Sport

Wales U20 have a lot more to give

Published

9 years ago

May 18, 2016

Wales U20: Celebrating this year’s Grand Slam victory

WALES UNDER 20 head coach Jason Strange believes his side have the potential to improve further ready for the World Rugby U20 Championship next month.

The side swept all before them to clinch a first Six Nations Grand Slam at this age group, but Strange knows the competition will step up a gear in Manchester (June 7 – 25).

Lock Seb Davies, hooker Liam Belcher, back row Josh Macleod and wing Tom Williams have all returned to full fitness in order to boost the squad that produced a series of memorable performances in the spring, and Strange is confident the togetherness in the squad can only build in the coming weeks.

“It was a tough selection process,” said Strange. “It was difficult to cut a squad that had performed so well in the Six Nations, but the players coming back in certainly add an extra dimension.

“It’s good to get the players back into training and they are confident on the back of a major achievement in winning the Six Nations.

“We will certainly need to step up a level in order to compete with the top nations at the World Rugby U20 Championship, and the exciting part is that the coaches and players all feel we can improve by an extra 20 or 30%, so if we get that right, we have the opportunity to do well, and we will be working hard over the next six weeks to get that right.

“It’s a huge honour for the players to represent their country at a global tournament and we want to ensure they do themselves justice and enjoy every moment.”

Strange’s players earned plaudits in the Six Nations, not only with their results but through their attacking style of play. That won’t change says the former Wales A outside half.

“We will continue with our attacking style of rugby and our other strong points from the Six Nations. Our togetherness and the team culture we’ve created are some of our key strengths too as demonstrated in the Six Nations. We will build on that during this period and at a three day training camp based at Monmouth RFC in a fortnight’s time.”

Wales have Ireland, Georgia and New Zealand in Pool A of the Englandbased tournament.

“Although we beat Ireland in Dublin, they made significant improvements during the tournament and beat England away from home,” added Strange. “Georgia have improved enormously at age grade level, earning their place in this tournament by winning the World Rugby U20 Trophy, beating Canada in the final last year, while playing champions New Zealand is exactly the kind of test we want in order to develop our players to their full potential.”

The WRU and Ospreys have agreed that centre Owen Watkin will undergo a period of rest and rehab following the rugby season and partake in a full pre-season in order to allow him to train at full intensity next season and reach his full potential.

All of Wales’ World Rugby U20 matches will be televised by S4C.

Wales’ World Rugby U20 Championship squad:

Forwards: Tom Phillips (captain, Scarlets), Rhys Fawcett (Scarlets), Corey Domachowski (Blues), Leon Brown (Dragons), Kieron Assiratti (Blues), Dillon Lewis (Blues), Liam Belcher (Blues), Dafydd Hughes (Scarlets), Adam Beard (Ospreys), Seb Davies (Blues), Shane Lewis-Hughes (Blues), Shaun Evans (Scarlets), Harrison Keddie (Dragons), Morgan Sieniawski (Blues), Josh Macleod (Scarlets)

Backs: Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys), Declan Smith (Scarlets), Daniel Jones (Scarlets), Billy McBryde (Scarlets), Jarrod Evans (Blues), Kieran Williams (Ospreys), Joe Thomas (Ospreys), Harri Millard (Blues), Tom Williams (Ospreys), George Gasson (Dragons), Keelan Giles (Ospreys), Rhun Williams (RGC 1404), Joe Gage (Ospreys)

Wales’ World Rugby Under 20 Championship fixtures:

June 7 (17.30) Wales v Ireland Manchester City Academy Stadium

June 11 (15.45) Wales v Georgia Manchester City Academy Stadium

June 15 (17.30) New Zealand v Wales AJ Bell Stadium

News

South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association results

Published

3 days ago

January 13, 2025

Herald Sport

THE RESULTS of the catch-up games played over the Christmas/New Year period are as follows:

Llanteg 10 – 0 Hundleton
Reynalton 8 – 2 Badgers
Cosheston 10 – 0 St Twynnells

Updated League Table

Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	S/D	Points
East Williamston	10	9	0	1	127	74
Carew	10	7	1	2	86	65
Reynalton	11	7	0	4	31	62
Hundleton	11	6	0	5	65	60
St Johns	10	7	0	3	69	58
Cosheston	11	6	0	5	33	54
Llanteg	9	3	0	6	-22	44
St Twynnells	11	3	0	8	-108	41
Badgers	9	3	1	5	36	40
Kilgetty	10	3	0	7	-85	40
Lamphey	10	1	0	9	-155	22

Singles tournament success

A big thank you to everyone who participated in the singles tournament this weekend. After a competitive Round Robin in the morning, players were divided into red and blue streams for the afternoon knockout stages.

Red Stream Winner: Simon Hall (Reynalton)
- Runner-up: Andrew Maclean (East Williamston)
Blue Stream Winner: Margaret Richards (Reynalton)
- Runner-up: Chris Clarkson (Lamphey)

Upcoming event

The next tournament will be the Doubles, held at Heatherton on Saturday, 15th February. Entry forms will be distributed shortly once details are finalized.

Sport

Pembrokeshire Second Division Match Report – January 11, 2025

Published

3 days ago

January 13, 2025

Herald Sport

A THILLING weekend of football in Pembrokeshire’s Second Division delivered key results that tightened the race for promotion and intensified the relegation battle.

Narberth 2-0 Hakin United II

Narberth bolstered their title aspirations with a commanding 2-0 victory over league leaders Hakin United II. Brychan David broke the deadlock with a clinical finish, and Jordan Williams secured the win with a second goal. The result leaves Narberth just two points behind Hakin in a hotly contested title race.

Merlins Bridge II 0-2 Fishguard Sports

Fishguard Sports continued their march towards a top-three finish, claiming a vital 2-0 win away at Merlins Bridge II. Ieuan Llewellyn coolly converted a penalty to give Fishguard the lead, while Luke Thomas added a second to seal the victory. With games in hand, Fishguard remain firmly in contention at the top end of the table.

Lawrenny 1-2 Neyland

Neyland edged a close contest against Lawrenny with a 2-1 win that keeps their top-half ambitions alive. Thomas Cole scored for the home side, but goals from Aidan Rees and Jack John secured all three points for Neyland in a hard-fought encounter.

Monkton Swifts II 1-7 Johnston

Johnston produced a dominant performance, thrashing Monkton Swifts II 7-1. Ryan Doyle netted twice, with further goals from Steve Allen, James Larsen, Marcus Allen, Callum Rees, and Joey George. The emphatic victory consolidates Johnston’s strong campaign, while Monkton Swifts II remain perilously close to the relegation zone.

Carew II 3-3 Solva

Carew II and Solva played out a dramatic 3-3 draw in a match filled with excitement. George Davies scored twice for Carew, with Charlie Perkins also on target. Solva responded with two goals from Josh Bland and an own goal that levelled the match. Both sides remain stuck in mid-table, with the result doing little to ease their relegation concerns.

Sport

Haverfordwest cruise to comfortable 33-0 win over Cefneithin

Published

3 days ago

January 13, 2025

Herald Sport

Haverfordwest 33 – Cefneithin 0

HAVERFORDWEST made a strong return to league action at Pembroke Road with a convincing 33-0 victory over bottom-placed Cefneithin. Despite a six-week absence from competitive rugby for the visitors, both sides put in a commendable effort to play expansive rugby in challenging conditions.

The Blues wasted no time asserting their dominance, scoring within the first minute of the match. After receiving the ball around halfway, centre Jack Evans made a powerful break, evading defenders and linking up with supporting players. The move culminated with scrum-half Liam Eaton receiving the ball and passing to outside-half Jack Codd, who slotted over the conversion for a 7-0 lead.

Haverfordwest’s forwards controlled the set-pieces, but their attempts to run the ball often resulted in knock-ons, as they looked to flick passes rather than build consistent phases. Cefneithin, on the other hand, showed more composure in their play, particularly through their half-backs Jack Willingham and Aled Thomas, and their back row of Raymond, Roberts, and Dickie.

The Blues’ midfield duo of Jack Evans and Matty Phillips posed constant threats, and it wasn’t long before they added to their tally. In the 24th minute, after some powerful carries from Jack Clancy, Jake Evans, Josh Young, and captain Karl Busch, Codd orchestrated a move that saw Evans slice through the Cefneithin defence to score under the posts. Codd converted the try, albeit off the upright, to make it 14-0.

Haverfordwest continued to press, but missed opportunities came in the form of a line-out throw-in that went crooked after Codd had kicked them close to the Cefneithin try line. However, the Blues weren’t to be denied, and soon after, another well-placed diagonal kick to the corner resulted in a fumble from the Cefneithin defence, allowing winger George Hopkins to pounce and dive over the line. Codd added the conversion from the touchline to give Haverfordwest a commanding 21-0 lead at the break.

The second half saw the Blues continue their dominance. The bonus-point try came in style when winger Guy Barrons was involved in a quick-moving attack. Quick hands among the forwards, including Dan Berry and Tom Carrington, created space for full-back Owain Roberts to break through and score under the posts. Codd’s simple conversion extended the lead further.

By this stage, Cefneithin had opted for uncontested scrums due to injuries, but the Blues kept pushing forward. A late fifth try came courtesy of back rower Mikey Griffiths, who dotted down after a determined run. Although the try was unconverted, Griffiths was later named man of the match for his tireless performance.

With this win, Haverfordwest maintain their strong position in the league, while Cefneithin will look to regroup after a challenging return to action.