Youth Rugby:

By Jonathan Willington (and PembrokeshireSport.co.uk would like to thank this gifted sports pundit for his very detailed and balanced account!)
 

Llangwm 7 - Haverfordwest 59

 

Venue: Pill Parks, Llangwm

Referee: Dave Byrne


Another dominant display from the Haverfordwest Youth squad saw them close out 2024 with their league and cup unbeaten tag well and truly intact. The Young Blues used plentiful possession to run in nine tries against near neighbours Llangwm to secure another five points and look odds-on favourites to take the youth league title. Credit must also go to the Llangwm squad who despite being outgunned showed great resolve and tireless commitment to make Haverfordwest work hard for their victory.
 

Blues dominate possession and territory

Rugby union may have changed in many ways but some things remain constant. A team that can dominate possession and consistently gain good field position is a team most likely to win games as defending for long periods of time is tiring work for any opposition. This old adage was very much in evidence as the Blues’ pack provided a constant supply of good quality possession for a backline brimming with talent.

Leading the way was second-row Kai Robinson in a ubiquitous display where he dominated the lineout, carried effectively in the close exchanges and in open play consistently made good decisions and distributed well. Alongside him Iori Curtis stood out in the ball-carrying stakes;  the prop forward putting in a massive shift and regularly breaching the first line of defence. The work of the forwards enabled fly-half Rio Phillips to dictate matters through a combination of tactical kicking and excellent distribution, not to mention several individual breaks.
 

Haverfordwest establish big lead early-on

The Blues put their power and pace into practice to establish a 21-0 lead after only 15 minutes. Isaac Mills grabbed the first two tries from his centre berth, the first following an excellent cross-kick from Phillips, which was fielded well by Logun Young, who fed Mills to jink over. The second try came after a Llangwm breakout from defence was turned over, with the ball spread quickly to see Mills outstrip the defenders.

Phillips converted both tries and should have had one of his own shortly after as he deftly chipped through only to be impeded on the try line as he looked to dive on the ball. Referee Dave Byrne rightly awarded a penalty try and also issued a yellow card to Morgan Doncaster for the obstruction.
 

Llangwm show real resolve to hit back

The game could easily have run away from Llangwm at that point but they showed real tenacity to register a try of their own. Haverfordwest conceded a midfield penalty and Oscar Willington kicked his team to within 10 metres of the try line. Tom Jenkins won the ensuing lineout, Jenson Ritchie carried to within a few metres before feeding George Nicholls ,who looked likely to score but was held up over the try line by some excellent defensive work. But after 18 minutes they grabbed their try as another kick to the corner saw Ritchie collect from a scrappy lineout and force his way over, despite the attention of several defenders, Willington converting to cut the lead to 21-7.
 

Blues hit back and pull away

The Llangwm score clearly stung the Blues back into action and they extended their lead a few minutes later. A midfield penalty saw Phillips put in a superb kick to within five metres of Llangwm’s try line. Robinson secured possession and after several forward drives were held up, the ball was fed out to Phillips who outwitted the inside defenders to race over for a smart try which he also converted.

Haverfordwest continued to threaten, given a glut of possession with centre Max Fenn posing a constant threat and Young showing excellent distribution skills from full-back. For their part Llangwm were unable to secure consistent possession and thus build any pressure on a tight Blues defence. Dylan Rowles and Nicholls carried hard but were repelled time and again. But defensively they showed fantastic spirit.

Willington and Doncaster tackled themselves to a standstill with replacement Ifan Williams, playing on permit from Crymych, relieving pressure with some excellent clearance kicks.

But on the stroke of half-time Mills grabbed his third try to see his team go into half-time with a 33-7 lead. Robinson pinched a lineout on the Llangwm 22-metre line with the Blues building pressure on the defence. Skipper Devin Williams did well to poach possession on the floor to see his pack set up position in the middle of the field. Quick ball from scrum-half Dylan Lewis then saw Phillips throw a superb long pass to put Mills outside the last defender and able to dive over wide out.
 

Second-half sees more of the same from Haverfordwest

The first 10 minutes of the second period saw no further scoring. Both teams sought to create but mistakes crept in on what was a damp surface with handling made difficult by a slippery ball. Phillips kicked Haverfordwest into some good positions as did Williams and Willington for Llangwm. Within the space of two minutes both sides found themselves down to 14 players as first Llangwm’s Ben Hawkridge-Jones saw yellow for obstructing a quickly taken penalty, followed by Haverfordwest’s Isaac Jones who spent 10 minutes in the bin for what referee Byrne considered deliberate obstruction.

The Blues though rediscovered their try-scoring habit 10 minutes in as a deep kick was gathered and fed to replacement fullback Niall Smith, who got on the outside of the chasers and made a superb 50-metre break downfield. Smith was hauled down short but quick recycling saw the ball spread to the opposite wing for replacement Jack Davies to race over, Phillips converting. Haverfordwest had their tails up now and against a tiring defence they pressed relentlessly for the Llangwm line.
 

Pressure tells on a tired defence

Two tries in quick succession followed as Llangwm were unable to contain the constant barrage of runners coming their way. The speed of possession allowed Haverfordwest to spread play at pace inevitably seeing gaps appear in the defensive line. And it was first Curtis and then Robinson who crashed over as just reward for excellent performances, both tries converted by Phillips to take his team into a lead of 54-7. The final try for Haverfordwest came soon after as they established a platform in the Llangwm 22-metre area and from a scrum, replacement No.8 Harvey Thomas picked up and went blind to crash over.

Haverfordwest now head into the second-half of the season in confident mood, yet to lose a competitive fixture this season. They have a squad packed full of pace and power and players in key positions able to really influence a game. The type of form shown in this fixture mean they will be a tough prospect for any opponents. Despite the scoreline Llangwm should take some credit from the game. They have had a tough run of results but have both a strong spirit and the ability to turn things around. All of the players and coaches involved as well as referee Byrne deserve credit for treating a large Boxing Day crowd to a really enjoyable game of rugby, which was played in the very best of spirit.

Llangwm: Seb Franklin, Seth Hughes, George Nicholls, Tom Jenkins, Dylan Rowles (Captain),  Will Morgan, Finn Phillips, Jenson Ritchie, Osian Sutton, Oscar Willington, Kieran Lewis, Joe Johns, Carter O’Leary-Ellis, Sonny Zipperlen, Alfie Elrick. Replacements: Ben Hawkridge-Jones, Dylan O’Loughlin, Dean Thorpe, Morgan Doncaster, Riley Thomas, Josh Owen, William Harries, Iestyn Mason, Ifan Williams.

Haverfordwest: Cruz Findlay, Ollie Warlow, Iori Curtis, Thomas Davidson, Kai Robinson, Devin Williams (Captain), Jack Robinson, Kieran Harries, Dylan Lewis, Rio Phillips, Harry Young, Max Fenn, Isaac Mills, Harry Lawrence, Logun Young.
Replacements: Alfie Kehoe, Hamish Furlong, Michael Selyer, Harvey Thomas, Isaac Jones, Alfie Thomas, Logan Symmonds, Charlie Kelly, Niall Smith, Jack Davies.