Penarth RFC Youth 12

Burry Port RFC Youth 6

IN AN outstanding team display, last weekend saw the Penarth RFC Youth team pull off a spectacular victory in the finals of the WRU Youth Plate trophy.

Last Saturday saw a squad of more than 30 Penarth Youth players travel to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to play the final of the WRU Welsh Youth Plate Final against West Wales team Burry Port RFC Youth.

Although the teams were hosted by the WRU within the Principality Stadium, due to UEFA champions football, the final was played on the neighbouring Cardiff Arms Park, in what turned out to be a nail-biting game.

Burry Port, supported by their very vocal travelling crowd, started the game perfectly, winning a quick penalty from the kick-off which was neatly dispatched by their outside half Abley from 40 metres out giving them an immediate three point lead.

It became clear to the Penarth side that with such a good kicker on the Burry Port team, discipline was going to be an important factor of the game and that infringements needed to be kept to a minimum.

The West Wales side, spirited by the early points, continued to keep the pressure on Penarth with some strong running from their forwards making ground, but despite their early efforts the Penarth defence was solid, as Burry Port tried without success to cross the Penarth try line.

Penarth responded by trying to play some free flowing rugby, and this tactic paid off when the sheer pace and speed of centres Rhys Beynon, George Roberts and full back Morgan Smith saw wing Rhys Evans put in to space and sprint around his opposite number to score a try in the corner, bringing the score to 5 - 3.

Both teams battled to gain any momentum during the half which saw the Burry Port openside flanker, who was having an impressive half, having to leave the field after injuring his shoulder making a crunching tackle on Penarth number eight Nathan Frost, whose performance all afternoon was outstanding.

Burry Port took advantage of another Penarth infringement within the Penarth half and again it was their outside half, Abley, who stepped up to slot the penalty to give Burry Port a narrow 5 - 6 lead at the interval.

Half-time saw coaches Andy Pyman and Simon Rees giving some tactical advice to the Penarth boys, who attempted to take the game to Burry Port far more in the second half, with replacements Owen Lloyd and Harry Williams adding some extra power and speed.

The team however, showed a lack of composure and panicked on a few occasions whilst attacking near the opponent’s try line.

The pressure was also getting to the Penarth supporters and coaching staff, with the usually unflappable first aid man John "Dave" Sullivan believing the boys may have blown it as the second half progressed without any further score.

With 10 minutes to go to the final whistle, the Penarth forwards kicked into gear and showed their power through an impressive driving maul from a line out which led to a number of phases that crept closer and closer to the Burry Port try line.

It was replacement scrum half Gruff Shewring who dug the ball out of a ruck and managed to force his way over through a pile of defenders to place the ball down over the try line and score next to the posts.

Outside half Joe Williams, who had controlled the Penarth play all afternoon, then slotted over the conversion to make the score 12 - 6.

In the closing stages of the match Burry Port attempted to attack, but some aggressive Penarth tackling, particularly from George Roberts, saw Burry Port start to lose their composure and make mistakes.

It soon turned out that as the clock ran down they weren’t going to get through the rock solid Penarth defence and when the final whistle went Penarth Youth had won the WRU Welsh Plate.

The victory was not only a proud moment for the 22 players but the whole of the Penarth Youth Squad who have played a great part throughout the season. The coaches, committee and all parents are extremely proud of what the boys achieved.

On Good Friday, April 14, the boys return to action when they play a select 15 from Spanish Team UE Santboiana rugby club at the Penarth RFC ground with a kick-off time of 2.30pm.