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The under 9s and 10s combined team played a physical and entertaining game against a strong Haverfordwest team this morning. There was a noticeable size difference between the two teams but fortunately our young heroes have heart and desire that is a match for anyone and everyone, especially the youngsters played as if they were a foot taller. Due to the size of squad we were able to expose all our players to a high standard of rugby against a good side and everyone put in a huge amount of effort which was great to see. Finlay played his second game at this age level and already looks more comfortable and confident particularly carrying the ball in attack and made a good impact when he came on. Owen was positive and busy and despite being a lot smaller than most players didn’t shirk any tackles and can be very proud of his performance. Austyn was very good both in attack and defence particularly late on when chopping down Haverfordwest’s biggest player and clearly isn’t intimidated by the age or size difference of the opposition. Leo had a telling impact on our team today playing in the centre and carrying strongly, often breaking tackles and worked in tandem with Iestyn to completely nullify Haverfordwest’s star player in the rucks and attack. Leo also scored a great try after taking most of the opposition team over the line with him. Edward was good in both attack and defence today making several strong runs. Edward really excelled in making breaks and keeping the ball alive. Edward also has a rocket of a pass on him and I’ve not seen many players at this age level who can fire a pass from the bottom of a ruck at that pace. Marie was very good today and has picked up rugby very quickly. Marie has a lot of pace and strength in her game and a tough edge that showed in the tackles she made from start to end. Marie also passes really well and can recognise when to let the ball go and when to take the tackle. Harry was at his abrasive best today. Harry is a daunting prospect to tackle for an opposition player and made a lot of metres for the team. Harry played a new position in the second half of scrum half for a time and looked completely at ease. The team really looked to Harry to make insertions into the opposition defensive line. George did well in attack, defence and at ruck time today. George made several breaks in attack which prompted Haverfordwest to mark him more closely which just increased the number of players he beat in the end. George hit a lot of ticks today after arriving first which enabled us to build momentum. George also scored a good try. Manny had a good game today and like a few is a good all rounder with no real weakness to him game apart from his questioning of his dad’s rugby knowledge and that move he tried to orchestrate that Simon Preddy thankfully managed to intercept before the carnage had begun. Manny was a tough cookie today scoring a try and putting his usual 100% effort in. Trystan was completely physically dominant in everything he did today and must be one of the strongest players at this level. Trystan carried with real menace and his tackling was hard and uncompromising at one point tackling 2 players into touch at the same time. Trystan was one of the main protagonists in slowing down ruck ball and was a nuisance to the Haverfordwest players at any physical confrontation. Poppy was once again excellent today and is one of the best members of the team in managing to pick the right moment to pass and the right moment to take the tackle. Poppy was never far from a ruck and is an expert at getting the ball away quickly if not hitting the ruck herself. Poppy is one of the tougher members of the team and never shirked a challenge. Iestyn was perpetual motion today whether dominating the rucks, carrying the ball or popping up to make last ditch tackles. Iestyn scored a great try and was constantly breaking tackles and making metres whenever he carried the ball. Iestyn is also well versed in the dark arts of ruck play and on a few occasions the ball came back on the Llangwm side today when the laws of rugby and physics would say it was impossible. Lastly I want to mention Alex. In the brief time I’ve known Alex I’ve not seen him miss a tackle in training or in a game so I made a point in watching his performance closely. Not only did he not miss a tackle he also put in several physically dominant tackles on much bigger county players causing them to spill the ball forward or make mistakes when put under pressure. It was a great game to watch this morning with a lot of skill on show. I am sharing the player of the match award between Alex and Iestyn who both excelled today. Also a massive thanks to the parents for supporting the club with the rearranged kick off today. It was great to see so many people watching.

Marc Davies