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Emphatic win for Otters

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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.

Sport

Ireland overpower Wales in heavy Six Nations defeat at Rodney Parade

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WALES’ search for a first win in this year’s Women’s Six Nations continues after a tough afternoon at Rodney Parade saw them fall 40-14 to a dominant Ireland side.

Despite a strong start and an early try from Carys Cox, the home team quickly lost control of the match as Ireland ran in six tries – two apiece from Linda Djougang, Aoife Wafer, and Dorothy Wall.

A second-half score from late squad addition Hannah Bluck gave Wales a glimmer of hope, but it was little more than consolation in front of a record crowd of 3,568 at the Newport venue.

Ireland’s forwards proved too powerful throughout, and Wales’ defensive frailties were exposed time and again. The defeat marks Wales’ fourth consecutive loss of the tournament, and they now face a must-win match against Italy to avoid finishing bottom of the table for a second straight year.

Wales began with purpose, with stand-in fullback Lleucu George causing problems early. Her clever kick down the flank forced an error from Ireland’s Amee-Leigh Costigan, allowing Cox to dive on the loose ball for the opening try.

But Ireland soon found their rhythm, capitalising on soft tackling and set-piece pressure. Djougang muscled over after a burst from Wafer, who soon added one of her own as the visitors took control.

Even a yellow card for Ireland fly-half Dannah O’Brien – shown a card for dangerous contact – did little to help Wales. The Irish maintained their dominance with Wall crossing just before half-time to put them 21-7 ahead.

Ireland continued their charge in the second half, with Wall securing the bonus point shortly after the restart. While Cox and Jasmine Joyce-Butchers tried to spark a response, handling errors and turnovers repeatedly derailed Welsh attacks.

Bluck’s try, created by strong carries from Carys Phillips and a sharp offload from Keira Bevan, gave fans something to cheer. But Wafer had the last word, bulldozing her way over from the base of the scrum to seal the win.

Ireland now look to cement third place when they face Scotland, while Wales have one last chance to salvage their campaign when they travel to face Italy.

After the match, head coach Sean Lynn admitted the performance was painful: “It hurts. We all feel it. We had moments where we were right in it – we could have gone 14-0 up – but didn’t take our chances. That’s the difference at this level.”

Ireland’s Aoife Wafer reflected on the team’s spirit: “We talk about being the most connected team in the world. That shows in how we play – not just the 23 here, but the girls back home too. Winning away is never easy, so we’re proud of this.”

Wales team: Joyce-Butchers; Neumann, Jones (capt), Keight, Cox; George, Bevan; G. Pyrs, K. Jones, Scoble, Fleming, Evans, K. Williams, Lewis, Callender.
Replacements: C. Phillips, Davies, Rose, John, A. Pyrs, S. Jones, Bluck, Richards.

Ireland team: Flood; McGann, Dalton, Breen, Amee-Leigh; O’Brien, Scuffil-McCabe; McCarthy, N. Jones, Djougang, Campbell, Wall, Hogan, McMahon (capt), Wafer.
Replacements: Moloney, McGrath, Haney, Tuite, Boles, Lane, Higgins, Elmes Kinlan.

Yellow card: O’Brien (36 mins)

Tries – Wales: Cox, Bluck | Conversions: Bevan 2
Tries – Ireland: Djougang 2, Wafer 2, Wall 2 | Conversions: O’Brien 3, Breen 2

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Triathlon returns to Fishguard – road closures announced

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FISHGUARD will once again play host to the Wales Triathlon this summer, with hundreds of competitors set to descend on the town for the popular sporting event on Sunday, June 15.

Organised by Activity Wales Events, the triathlon includes a two-lap sea swim in Fishguard Bay, followed by a two-lap cycle from Fishguard to St Davids and a four-lap run along the Marine Walk and out onto the breakwater.

In order to facilitate the bike leg on closed roads, several road closures will be in place throughout the day.

Major road closures

The A487 between Goodwick and Mathry will be closed between 9:45am and 3:00pm.

Between Mathry and Croesgoch, the A487 will be closed from 10:00am to 3:00pm, and from Croesgoch to St Davids the closure will run from 10:00am until 2:45pm.

Crossing points will be in operation at Mathry crossroads, Croesgoch crossroads, and the Llangoffan to Granston junction. Diversions will be signposted, with local traffic routed via minor B roads and through Haverfordwest for longer journeys.

Town centre impact

In Fishguard, West Street will be closed between 12:00pm and 6:00pm for the running stage. Residents will still be able to exit side roads, with diversions clearly marked.

Goodwick residents will be able to exit the town via the Tesco roundabout, which will remain open all day.

Care access and course passes

Care workers will be allowed access to visit clients within the closed sections, but must obtain a course pass via their organisation in advance.

On the day, carers using the route must:

  • Follow the direction of the race
  • Display their pass clearly
  • Keep hazard lights on at all times
  • Exit the route as soon as safely possible

Further information

The event attracted over 1,000 athletes last year, and organisers anticipate another strong turnout.

More information can be found at: www.walestriathlon.com/athletes/event-info
Road closure details are available at: community.walestriathlon.com

For course pass enquiries, contact: [email protected]

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South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association – Final Table 2024/25

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All matches complete as season concludes

THE 2024/25 season of the South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association – known as The Friendly League – has now officially concluded, with all clubs completing their outstanding fixtures.

The past few weeks saw the following catch-up matches played:

  • Carew 8–2 Llanteg
  • St Johns 8–2 Cosheston
  • Hundleton 8–2 Reynalton
  • Reynalton 9–1 Lamphey
  • Cosheston 10–0 Kilgetty
  • East Williamston 9–1 Kilgetty

Final League Table (2024/25 Season)

PositionClubPlayedWonDrawnLostS/DPoints
1East Williamston201802313158
2St Johns201406111122
=3Carew201118105111
=3Cosheston20120877111
5Reynalton20110928104
6Hundleton2090117497
7Llanteg207112-7192
8St Twynnells208111-9789
9Badgers206113-2282
=10Lamphey206014-17967
=10Kilgetty206014-26267

Congratulations to East Williamston, who finish the season as clear champions with an impressive 158 points and a shot difference of +313.

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