National Youth Bowl Final, Principality Stadium, 7^th April 2023

 

Llangwm Youth 15 - Caerphilly Youth 32

 

An historic day for Llangwm Rugby Football Club and especially for its Youth squad ended in disappointment as Caerphilly Youth deservedly lifted the National Youth Bowl.

However, after the initial disappointment had dissolved those on the streets of Cardiff would have been forgiven for thinking that Llangwm had lifted the trophy as players, coaches and the huge travelling support celebrated in style.
 

An experience to remember

The achievement of this young squad to win through five rounds and secure a place at the home of Welsh rugby has been truly inspiring. Having seen off Waunarlwydd, Carmarthen Athletic, St Julians HSOB (Newport), Dolgellau and Bryncoch the players earned the right to step onto the hallowed turf of the Principality Stadium and take home lifelong memories.

Along the way the bond and belief within the squad has grown ever-stronger and they epitomised this in a tremendous second half fightback in the final to draw within a single score and raise hopes of an historic victory. The achievement is all the more remarkable given that two years ago the existence of a youth team in Llangwm was in the balance. Club legend Richard Scriven, undoubtedly the proudest man in the stadium on the day, chuckled when he recalled, “It was 50/50 to be honest but I ordered the shirts and said to Dan Chesmer and Dafydd Bowen that we have to have a team now as I can’t send them back”.
 

Proud moment for skipper O’Loughlin

After a positive warm-up and final words from the coaches it was left to skipper Arwyn O’Loughlin to proudly lead his team out of the tunnel onto the field;  a moment he will never forget following in the footsteps of some of the greatest captains the game has seen. The team was met by a wall of noise as the excitement amongst the supporters reached fever pitch.

The game started with nerves clearly evident amongst both teams as several spilled passes and knock-ons saw a series of early scrummages where Llangwm held a clear advantage throughout, winning a number of penalties. Ten minutes in and having won a penalty on the Caerphilly 10-metre line Fletcher Picton stepped up to fire over a magnificent kick to give Llangwm a 3-0 lead. Caerphilly though were starting to dominate possession and territory and despite heroic defence by Llangwm they pouched two tries in quick succession to move seven points clear.

Injuries disrupt the Wasps as Caerphilly pull clear

At that stage Llangwm were dealt a blow as Liam Rees left the field with a knee injury, followed shortly after by Seth Willington, who injured his arm. Sam Rickwood with a dislocated finger and Evan Thomas with a nasty shoulder injury were also lost to the cause.

Caerphilly took full advantage of the reshuffle as they showed the ability to build phases and use the width of the field to continually stretch the Llangwm defence and grab a third try to lead 17-3. Picton slotted a second penalty but Caerphilly hit back again to seemingly put the game beyond Llangwm at 22-6.
 

Llangwm spirit shines through in brave fightback

If Caerphilly thought the job was done then the Young Wasps had other ideas. They refused to lie down and took the game to their opponents in the second period. Relentless carrying by the pack and astute kicking from the back division secured good territory with the flawless Picton firing over three further penalty kicks to haul his team back to 22-15 and within a single score.

But that crucial score eluded the Wasps and it was Caerphilly who finished the game strongly to add two further tries out wide and deservedly lift the trophy as 32-15 victors. Following the presentation the Llangwm players and staff congregated in front of the stand to thank the supporters who gave their heroes a final raucous ovation. Whilst Caerphilly took the spoils, 23 heroic young guys in black and amber left the field in the knowledge that they had put their bodies on the line, given it everything and had achieved so much.
 

And finally . . .

The Welsh Rugby Union has been much maligned recently but for all those teams reaching the Youth finals yesterday the Union did a magnificent job. The organisation was superb with the players and staff treated like sporting kings. Those responsible for the finals’ day should rightly receive high praise for giving those youth players the experience of a lifetime.

A final mention must go to the huge support which travelled from far and wide to roar on the Young Wasps and create an amazing atmosphere, no mean feat in a 75,000 seater stadium. They sung and cheered their hearts out, underlining what an historic day this was for Llangwm RFC and Llangwm village.

Llangwm Youth: Charlie Wilson, Seb McIntosh, Aled Rogers, Arwyn O’Loughlin (c), Seth Willington, Sam Rickwood, Dom Asson, Joe Phillips, Ioan Hawkridge-Jones, Liam Rees, Aaron John, Fletcher Picton, Ieuan Gray, Iwan Davies, Harry Makepeace
Replacements: Kieran Sinclair, Flynn Tjoonk, Jake Thomas, Matthew Cole, Owen Phelps, Alfie Elrick, Fergus Reynolds, Evan Thomas
Travelling Reserve: Owen Evans
Coaches: Dafydd Bowen, Geoff Asson, John Whitticombe
Matchday support team: Adrian Davies, Jon Willington, Rob Makepeace, Brendan O’Loughlin

Caerphilly Youth: Lewis Jones, Noah Evans (c), Charlie Undery, Ioan Olsen, Rhodri Rees, Jack Llewellyn, Harvey Picton, Sam Graves, Carter Pritchard, Tom Lewis, Thomas Amps, Harrison Parsons, Lloyd Nash, Jake Marsden, Ryan Williams
Replacements: Kody Thomas, Lewis Griffiths, Etienne Hacket, Rowan Lyons, Liam Shaughnessy, Tyler Morris, Mackenzie Braddon, Jack Blunsdon