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Page 1 of 2 Pontypridd Under 13's finished runners up after an outstanding tournament, playing an expansive game despite unfamilar rules...
Barkers Butts Mini & Junior Rugby Tournament UNDER 13’s Silhillians 20 – 0 Pontypridd Late withdrawals through injury and illness meant that Ponty only had three substitutes for the whole tournament, all of whom were backs? The Pont were unlucky to draw the favourites and eventual winners for their very first game. Playing under RFU under 13’s rules that differ greatly from the WRU rules they are used to, it was the unfortunate timing of the game that possibly cost Ponty the match and the tournament. Ponty were already trailing 15-0 by half time and before they got to grips with the kicking out of hand tactics of the opposition that isn’t allowed at their age group in Wales. Despite also being unfamiliar with pushing in the scrums, by half time it was Ponty who were dominating this area of play and continued to do so throughout the tournament. Pontypridd almost scored on several occasions; with fullback Dale Hughes called back three times by the referees whistle, on each occasion he had burst clear to score? On the first occasion it was for an offside in midfield, on the second occasion it was for a scrum to Pontypridd and on the third occasion it was for a penalty to Pontypridd? Another try almost came thanks to a fantastic break through the midfield by fly half Chris Jones. But a dangerously high tackle ended the move and Chris’ match as he went off for treatment. Regardless of the result, Ponty dominated the second half that saw them only conceded one try that itself was due to an interception as Ponty tried to play expansively to get themselves into the game. Silhillians were a strong side full of huge players who played to their strengths and deserved to win the tournament, but the coaches and players of Ponty all feel that if we had drawn them later in the tournament it would have been a far closer affair? There were some outstanding performances throughout the match in attack by Joel Raikes, Chris Jones and Nathan Payne. Whilst in defence Paul Minty, Michael Connor, Alex Knowles, Oliver Bailey, Garin Rossiter and Dale Hughes were particularly impressive. Man of the match in his first game for the club was Pontypridd District player Paul Minty. TEAM: 1. Will Thomas, 2. Jake Lewis, 3. Paul Minty, 4. Oliver Dalley, 5. Michael Connor, 6. Nathan Wyle, 7. Alex Knowles, 8. Nathan Payne, 9. Joel Raikes, 10. Chris Jones, 12. Oliver Bailey, 13. Jordan Jevons, 11. Garin Rossiter, 14. Jordan Kemp, 15. Dale Hughes. Subs used: Mikey Jones. Broad Street (Coventry) 0 – 25 Pontypridd Pontypridd let rip in an exciting and bruising encounter that saw them finally come to terms with the English rules. Within moments of kick-off, Dale Hughes took over the outside-half birth due to injuries and it was he who ran the show thanks to an outstanding performance by the forwards that presented the halfbacks with constant quick ball. Big praise must also go to Pontypridd District scrum half Joel Raikes, who despite only being able to see out of one eye, still found the quick and accurate passes needed to send Dale away for his runs. From kick-off the Ponty forwards were pushing their bigger rivals all over the field. Excellent recycling on the opposition ten-metre line by the forwards and scrumhalf Joel, saw Dale receive the ball. An excellent rush defence by Broad Street saw Dale receive three defenders along with the ball, but outstanding footwork saw him sidestep tackler after tackler before racing clear for a fantastic solo try to get his team off the mark in the tournament. The dominance of the Ponty team effort in the pack saw them camped in the opposition half throughout the first period and frustrate the opposition, who found the intensity of play difficult to cope with. Eventually the pressure told, great mauling by the Ponty forwards saw them drive within five metres of the Broad Street try line. A pick up from the base of the ruck saw scrumhalf Joel Raikes burst through several would be tackler’s to score a deserving try. The final say of the half went fittingly to Dale who again burst through several tacklers and show unbelievable pace that left the opposition defence trailing, before touching down under the posts for another fantastic try to give his side a 15-0 lead going into the break. The second half became much more physical as the English side tried to bully the smaller Ponty players, but Ponty showed great commitment and professionalism to contain themselves, maintaining their hold on the game. Ponty gave no quarter as they refused to be intimidated off the ball and the team responded with two fantastic second half tries that sealed the game. The first try came after a fantastic burst down the wing from well in his own half by second row Oliver Dalley that got his team all the way to the opposition twenty-two. Great recycling by replacement fullback Garin Rossiter and centre Jordan Jevons saw the ball in the hands of Dale who again burst clear to commit the last tackler before passing the ball to support runner Mikey Jones who placed it down for a wonderful team try. The final try went to Garin after a powerful break through the midfield by Jevons that tore the defence apart. Dale was again in support to receive a great pop pass as Jevons was eventually hauled down. Again Dale drew the last defender before offloading to Garin who went over under the posts for another great team try. Unfortunately the referee had to end the game a few minutes early after a neck injury to one of the Broad Street players, the players and management of Pontypridd wish the player well and await news of his injury after he was carted off to hospital. There were outstanding performances by the whole Pontypridd team, with everyone on the sidelines, including opposition coaches, all commenting on the pace of the match and the outstanding handling of the Pontypridd players. The lads did Ponty and Wales proud, showing the expansive style of rugby that won Wales the Grand Slam a couple of seasons ago; well done. TRY scorers: Dale Hughes (2), Joel Raikes, Mikey Jones and Garin Rossiter. Man of the match was Mikey Jones, who despite being the smallest on the field, put in some crunching tackles and made several breaks of his own. TEAM: 1. Will Thomas, 2. Jake Lewis, 3. Paul Minty, 4. Oliver Dalley, 5. Michael Connor, 6. Nathan Wyle, 7. Alex Knowles, 8. Nathan Payne, 9. Joel Raikes, 10. Dale Hughes, 12. Jordan Jevons, 13. Oliver Bailey, 11. Jordan Kemp, 14. Mikey Jones, 15. Garin Rossiter. Subs used: Chris Jones, Alex Logan and Morgan Rees. Barkers Butts 5 – 10 Pontypridd The players knew in advance of the match that this was the play off for second or third place in the tournament and with Barkers only needing a draw to consolidate second place, Ponty knew they had to win to get any reward from the tournament. Barkers had shown in their two previous matches that they were the best skilled and organised of the opposition teams, so the Ponty players knew that only a big performance with 100% commitment and concentration would do, that’s exactly what they gave! The match proved the most tense and exciting game of the whole tournament. With most of the other age groups having finished their games, there were hundreds watching what proved to be an outstanding advert for junior rugby and it was Pontypridd who finished as deserving winners. The first half was a very tense affair that resembled a game of chess as both sides tested each other’s defences, only to be thwarted time after time by excellent cover tackling. As in the first game, the referee called Ponty back twice just as they appeared destined to score?The first time for an offside in midfield against Ponty, but the second occasion saw him award Ponty a penalty? An enthralling first half ended in a tense 0 – 0 stalemate. A half time pep talk fired up the Ponty players who felt aggrieved at not being awarded at least one of the tries. Within moments of the restart Ponty set the record straight as they took a deserving lead. An excellent charge from the forwards, led by captain Michael Connor and flanker Nathan Payne, saw them chase down the kick from the restart to put Barkers under pressure. Stolen ball in the resulting ruck on the Barkers ten metre line fed Dale Hughes who went blind, Dale burst through several attempted tackles before sidestepping the covering wing and fullback to race in under the posts to give his team the lead they deserved. To add to the excitement, it was Bakers who scored next. An excellent maul by their huge forwards saw them drive deep into the Ponty half, good handling skills stretched the Ponty defence and provided the opportunity for another driving maul that resulted in a well taken try to tie the scores and give Barkers the advantage in the tournament. The half continued at a fantastic pace that was an absolute pleasure to watch, with silky handling by both sides that any international team would be proud of and great driving play by both sets of forwards. With just three minutes remaining it looked as if Barkers had done enough, but the last word went again to Pontypridd’s player of the tournament Dale Hughes. With a rush defence in his face, Dale put in a delicate chip that he collected himself, Dale sidestepped the covering fullback and winger before racing twenty metres to score what would prove the winning try. The last play of the match saw Barkers awarded a scum deep in the Ponty half, where they could mount a last ditch attack to thwart a Ponty win. Excellent scrummaging by the Ponty pack drove the scrum back to put the Barkers scrum half under pressure. A scrambled ball to the fly half fed the inside centre who received man and ball, as a fantastic rush defence by Ponty forced him to knock on in the challenge for the final whistle to blow. With the whistle still going the Ponty players deservingly celebrated what was an outstanding team victory against top quality opposition. An unbelievable performance resulted in every Ponty player being awarded man of the match, with so many excellent performances by every player on the field from both sides it would be impossible to single out any one player for the award. TRY scorer: Dale Hughes (2). Man of the match: Pontypridd Under 13’s… TEAM: 1. Will Thomas, 2. Jake Lewis, 3. Paul Minty, 4. Oliver Dalley, 5. Michael Connor, 6. Nathan Wyle, 7. Alex Knowles, 8. Nathan Payne, 9. Joel Raikes, 10. Dale Hughes, 12. Jordan Jevons, 13. Oliver Bailey, 11. Alex Logan, 14. Chris Jones, 15. Garin Rossiter. Subs used: Mikey Jones, Morgan Rees and Jordan Kemp. Under 13's Player of the Tournament: Dale Hughes.
Though Dale may get the plaudits for the tries, they wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for the hard work and awesome display of the forwards who continually drove back far larger packs throughout the tournament. Excellent support play, inter-passing and fantastic angled running by the backs impressed everyone watching and provided the opportunities for the scores. There was outstanding tackling by the whole team to fend off some powerfull attacks throughout the tournament and it was this as much as anything else that gave the team the deserving runners up trophy. Who knows what might have been if we hadn’t been drawn the favourites first off? The coaches and parents are proud of the efforts of every player who took to the field in all three games. The attitude, commitment and skills of every Ponty player was something to be proud of and was an excellent advert for the quality that is in this young Pontypridd team. Well done every single one of you, you should be proud of yourselves, we are… Tournament photos Photos of the tournament can also be purchased at: http://www.dephotos.co.uk/emAlbum/cgi-bin/pro/emAlbum.cgi?c=show_album;p=Rugby/Barkers%20Butts%20RFC/2007/Mini%20and%20Junior%20Tournament%2022%20April
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