Fixture

The last time Llantwit Major U11s played at home Warren Gatland was still Wales coach, the premier league was still close and the Recreation Ground pitches still had grass on them. Roll forward 5 months and with a Wales team struggling for wins and a premier league over Llantwit finally found themselves welcoming Pentyrch to the home field.  Whilst the seasons may have changed unfortunately the Llantwit custom of a sleepy start remains constant. Despite the muddy conditions Pentyrch started the game playing with pomp and vigour and soon started to take advantage of the lethargic home defence. It soon appeared that the hosts were playing stuck in mud rather than rugby as the sublime Pentyrch attack floated over the muddy ground to score the only tries of the first period.

After a tough 15 minutes Captain of the day Huw Curtis gave a rousing team talk that seemed to inspire the host team into action. An improved physicality saw Llantwit starting to make tackles that they had slipped off in the first half. This defensive dynamism inspired the Llantwit players into an attacking fervour and before long Llantwit were punching holes in the Pentyrch defence. As their confidence grew so did the ambition of the homes teams passing and tries soon followed as Liam Davies continued his scoring streak.

Heading into the final third both teams continued to work hard in the thick conditions. Unlike the pitch the scoring begun to dry up and both teams adopted a more direct approach. Big runs from Daniel Qaimuri, Tyler Lee and Sam Fellows put Llantwit in a strong position but gutsy Pentyrch defence held out the home team. Just as it looked as if they would end the last period without a score, Dylan Barlow exhibited some fleet footed skills to outmanoeuvre a packed defence and score in the corner.  An enjoyable encounter for both teams with Llantwit crossing their fingers that it won’t be another 5 months before they play at home again.