HAVERFORDWEST edged out St Davids in a thrilling encounter under the new floodlights at St Davids, advancing to the semi-finals of the Pembrokeshire Knock-Out Cup. The decisive moment came in the second half, with Dylan Williamson crossing for a crucial try in a fiercely contested match that featured five tries, four yellow cards, and relentless effort from both sides.

Match Overview

First Half

Early Advantage for St Davids
St Davids struck early, igniting the scoreboard just three minutes in. Centre Morgan Griffiths broke the line before full-back Iwan Davies dived over in the corner. Bob Froy’s conversion gave the Saints a 7-0 lead, and a subsequent penalty from Froy extended the advantage to 10-0.

The Saints’ early dominance was underpinned by hooker Rhys Price’s control in the scrums and No.8 George Raymond’s powerful carries.

Haverfordwest Respond
Haverfordwest fought back as winger Scott Candler’s elusive run created an opportunity for full-back Matty Phillips to score from close range. Jack Codd added the conversion, cutting the deficit.

Although Codd missed a penalty shortly after, St Davids capitalized with another three points from Froy.

The momentum shifted again when Haverfordwest centre Iestyn Arnold charged down a kick, setting up Candler for his first try. Codd’s conversion handed the visitors a narrow lead at 14-13.

St Davids quickly retaliated. A dominant scrum near the try line allowed Iwan Davies to claim his second try, with Froy converting to restore a 20-14 lead.

As the half neared its conclusion, Haverfordwest’s Jamie Phillips was shown a yellow card for repeated infringements. Despite being a man down, Haverfordwest’s Ioan Hawkridge-Jones broke through to earn a penalty, which Codd converted from 35 metres, leaving St Davids ahead 20-17 at halftime.

Second Half

Physicality Takes Centre Stage
The second half saw a tighter contest, with tempers flaring and scoring opportunities scarce. Froy missed an early penalty for St Davids, and the game descended into a series of physical confrontations. Haverfordwest centre Gabe Thicker and St Davids replacement hooker Chris Cooper were both sin-binned after a heated exchange.

Williamson’s Match-Winning Try
The decisive moment arrived at the hour mark. Arnold broke through St Davids’ defensive line from 40 metres out and expertly offloaded to Dylan Williamson, who finished the move with a vital try. Codd’s conversion pushed Haverfordwest ahead 24-20.

Late Drama
Haverfordwest’s substitutes Terry Lovell and Dan Berry shored up the scrum, allowing the visitors to dominate possession and territory in the closing stages.

In a final twist, St Davids captain Nathan Foster received a yellow card, leaving the Saints with 14 men for the final moments. Despite their spirited efforts to launch a late attack, St Davids couldn’t break through Haverfordwest’s resolute defense.

Haverfordwest now look ahead to the semi-finals, while St Davids exit the competition with their heads held high after pushing their higher-league opponents to the limit.

WELSH Rugby Union chiefs admitted the governing body still has a long way to go after an independent review unveiled a “toxic” culture of bullying and misogyny.

The Senedd’s culture committee scrutinised representatives of the WRU, which has been rocked by allegations of sexism, racism and homophobia over the past year.

Labour’s Hannah Blythyn pressed the witnesses about the women’s team being given a three-hour ultimatum in contract talks, asking if this is how the WRU treats employees.

Richard Collier-Keywood, chair of the WRU since July 2023, told the committee he and Abi Tierney, the chief executive, have since apologised to the players for serious failings.

He said: “That was not something that should have happened … we absolutely should not have given the players a three-hour ultimatum to sign the contracts … it’s certainly not the practice which I want to see in the WRU.”

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “You’ve made it clear that you believe you have taken significant steps in terms of changing attitudes towards cultural issues.

“Given that everybody’s eyes were on you … and in particular your attitude towards women within the organisation, do you feel you need to reassess how far forward you believe you have come as a union in light of the failings?”

Mr Collier-Keywood replied: “Yeah, I think we’ve definitely reflected on that and I don’t think we were fooling ourselves up to that point either … we recognise we have a long way to go.”

He explained that two board members led an in-depth review of the contract negotiation process, with their report expected to be published in full in the coming weeks.

Criticising “misreporting” of the review’s conclusions by the Daily Telegraph, he said: “There were many failures … but they were not to do with sex discrimination.”

Ms Tierney told the committee: “Everybody went in with the best intentions but … tensions and frustrations arose during the process.”

Mr Collier-Keywood explained the findings emerging from the review: “I don’t think that we as the WRU set out a clear process such that everybody brought in ….

“We were not clear of the roles of individuals in that process, both from a WRU perspective nor, in particular, the people who the players thought would be representing them.”

He added: “We had not fully appreciated the fact that we were dealing with a situation where we had players who were in a high-performance environment but they were also contracted to the WRU as employees.”

Mr Collier-Keywood pointed out that men are contracted to the regions, saying: “We weren’t treating the women as employees to the full extent of that term. That was confusing and difficult and we were not fulfilling our obligations towards the women.”

Delyth Jewell, who chairs the Senedd’s culture committee, questioned progress against recommendations made by Anne Rafferty’s 2023 independent review.

Ms Tierney accepted the WRU had not lived up to the standards expected as she stressed: “Transformational change is hard. I would say colleagues are really feeling that at the moment and it will take time for things to feel better, I think.”

Mr Collier-Keywood added: “Years of previous culture does take time to change and yes we’re impatient to do that but we’re also realistic in terms of not claiming false dawns.”

Asked about a £7.5m loss in latest accounts, Mr Collier-Keywood told Senedd members the WRU is on track to take £5m out of its cost base in the current year.

“We both now believe our finances are more sustainable,” he said, explaining that the WRU made a £24m profit but drew on reserves to allocate £31m to rugby.

Pressed about the impact on participation, Ms Tierney told the committee meeting on November 27 she is saddened that concerns around culture may deter women and girls

But she stressed: “I think it would be unfair for me to sit here and say we won’t ever have any more headlines again because I think culture is a journey.

“It’s how we respond to those headlines that is so important.”

Ms Blythyn, a former minister who was previously responsible for fair work in Wales, did not envy the chief executive’s task of having to turn the WRU around.

She said: “We’ve heard of the glass ceiling but there’s a glass cliff – a tendency for women to come in at a point where an organisation or institution is at the precipice.”

THE Pembrokeshire First Division football season is delivering thrilling competition, with teams jostling for glory at the top and survival at the bottom of the table.

Goodwick United lead the charge

At the summit, Goodwick United FC are the standout performers, sitting in first place with 34 points from 12 games. With an astonishing goal difference of +53, they boast a rock-solid defense and an attack that has overwhelmed opponents all season. Goodwick have firmly established themselves as the team to beat.

Hakin United keep pace

Hot on their heels are Hakin United FC, occupying second place with 30 points from 12 games. Their impressive 4-1 away victory over Monkton Swifts showcased their attacking prowess and underlined their title credentials. With a goal difference of +42, Hakin remain a formidable challenger in the race for the championship.

Mid-table contenders

Clarbeston Road AFC First XI hold third place with 23 points, enjoying a solid campaign despite being some distance from the top two. Meanwhile, Tenby AFC 1st’s sit fourth with 20 points, showing flashes of potential but struggling for the consistency needed to challenge for higher honors.

The mid-table battle sees Merlins Bridge FC in fifth place with 16 points, closely followed by Pennar Robins AFC on 15. Both sides have shown resilience but lack the form required to mount a significant challenge or break into the top tier.

Lower-table struggles

Further down, Kilgetty AFC (13 points) and Milford United AFC (12 points) are locked in a close contest. Both teams have experienced mixed fortunes and will be aiming to pull clear of the lower half as the season progresses.

Relegation fight tightens

The relegation zone paints a bleak picture for some. Monkton Swifts FC and Carew AFC, with 11 and 10 points respectively, are perilously close to danger. Recent poor form has added to their woes, leaving them in need of urgent improvement to avoid the drop.

Propping up the table are St Ishmaels AFC and Herbrandston AFC, who are enduring torrid campaigns. St Ishmaels hover just above last place, while Herbrandston remain rooted to the bottom with 0 points from 13 games and a staggering goal difference of -97. Their defensive frailties and inability to score have left them adrift as they search desperately for their first points.

Excitement builds as season unfolds

As the season heads into its latter stages, the battle for the title between Goodwick United and Hakin United promises to go down to the wire. At the other end, the fight for survival is set to deliver drama, with every point now vital for teams teetering on the brink. The Pembrokeshire First Division continues to live up to its reputation for intense, competitive football.