Fixture

After suffering the disappointment of an early morning cancellation by Builth Wells, Llantwit Under 16’s were lucky enough to find a last minute fixture with Caerau Ely. Fixtures between the two sides have been competitive affairs in recent years but the Llantwit side has made big strides in 2024 and the 54-0 victory highlighted just how far they have come this calendar year.

Four converted tries in the first 15 minutes shell shocked their hosts as Bayley Hillberg and Dylan Rees helped themselves to a first half brace. It was Hillberg who was proving too elusive for the home defence early on as he eased through to open up with the first try. This was followed shortly after by his second when a set piece move opened up enough room for crash over and within minutes the visitors were 14-0 up. With the defence now watching Hillberg in the outside channels Dylan Rees took full advantage and glided through for his first try before adding his second minutes later.  Tyler Lee completed the first half scoring and at 35-0 Llantwit looked comfortable. Caerau Ely however showed a great degree of resilience and going down the slope in the second half proved to be a harder nut to crack.

It wasn’t until ten minutes into the second period that pressure only the left squeezed the defence and a chip across field allowed Rees to easily cross for his hat-trick. Llantwit continued to play entertaining rugby and despite their best efforts the Caerau defence buckled twice more. Firstly, Keenan Faulkner got on the score sheet before Liam Davies completed the scoring. Despite the heavy scoreline Caerau Ely played their part in an entertaining game and kept on fighting and looking for a way to score but the Llantwit defence was too good on the day. Lots of positives for the visitors with Will Jones showing well at scrum half for 50 minutes and Fraser Mawson playing his first match since the 2020 season. Mawson who is playing up a year looks a handful and will be a big asset as he finds his rugby feet again. Llantwit Fardre up next for the 16’s who will travel there next Sunday for the first time since the U11 season.