Seasiders fall short in opener

It may be a new season but it was the same old problems which saw Penarth slip to a 23-18 defeat to Pentyrch on Saturday. Defensive errors, a troublesome line-out and an inability to convert pressure into points at key moments were the pattern of last year’s campaign and it would appear that those creases have not yet been ironed out of this new look squad. But it was not all bad and whilst the Seasider’s will be kicking themselves for not coming away with more than their solitary bonus point there were certainly plenty of positives to be taken into the coming weeks.

Penarth started promisingly and had the better of the opening minutes but a couple of unforced handling errors gave possession to the visitors who through a combination of good tactical kicking and an expansive running game ensured that play was contested in the Penarth half for a large proportion of the first half. Pentrych opened the scoring with a penalty from Tom James after 14 minutes and added try from skipper Tom Marley just 3 minutes later as the Penarth back line failed to cover a slick handling move from a lineout, with James adding the extras to see the visitors into a 10 point lead.

Penarth then had their best period of the first half with their powerful scrummaging unit lead by the front row of Richard Merrett, Iwan Baker and Alan Doyle giving the Pentyrch pack a torrid time of things and setting up a number of penalties which were kicked to the corner. The rolling maul, which has been a long term weapon of Penarth, was in good order but foul play lead to it being dragged down and Pentyrch’s number 8 Chris Moss heading to the sin bin for 10 minutes for his troubles. James Docherty converted the penalty to put Penarth on the board.

Still a man down Pentyrch then benefitted from some calamitous Penarth defending to score their second try. Having pressured the Pentrych backline into a handling error the ball was sent rolling back along the floor outside the Penarth 22, outside half Alex Moore collected the ball pursued by opposite number Docherty and after skipping past him found a cavernous gap behind which he needed no invitation to waltz through before feeding second row Will Cole who went under the posts to see the visitors lead extended to 17-3 with 3 minutes to go to half time.

Then on the stroke of half time Penarth showed exactly what they can be capable of. Three fast phases in the middle of the park saw the ball spread out to Tom Smith who stepped past three defenders before drawing the full back and feeding James Thatcher to score the try, and with Docherty adding the extras Penarth went in 17-10 down at half time.

The opening stages of the second half were a cagey affair with Pentyrch using the slight breeze to set up field position through which they were able to extend their lead to 23-10 through a further 2 penalties from James and Penarth looked to have run their race. However a tactical change saw Chris Mortimer switch from back row to inside centre as Morgan Smith was replaced by debutant Jack Hughes who took Mortimer’s place on the flank and Penarth clicked into gear. The final 25 minutes of the game were all Penarth pressure starting with a fine rolling maul score from the irrepressible Merrett which went unconverted. Chances came and went for the home side with first Mortimer and then Thatcher going close but coming up tantilisingly short of the try line. Two lineouts deep inside the Pentyrch 22 came and went but a crooked throw on each occasion saw the opportunity to build a further maul come to nought.

A penalty kick from Thatcher brought Penarth to within one score and in the final throws of the match Penarth’s dominant scrum had a chance from 5 metres out to take the spoils. The first two attempts were reset as the Pentyrch front row popped up under the pressure exerted from the Seasider’s pack but on the third and final occasion the referee adjudged that for the first time in the match that Penarth were using unfair means to take the upperhand and a penalty was awarded to Pentyrch who gratefully thumped the ball into touch to seal the victory.

There were many good signs for Penarth and if Rhys Morgan’s men can tighten up defensively and make the most of the opportunities that they create there is no reason why they can’t be competing at the top of the table come the end of the season.

Next weekend sees Penarth travel to Pontcanna Fields to play fellow relegated side Clwb Rygbi Caerdydd who were also on the wrong end of a result as they went down 36-24 at Treharris.

Penarth XV – Richard Merrett, Iwan Baker, Alan Doyle, Mike Clare, Ryan Jones, Chris Mortimer, Rhys Jones, Elliott Smith, Rhys Morgan (c), James Docherty (Owen Rees), James Crothers, Morgan Smith (Jack Hughes), James Thatcher, Spencer Robinson, Tom Smith – Unused Subs: Alex Fulton, Liam Richards

Scorers: James Thatcher (try/pen) Richard Merrett (try) James Docherty (Con/Pen)

Penarth RFC Annual Dinner and Awards

Friday 8 June 2018

Wing-forward Richard ‘Richie’ Bowen has been crowned as the Penarth RFC ‘Player of the Year’ having also won the vote of his peers, as the “Players’ Player of the Year” at the club’s Annual Dinner and Awards ceremony, held at the Lavernock Road clubhouse on Friday 8 June. The ‘Players’ Player of the Year’ award has been presented for the first time by club Chairman Mike Gooding. Former Youth captain Miles Jones, who had an outstanding season, was voted the ‘Most promising player of the season 2017-18’, while scrum-half Rhys Morgan received the ‘Clubman of the Year” award. Presenting the award, club Head Coach Matthew Bolton confirmed that Morgan will be the club’s captain next season, the 95th skipper in the history of the club.

Utility back Tom Hillman, was voted the Player of the Year of Penarth Athletic XV, with the award presented by Penarth Athletic Manager Richard Newman. The event, backed by club sponsors Martin Price and Anthony Bannon of ‘The Waterfront Dental Surgery’ in Barry, was a tremendous success, with Mr Colin Price, a well-known comedian (voted the best comedian in Wales on 12 occasions) as the main after dinner speaker.

After a muddled season, that saw Penarth RFC losing 17 of its 22 League matches, the Seasiders, beset by injury and absenteeism, have been relegated to Division 3A of the WRU Leagues. This was the third consecutive season the Seasiders had been involved in the relegation dogfight, but unlike the previous years when they managed to produce two remarkable acts of escapism, this time around was not to be their “third time lucky”.

A statistical look at the dwindling numbers attending training during the season may well reveal the unsettling cause of the club’s downfall. Having said all that, one has to bear in mind that this is an amateur club who survives on the commitment and loyalty of its players. It is recreational rugby at its best, be it in the third, the second or first division. Despite setbacks, the Spirit of Penarth defined by its former Chairman and President Dr. George Lindsey VC, as ‘We must look to the future, which will surpass the past, if we but remember that it is the spirt of the game that counts’, is still alive and thriving as underlined in his inspiring address by club Chairman Mike Gooding. The final act of the season 2017-18 was the Old Penarthians 7s, the longest running 7s tournament in Wales, in which Penarth RFC entered a team for the first time ever. The team, a healthy combination of senior and Youth players, coached by Youth coach Simon Rees, and captained by Alex Thau finished runner up in the Shield section. Next season (2018-19) Penarth will play in Division 3 East Central listed below

Division 3 East Central A

1. Clwb Rygbi Cymry Caerdydd
2. Penarth RFC
3. Pontyclun RFC
4. Pentyrch RFC
5. Penygraig RFC
6. Gwernyfed RFC
7. Fairwater RFC
8. Old Illtydians RFC
9. Treharris RFC
10. Cefn Coed RFC
11. Tylorstown RFC
12. Cowbridge RFC

Victory for Penarth RFC Youth clinches the Blues BE league title

Following another strong performance by the Penarth RFC Youth away at Llanishen RFC last weekend, the Penarth youth team managed to gain victory by 24 points to 12 and take an unassailable lead in the Blues BE league to take the league title, with a game in hand.

Played at Llanishen park on a rare dry Saturday, the Penarth boys worked hard to get the better of the strong Llanishen opposition with some great defensive displays and attacking moves, which saw them score four tries against the Cardiff team.

It was a great start by the Penarth boys when after only 7 minutes on the clock, a smart move off a set lineout saw the ball move to the blind side from hooker Tom Griffiths to see no 8 Sam Sullivan smash his way over from 8 meters out to open up the scoring for the Penarth team.

It was a great start to the game and only 4 minutes later, the Penarth boys struck again, after taking an early dominance in the set scrum, when the ball was moved by scrum half Gruff Shewring to outside half Aron Arthur who weaved his way through the Llanishen defence to score the second try for the Penarth team in the corner and extend the Penarth lead to 0 -10.

Early dominance of the set piece was counteracted by some sharp movement by the Llanishen backs and the Penarth defence had to be on their toes when good movement by Llanishen put pressure on the Penarth team with some last ditch tackles preventing an early score for the home team.

Through some great runs from centres Rhys Beynon and George Roberts the Penarth boys worked their way up the pitch back into the Llanishen half and following an infringement by the home team, Shewring placed a nice kick onto the Llanishen 5 metre line. With a great catch in the lineout by second row Alex Shore the power of props Geraint Williams and Josh James drove the Llanishen pack backwards in a controlled driving maul and it was no 8 Sullivan at the back of the maul that dropped over the line to score his second try and take Penarth youth into a 17 points to nil lead after 21 minutes.

Llanishen were not going to lie down though, and from the restart started to up the pace of their game and show more aggression in the break down area, and despite some great defence by Penarth back row Rhys Jones in the break down, the Llanishen boys pushed hard to score a try and pull the score back to 7 points to 17 after 26 minutes.

With a good talking to by captain Roberts behind the posts, the Penarth boys realised that they could not relax against a talented Llanishen team and from the kick off, which was chased down by ever present second row Will Parsons, the ball was spun wide to full back Luc Kean-Adams who made great progress up the pitch and into the Llanishen 22m area. With quick recycled ball it was outside half Arthur who again stepped through the Llanishen defence and score under the posts. With a conversion by Shewring it ended the half with Penarth leading 24 points to 7.

Despite half time encouragement to the team from coaches Simon Rees and Dai Williams to tidy up the break down area and support players with the ball, it was Llanishen who struck 4 minutes into the second half when good movement from the Llanishen outside half saw their centre break through the Penarth back line and score to make the score 12 – 24 to Penarth.

It was at this point that the Penarth team seemed to realise that they were not going to coast the second half and the Penarth boys started to ‘dig in’ and dominate the possession and territory with the game being played mostly in the Llanishen half. With good runs from wings Matt Frost and Mike Halligan and some crunching tackles coming in from flankers Hugh Leach and Thaine Baker which stopped several runs from the big Llanishen pack.

Penarth continued to push into the Llanishen 22m and put pressure on the home team, which saw several attacks by Penarth boys thwarted by last minute tackles from the Llanishen defence. In the last quarter of the game, the pressure continued and Penarth were unlucky not to add to their half time lead, however, the score remained at 12 – 24 at the final whistle and the Penarth boys had done enough to pick up the victory and the bonus point to take victory and the league title.

ENDS

Note : picture shows the Penarth RFC Youth Team with captain George Roberts and coaches Simon Rees, Dai Williams and John Sullivan.

Penarth One step away from clinching Youth League title for third year running after winning against Llandaff RFC Youth

Llandaff RFC Youth 10 – Penarth RFC Youth 42 – Saturday 14 April 2018

Penarth RFC Youth RFC are just one match away from clinching the Cardiff Blues BE league title after a hard fought game away against local Cardiff team Llandaff RFC Youth which saw the Penarth Youth team win by 42 points to 10.

On a rare day of dry weather and sunshine, the Penarth team made the most of the running conditions by scoring 5 tries and take a bonus point win, giving them a nine point lead at the top of the Blues league BE table with two games to play.

After several weeks of appalling rugby conditions and a loss last week to local team Cowbridge in the Blues cup, the Penarth boys were determined to bounce back, and it was Penarth who struck first with an early try after only 4 minutes when captain and centre George Roberts took a short ball off a set scrum from centre Rhys Beynon, only 8 metres out, to hit the gap between the Llandaff centres and score under the posts. With the conversion by outside half Joe Williams Penarth took an early 0 -7 point lead.

It was 3 minutes later when Penarth struck again. Following a great run from flanker Nathan Frost, supported by the back row of Dan Anderton and Sam Sullivan, the ball was quickly re-cycled from a ruck and sharp passing from the back line created an overlap for wing Luc Kean-Adams to go over the Llandaff line uncontested for Penarth’s second try and with the conversion take a 0 -14 point lead.

As has happened in several games this season, with an early score for the Penarth boys, they have seen themselves penalised back down the pitch by the referee for an array of offences, which has allowed the opposition to get back in the game and disrupt the Penarth play. This again occurred following the early tries, as Llandaff took full advantage of the increasing Penalty count against the Penarth team and quickly pitched into the Penarth 22m area. With several driving line outs, the home team managed to inch their way over the Penarth try line to pull back a try and take the score to 5-14 after 20 minutes of play.

With the Penarth boys finding it difficult to get any pattern of play between penalties, it was outside half Joe Williams who calmed the team nerves following good work from the Penarth front five which took them into Llandaff’s 10 metre line. Williams was able to slot over a penalty kick and take the Penarth boys to a half time lead of 5 -17.

With a team talk at half time by Penarth Youth coaches Dai Williams and Simon Rees, which concentrated on reducing the Penalty count and support play, the Penarth boys came out of the blocks, and with increasing pressure against the home side, it saw two further penalties awarded to Penarth which Williams slotted over, to give the Youth team a 23 points to 10 lead after 21 minutes of the second half played.

The lead gave the coaches an opportunity to bring on strength from the bench in the form of Josh James in the front row, Hugh Leach in the back row and Aron Arthur into the centre for captain Roberts. With the Penarth game quickening up as the home side started to flag, scrum half Gruff Shewring came off the bench and with the spaces starting to open up across the pitch, moved the ball quickly to the Penarth back line and within minutes, centre Aron Arthur took the ball at pace on the blind side and crashed over for Penarth’s 3rd try. With another conversion by Williams the score moved onto 10 -30 after 29 minutes of the second half.

Further changes to the Penarth team saw second row Owain Jones replace Will Parsons, Will Rattenbury replacing hooker Tom Griffiths, Mike Halligan on the wing for Luke Pringle and Ellis Smith come on the blind side of the scrum.

With the Penarth boys well on top, the last play of the game came from Rattenbury who took the ball on the Llandaff 22m line and fell just short of the Llandaff line. From the ruck , Gruff Shewring fought his way over from the fringe to score and take the final score to Llandaff RFC Youth 10 – Penarth RFC Youth 42.

The youth have now taken a nine point lead in the league and have two games against Cardiff team Llanishen to try and secure the league title.

Ends

Photo Caption: Flanker Hugh Leach bursting through the Llandaff defence supported by Owain Jones, Gruff Shewring and Rhys Beynon