It was a day to remember at the home of Welsh Rugby yesterday when Llanharan disposed of a plucky Porthcawl side by 44-3. Never really in any danger of losing, the performance by the boys was out of the top drawer. The rugby they played was clinical but also entertaining, with the WRU commentators saying it was the best match of the day.
Ieuan Pring was voted Player of Match but in all honesty it could have been any number of Llanharan players. Jack Walker and the lineout combinations were practically flawless all day. Keiran Martin and Owain Howe were to good for their opposition. Both sets of front row players made sure we were more than comfortable at the set piece. First props Rhys Taylor and Gethin Cashmore and, then Sam Richards and evergreen Jay Fletcher. The back row of Ieuan Pring, Lloyd Gregory and Jack Thomson hunted down the Porthcawl players all day long. Lloyd Gregory's piece of skill to put Jack Brooks over for the first try was a joy to watch. Our half backs Scott Jones and Leon Burton controlled the game from minute one, with Scott in particular having a fine game. Joe Davies was like a tank on the wing and Porthcawl couldn't really cope with his strength and power. Centres Jack Brooks and Harley Thomson showed power and strengh in midfield and made sure Adam Lewis, Joe Davies and Mitch Jones were able to use their speed.
When we emptied the bench nothing much changed with all eight players contributing to the cause and Joe Buckle even scoring a try. Tom Jenkins, Joe Buckle, Ryan Russell, Sam Richards, Morgan Jones, Jack Pring, Jay Fletcher and Ieuan Evans all doing a great job.
The backroom staff of Gareth Nicholas, Andy Price, Kevin Jones, Bob Newman, Derek Cashmore, Bill Carey, Peter Newton, Clinton Davies and last but not least Ella Skyrme and Hannah Davies, must have been overjoyed by the way the boys played.
When you consider that we were on the National Stadium, what impressed me was that the boys didn't show any signs of nerves on the big occasion, which is testament to how well they had prepared for the game. I watched the game back when i got home last night and the commentators worked hard to keep Porthcawl in the game, for whom flanker Josh Woolridge was outstanding. ( i also learned that Jack Pring had a been a contestant on Love Island! ) Best of luck to Porthcawl for the rest of the season, when they will hopefully get promoted. They seem to have a good set up there, which will be great for them going forward.
We move on now to try and win the League and the elusive Silver Ball competition but let's enjoy this win for a few more days before we play Gilfach Goch on Wednesday night. Well done, everyone is really proud of you.
Try Scorers for Llanharan:
Jack Brooks
Jack Walker
Joe Davies 2
Leon Burton
Joe Buckle
Scott Jones kicked 2 penalties and 4 conversions.
Photos are courtesy of Dan Minto Photography. Thank you Dan, you took some brilliant shots of the boys yesterday.
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