t driving opponents backwards in the tackle, he was cutting through half tackles to distribute smoothly to the Cowbridge flyers on the wings. As ever Matt Sullivan was a rock at full back, although he was rarely tested defensively, and joined the line to add fluency and options during Cowbridge attacks.

Word from the other group matches was that favourites and holders St Peters were romping home by similar margins to Cowbridge, and the coaches quietly started contemplating a St Peters versus Cowbridge final.

The next game was against fast improving Fairwater, a side the boys had never before previously beaten. Prominent in their ranks were two fast and big outside backs who had been causing havoc to the other teams; but not even these boys could stop the inexorable momentum that the Cowbridge team were starting to build. The forwards laid down a firm foundation for the backs to display their prowess with yet more tries to follow. The final score of 33-0 firmly consigned their previous losses to the history books!

The boys from St Josephs were the next opponents, and although boasting a massive pack simply could not deal with the Blitzkrieg rugby that hit them. Another high score of 22-0 fully reflected the Cowbridge superiority, and ensured them a semi-final place against Llanishen, a side whom they had not played before.

The Llansihen boys looked a useful outfit and are obviously one of the improving sides in Cardiff, but on the day they too fell to the hectic pace of the Cowbridge attacks to succumb 33 -7, having at least scored a well worked try against the Cowbridge boys. The forwards in particular excelled in protecting any hard won ball, with Ali Richards, Lloyd Stock, and Tom Cunnington especially prominent. The only negative points about the game was centre Walters having to retire from the game with pulled hamstrings, and classy fullback Matt Sullivan sidelined with a dead leg.

True to form it was the home side St Peters who were waiting for the Cowbridge boys in the final, and in order to avoid a jersey clash with their new jerseys, sponsored by Worldwide Marine Services, the Cowbridge boys had to turn their jerseys inside out thus appearing to play in white! With two nurses massaging his hamstrings, Walters hobbled onto the pitch to join his team mates for what promised to be the match of the tournament. Playing with plenty of passion the Cowbridge pack tore into the home eight, with captain Gus McPherson prominent in both attack and defence. At times the forwards were too eager and gave away unnecessary penalties, one of which was capitalised on by the tall St Peters second row to cross for the first try of the game. Fortunately this only served to inspire the Cowbridge boys to greater efforts, and the back row of Jack Haines, McPherson and Jamie Griffiths fought desperately for every scrap of possession. The half ended with the home side in front, and Walters having to finally give in to his tightening hamstrings and leave the fray.

The absence of the Cowbridge talisman served to raise hope with the St Peters boys and they began the second half more confidently. A few promising movements brought them deep into the Cowbridge 22 and in sight of extending their lead, but then one moment of magic from Harri Hitchcock then turned the game; seizing spilled ball just yards from his line, the flying winger accelerated away from the bemused attackers who gave him a 20 metre start before they started their pursuit. They were too late, and Hitchcock touched down under the post to enable an easy conversion to tie the scores at 7-7. Again more intense pressure from St Peters led to period of them monopolising both territory and possession, and it looked as if a home score would follow. Then incredibly, the tired Cowbridge eight turned over St Peters ball for Sam Roberts to split the St Peters centres with a superb break that saw him just about manage to keep ahead of his pursuers to cross under the posts and put Cowbridge into the lead. An easy conversion followed, and then with minutes to go to the final whistle, and with the light fading, St Peters dominated the closing stages to camp inside the visitor’s 22 as they unleashed wave after wave of attacking moves. The Cowbridge boys, with the trophy in their sights, were determined not to concede, and with every member of the team tackling as if their lives depended on it, defended their line like demons. The Cowbridge forwards chased from one side of the pitch to the other as they strove to arrive first at the breakdown and prevent the attackers crossing the gain line. The final play of the game saw their tall second row sniff an opportunity to level the scores only to be denied by a superb smother tackle from captain McPherson. The final whistle was greeted with jubilation from the large army of travelling fans, as both teams retired to the clubhouse for the trophy presentation.

Although suffering their first defeat for two years, the home side were gracious in conceding the trophy, but let the Cowbridge boys know that they had every intention of gaining the trophy back again next year! An excellent afternoon with a hugely credible result that was due largely to the fortitude and bravery of the boys, the coaching of backs guru Paul Trotman, and the busy Andrea Stock whose medical skills ensured that the squad was patched up as best as could be expected for the final. A special thanks to Keiran Smith who came to watch without any kit, and who was pressed into service in borrowed kit as the injury toll mounted. The rotation player rotation policy does appear to be working, as there are now a number of positions where there are two equally talented players competing for selection. With the 10 a side fixtures giving the likes of Charley Morris and Freddie Harries in particular the chance to showcase their skills, the selectors’ headaches are likely to grow. Next weekend will see the boys who didn’t take part in the tournament compete against Llantwit and two other sides in a mini 10 a side tournament. Match Day Squad : Matt Sullivan, Tom Harper, Wesley Burns, Harri Hitchcock, Sam Roberts, Chris Walters, Rhys Griffin, Sean Boga Lake, Lewis Llewelyn, Lloyd Stock, Tom Cunnington, Evan Phillips, Ali Richards, Pete Edwards, Andy Ward, Matt Goodlad, Jamie Griffiths, Hari Trotman, Gus McPherson, Jack Haines, Kerian Smith.

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Win Number Two at Tondu

Cowbridge Under-13’s continue winning ways

Such has been the turnaround in fortunes of the Cowbridge RFC Under 13’s, that the visit to crack Bridgend side Tondu on Sunday held no fears for the boys and their coaches, anxious to extend their winning start to the season. Once again the format for the morning was to be a ten a side game for the development players, followed by the fifteen a side game for the more experienced players. The ten a side game played on a smaller pitch is played at a faster pace than the full game, and provides players with plenty of game time, and supporters with plenty of fast action. However it does require that both sets of coaches enter into the spirit of the game which is to promote and develop the up and coming players.

Cowbridge elected to kick off, and straight from the start both teams ran the ball at every opportunity. Early pressure from Tondu was soaked up by Cowbridge, and the half backs Charley Morris and Freddie Harries were soon presenting their opposite numbers with plenty of problems. Well led by captain and hooker Ali Richards, the forwards competed well with their bigger opponents. Playing fast and high risk rugby, Tondu scored first, only for Cowbridge to reply with a well taken Matt Goodlad try supporting a sweeping back line movement. Prominent in the tight exchanges was second row Tom Smith who was returning after a succession of injuries. Tondu fought back well to regain their lead, and despite good tackling from the likes of Rhun Dafydd and Dafydd Esau they managed to score one more try before the interval. With the game delicately poised, the Cowbridge players and coaches were surprised to see a number of their Bridgend District players appear in the Tondu side for the second half, and their inclusion tipped the balance in the home side’s favour. Even though props Lloyd Stock and Keiran Smith raised their game, and competed bravely for possession, the superior fire power of the home team told with two quick tries, but not before prop Smith had scored a try to make the score a respectable 5-2.

The fifteen a side game went as predicted with the Cowbridge boys romping home easy winners. Well led by captain Sam Roberts, the forwards pounded into their opposite numbers, and provided the smooth back line with plenty of ball to score spectacular tries from Wesley Burns (2), Chris Walters, and Andy Ward. All the backs troubled their opposite numbers, in particular winger Tom Harper returning for his first game of the season who split the home defence with one memorable side-stepping run.

As usual the pack, in which Gus McPherson and Jack Haines were especially outstanding, fought ferociously to get the upper hand; hard grafting performances from Jamie Griffiths and Matt Goodlad also caught the eye. With the result beyond doubt, the coaches were able to replace some of the more experienced Cowbridge players, with some of the boys from the ten a side team who fully justified their inclusion, and gained sweet revenge for the previous match, as they helped the experienced boys complete an easy win.

With the district tournament next weekend to keep the fifteen a side boys busy, and a ten a side tournament for the developing boys the following weekend, the plucky lads ofCowbridge Under 13’s will be able to test their progress against the best sides in the area. Match Day Squad : Matt Sullivan, Cameron Hughes, Tom Harper, Dafydd Esau, Wesley Burns, Freddie Harries, Jasper Watkins, Charley Morris, Chris Roberts Walters, Sam Roberts, Rhys Griffin, Lewis Llewelyn, Sean Boga Lake, Evan Phillips, Lloyd Stock, Kerian Smith, Pete Edwards, Ali Richards, James Griffiths, Tom Smith, Matt Goodlad, Rhun Dafydd, Jamie Griffiths, Gus MacPherson, Jack Haines, Tom Cunnington, Andy Ward

And the Development side played well against a mostly first team opposition