Sport
Emphatic win for Otters
AFTER this emphatic, seven-try win over visiting Rhydyfelin on Saturday (Feb 9), Narberth climbed to third place in the WRU Championship and are still targeting second.
With just six games to go, Narberth have now won 13 of their 16 matches this season and are on course for yet another excellent campaign.
It was a double celebration for the Club on the day that local hero Jonathan Davies, who played all his junior rugby with the Otters, captained Wales for the first time in the victory over Italy in Rome.
The pitch was in remarkably good condition despite the battering it took in the rain of two weeks ago but the high winds that had dogged the Tata fixture were again evident. Narberth won the toss and again elected to play into the wind in the first half.
Narberth came into the game after a short break because of the calling off of their game at Maesteg Quins the previous Saturday. The postponement might well have been a blessing in disguise as it allowed the team to recover after the bruising encounters with Pontypool and Tata Steel.
Certainly, the Otters flew out of the blocks from the Rhydyfelin kick-off which was gathered by Richie Rees inside the Narberth 25 and moved slickly to the left. Fluent passing between forwards and backs and a strong run by wing Yannic Parker took the home side into the opposition 22. A neat chip by centre Jake Jenkins was gathered by flanker Tom Powell who scored unopposed in only the first minute. Against a gale force wind, Ianto Griffiths’ conversion attempt was just wide.
Rhydyfelin were stung into action and came back strongly and for the following 15 minutes, it was like Ground-hog Day with a stream of penalties – mostly in the visitors’ favour each leading to a five metre lineout. From the first of them, Rhydyfelin captain and outside half Ross Lucas kicked immaculately into the corner and the Otters were penalised for collapsing the ensuing rolling maul.
Again, the visitors went to the corner but knocked on in trying to force the maul over the line and Narberth cleared the danger.
The driving maul seemed to be Rhydyfelin’s only attacking ploy as, in the 10th minute, they were awarded a penalty on the 22 metre line directly in front of the posts and to everyone’s surprise, they again kicked to the corner.
This time, in a smart move, prop Chris Phillips crashed over in the corner but the try was disallowed as the referee Steffan Edwards had spotted that Phillips’ path had been cleared of Narberth defenders by Rhydyfelin players and penalised them for obstruction.
In the 15th minute, the Otters were rather harshly penalised for a high tackle and yet again the visitors opted to go to the corner. When Rhydyfelin openside flanker Luke Studley knocked on, Narberth had weathered the storm of four successive five-metre lineouts and Rhydyfelin never again threatened.
The Otters’ lineout has not been at its best in recent weeks and again lost some of its clockwork accuracy on Saturday but, even against the strong wind, they gradually took complete control of the game and in the 29th minute, flanker Powell crashed over near the posts for his second try after a spell of sustained pressure and some excellent approach work by Richie Rees and Jake Jenkins. Griffiths converted.
Five minutes later, Jenkins was again involved in a smart handling move and made a powerful run before being taken down just short of the line. The Otters regained the ball and Jenkins popped up to dive over and touch down just inside the corner flag.
The missed conversion meant Narberth went into half-time with a well-deserved 17-nil lead.
The whole game was peppered with penalty awards and in total, the home side were awarded 16 penalties against 10 for the visitors. Most of them were for niggly technical infringements and either side of half time referee Edwards issued yellow cards to second row Josh Hawkins for persistent offside offences and left wing Gavin Close for a deliberate knock-on.
For a couple of minutes early in the second half, Rhydyfelin were reduced to 13 men after replacement prop Callum Jones who had only been on the field six minutes was sin-binned when he was at the centre of a touchline fracas. There were a number of heated moments in the game as Rhydyfelin’s frustration boiled over but further trouble was avoided by the firm and decisive action by the young referee.
It took just six minutes of the second half for the home side to gain their bonus point try, this time from young scrum half Lewys Gibby. Receiving the ball from a lineout outside the Rhydyfelin 22, Gibby wrong-footed the back row with a cheeky dummy and sprinted in, completely unopposed. Again Griffiths converted.
The tide was now running fast against the visiting side and the two yellow card dismissals meant they were in some disarray, but they still tackled determinedly.
Their grit was not enough to prevent a 58th minute try when Jack Price, playing on the wing at the time, proved Rhydyfelin were suckers for the dummy as he showed fullback Chris Tottle the ball before stepping inside him to score at the posts. Ianto Griffiths duly completed his third conversion.
Two minutes later, it was two-try hero Tom Powell’s turn to see Narberth’s only yellow card of the game, this time for what the referee adjudicated was a deliberate knock on.
Two tries in the last five minutes rounded off the game for Narberth. The first, from a five metre scrum was made by a pickup by number eight Richie Rees who broke to the blind side and passed to Gibby.
The scrum half’s diagonal run brought him his second try of the game and then right on time, an elegant chip by full back Ianto Griffiths over the top of the approaching defence was kicked ahead by replacement wing Nick Gale just inside the left touchline and he neatly gathered to score in the corner.
The Otters completed the double over mid-table Rhydyfelin and in their two encounters this season, have amassed 77 points against the side from Pontypridd.
It was also a game in which the replacements also made a real impact, with props Dan Jacobs and young Ryan Rees making major contributions in both the tight and loose when they came on. Second row Roy Osborne made a robust and very promising debut for the Otters.
After the game, main sponsors Hywel Griffiths Plant Hire nominated Lewys Gibby as Man of the Match.
The Otters are home again on Saturday (Feb 16) with the visit of Trebanos, the Swansea Valley side who boast Justin Tipuric, the Welsh flanker as one of their coaching advisers. Trebanos always play an open style of rugby so it promises to be an attractive game to watch.
Crymych 28 – Tata Steel 36
CRYMYCH gave league leaders Tata Steel a real scare in a thrilling Championship contest that showcased the hosts’ fighting spirit — even if they left empty-handed.
The Preseli side started strongly, with centre Ifan Phillips bursting through for a well-worked try, converted by Elis Thomas.
But Tata responded with power and precision, their dominant forwards laying the platform for four unanswered tries before the break. The visitors went in at half-time 26-7 up, with a bonus point secured.
To their credit, Crymych came out firing. Winger Rhodri George finished a sweeping move soon after the restart, and Thomas added the extras to narrow the gap.
Tata remained clinical, stretching their lead with a further 10 points. Yet Crymych refused to lie down — Phillips grabbed his second of the afternoon before No. 8 Osian Davies rounded off a powerful surge, aided by Tom Taylor and Jon Hill. Thomas converted both to bring the score to 36-28.
With just minutes remaining, Crymych pushed for a losing bonus point — but a late Tata try denied them that small reward.
Still, the performance offered real positives, and Crymych now have time to regroup before the final stretch of the season. Replicate this level of intensity, and survival remains firmly within reach.
Crymych squad:
Adam Phillips; Rhodri George, Tomos Lewis, Ifan Phillips, Hedd George; Elis Thomas, Dafydd Phillips; Gruff Williams, Lee Griffiths, Ben Cox; Matthew Freebury, Llyr Davies; Tom Taylor, Jon Hill, Osian Davies.
Replacements: Lloyd Davies, Rhys Davies, Sion Wilson, Ianto Davies, Jac Griffiths.
Narberth 29 – Cross Keys 17
NARBERTH kept their Premiership survival hopes alive with a crucial 29-17 victory over Cross Keys at the Lewis Lloyd Ground — producing one of their most composed performances of the season when it mattered most.
Having lost the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign, Narberth knew only a win would do — and they delivered under pressure.
From the outset, the home side played with intensity, meeting their larger opponents head-on. A surging break from Dean James set the tone, and relentless forward pressure was rewarded when Sam Martin crashed over for the opening try.
Cross Keys hit back quickly through a textbook drive, with No. 8 Cory Nicholls dotting down. But Narberth responded in style — a searing counterattack saw Hedd Nicholas break through midfield and feed scrum-half Lewys Gibby, who raced clear to score. Jon Rogers converted to restore the lead.
The visitors weren’t done, however, and levelled the match after a well-executed lineout allowed second row John Verrier to power over, with Ben Murphy adding the extras.
Crucially, Narberth regained the advantage just before the break. Centre Llew Jones — later named Man of the Match — found space out wide and sliced through the defence to make it 17-12 at half-time.
The second half belonged to the Bluebirds. With their pack dominant and backs full of intent, Will Blackburn secured the bonus-point try before Hedd Nicholas crossed for another. Rogers was again on target with the boot.
Cross Keys had the final say with a late score from replacement Tom Burnham, but the result was beyond doubt.
Narberth now face one final hurdle — a must-win home tie against already-relegated Newcastle Emlyn. Victory there, and a favourable result elsewhere, could yet complete a remarkable escape.
Narberth squad:
Ashley Sutton; Rhys Harris, Llew Jones, Hedd Nicholas, Dean James; Jon Rogers, Lewys Gibby; Rob Evans, Kyle Hamer, Tom Kaijaks; Will Blackburn, Sam Martin; Caleb Salmon, Tom Powell (C), Roy Osborn.
Replacements: Ricky Guest, Ryan Rees, George Rossiter, Rhys Williams, Josh Hamer, Alex Williams, Osian Evans, Harrison Griffiths.
West Wales Intermediate Cup – Semi-Final: Hakin United 1–0
A THUNDEROUS strike deep into stoppage time from Leon Luby sent Hakin United back to the West Wales Cup final — and back to the Swansea.com Stadium — just two years after their last appearance.
The semi-final at Stebonheath Park had been a cagey, hard-fought affair, with both sides struggling to break the deadlock. But with the game heading for penalties, substitute Luby produced a moment of magic to settle it.
Collecting a pass from Liam Parks on the left flank, Luby beat his marker, cut inside and unleashed a curling right-footed effort that soared past Jack Williams and into the far corner. The goal sparked wild celebrations among the Hakin players and fans alike.
The dramatic win sets up an all-Pembrokeshire final — the first since 2019 — with Monkton Swifts or Tenby United waiting in the wings.
Cagey contest, flashes of brilliance
The match was high on tension but low on clear-cut chances, especially early on. Hakin, fresh from lifting the Senior Cup, nearly struck within 90 seconds as Parks capitalised on a defensive lapse, only to see his shot well saved by Williams.
St Joseph’s danger man, Kyle Copp — who has racked up 40 league goals this season — almost broke the deadlock with a spectacular 30-yard lob that forced Gareth Fawcett to tip over. Copp then turned provider, threading a perfect ball through to Rikki Hayden, but again Fawcett was alert and made the block.
Ryan Wilson had two golden chances for Hakin, the best coming just before half-time, but Williams stood firm to deny him on both occasions.
Tactical tweaks, late drama
Copp continued to be a menace after the break, weaving past defenders and narrowly missing the target. But it was Hakin boss Scott Davies who changed the course of the game with a trio of substitutions. Camron Thomas, Ashley Bevan and, crucially, Luby added energy and purpose to the Vikings’ attack.
Bevan thought he’d given Hakin the lead with a header from Thomas’ pinpoint delivery — only for the linesman’s flag to deny him. Parks then saw another effort spectacularly saved by Williams as the match swung from end to end.
St Joseph’s had a goal ruled out for offside and Bevan missed a one-on-one chance in the dying minutes. It looked like extra-time was inevitable.
But in the 93rd minute, Luby had other ideas.
Resolute to the end
Even after the goal, Hakin had to dig deep. A late St Joseph’s corner caused chaos in the box, but Jake Merry threw his body on the line to make a crucial block and preserve the clean sheet.
Now, Hakin United are just one win away from glory — and from ending a 20-year wait since their last West Wales Cup triumph in 2004.
Hakin United:
Fawcett, Merry, Power, Aldred, King (Thomas 51), Nicholson (Jones 72), Wilson (Bevan 56), Britton, Parks, Kilby, Walsh (Luby 61).
Unused: Devonald.
St Joseph’s:
Williams, Lloyd-Evans, J. Evans (Morgan 94), R. Jones, Symmons (Price 94), Frost (Pelosi 63), Brown (A. Jones 77), Kerr, Owen, Hayden (Griffiths 79), Copp.
Officials:
Referee – Ben Williams
Assistants – Martin Oliver & Adam Bray
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