20 September 2009
Pentrych - Round Robin
The U9's played their first game of 'contact' and tackled their hearts out in pushing Pentyrch really hard before losing 4 - 2. Against a big and well drilled Abercwmboi side they again competed well before leaking some late tries and ultimately losing 6 -0. A really promising start, well done everyone!!
27 September 2009
Pencoed 12 v Llantwit Fardre 2
Sunday saw the U9's travel to Pencoed who kindly offered a fixture at short notice. The team tackled, tackled and tackled again against a well drilled and physically strong side. The final scoreline of (about) 12 - 2 did not reflect the effort that the boys put in and they will hopefully have learnt a lot from the experience. A big thank you to the Pencoed ref for the way he kept the game flowing and provided constant encouragement to our boys.
4 October 2009
Gilfach Goch 4 v Llantwit Fardre 3
The Under 9's showed further improvement. Unfortunately too much X Factor on Saturday night meant the boys started slowly and were 3 - 1 down at the break. A superb second half performance saw some great running rugby and some big 'hits'. Llantwit were finishing by far the stronger and were within inches of a equalising try when the final whistle blew. Much encouragement from a narrow 4 - 3 loss and a first win is now surely only a matter of time!
11 October 2009
Llantwit Fardre 8 v Rhydyfelin 4
The Under 9's thoroughly deserved their first win of the season. Despite their customary slow start and the heavy drizzle the boys played their best rugby so far this season in chalking up a 8 - 4 win. It was great to see some great mauling and rucking and the commitment shown by all 14 boys. Some of the tries were breathtaking with one already being compared (admittedly in the clubhouse some hours later) with Gareth Edwards' try for the Baa Baas against New Zealand. A big well done to all the boys and a special thank you to Ellis Jenkins for kindly refereeing the game.
18 October 2009
Taff's Well 1 v Llantwit Fardre 4
The Under 9's headed to Taffs Well where they received a friendly welcome. A narrow pitch meant that the game was always going to be tight but a concerted team effort and some flashes of individual brilliance saw our boys emerge 4 - 1 winners. The tackling and mauling were excellent and a little more awareness of the importance of passing should lead to greater things. Well done boys!
8 November 2009
Llantwit Fardre 3 v Bridgend Sports 5
After a 2 week break due to the poor weather the U9's returned to action. Unfortunately the boys made their customary slow start and were soon 2 - 0 down against well drilled and organised opponents. However, they soon woke up and competed well. The Bridgend Sports boys must have been watching the All Blacks last night as some of their rucking was first rate. With 2 tries from Casey and one from Alex the boys edged their way back into the game. The commitment from all 13 boys could not be faulted and there were some great tackles and offloads being made. In the end the boys came up just short in losing 3 - 5 but there were many positives to take from today's performance. A special thanks to Ellis for refereeing and well done to Kai who played his first game today.
13 December 2009
Pentyrch 7 v Llantwit Fardre 2
After several weeks on inactivity the U9s were delighted that the weather stayed fair and were able to make the short trip to our friends at Pontyclun. The team were grateful to Andrew and Callum for bolstering the side who competed well against a very well drilled Pentyrch team who also had a couple of individuals of real class. Tries from Alex and Oli meant that Llantwit only trailed by 2 tries with a final 10 minutes to play. However lack of match practice and 8 tired but committed Llantwit boys allowed Pontyclun to pull away and ultimately triumph 7 - 2. Well played to all boys of both sides and a big thank you to the referee for his encouragement and fairness to both sides.
7 February 2010
Tonyrefail 2 v Llantwit Fardre 6
This was the Under 9's first game of the year. It was great to see the hard work that the boys have been putting in during training beginning to pay dividends. After their customary slow start things seemed to click and a great team effort saw the boys record a 6 - 2 victory. Well played everybody!!
14 February 2010
Llantwit Fardre 4 v Pentyrch 7
This was our first return fixture of the season and a good opportunity to judge the progress that the boys had made. This was an excellent game and both teams should be proud of the effort they put in. Pentyrch opened up an early lead before some great individual tries from Dan (2), Casey and Alex some the visitor's lead reduced to one. However in the end Pentyrch's superior rucking and mauling saw them earn a well deserved win by 7 tries to 4.
28 February 2010
Llantwit Fardre 10 v Treharris 6
The Under 9's returned to action on Central Park with Treharris the visitors. Treharris only had 6 players so over the course of 3 halves 6 of our boys had an opportunity of wearing Treharris colours. Some of the hard work in training is beginning to pay dividends, particularly the rucking. After our customary slow start the boys began to up the pace and were able to take control. Although the tries were shared between Casey, Alex and Oliver it was great to see everyone get their hands on the ball and get more and more involved. The final score was 10 - 6. A big thanks to Treharris for agreeing to referee the game and we wish them well for the rest of the season.
7 March 010
Beddau 4 v Llantwit Fardre 3
The Under 9's turned up at Beddau to find Pontypridd and Tonyrefail also waiting for a game. A hastily arranged round robin meant that the boys had a busy morning on their hands. First up were Pontypridd. A fantastic first half performance disrupted Ponty's well oiled machine and Llantwit trailed by just 1 try as the half time whistle blew. With the advantage of the slope in the second half some spectators' thoughts turned to the possibility of a famous victory but Ponty's superior power, technique and individual skill ensured that they ultimately eased to a 7 - 0 win.
Next up were a spirited Tonyrefail side who were missing a couple of key players. A great team performance with improved rucking and mauling skills enabled our 'pace men' to find some open spaces and take our side to a well deserved 8 - 1 win. A special well done to Kai for his first try for the 'Blues'.
Finally we locked horns with our hosts Beddau. A great first half performance saw the boys lead 3 - 0 at half time thanks to a full length of the pitch 'Dan special' and some other well worked tries. However the second half saw Beddau respond very well and despite never letting their heads drop Beddau snatched a thrilling victory with the last move of the match.
All in all a great morning's rugby and a big well done to the 14 boys who gave their all ..............and perhaps a little bit more!!
14 March 2010
Llantwit Fardre 3 v Abercwmboi 3
On a beautiful early spring morning we entertained Abercwmboi. We had met right at the start of the season and been on the end of a 6 - 0 loss so today was going to be a good indicator of how far our boys had progressed. We weren't to be disappointed. For once we were quick out of the blocks with early tries for Dan and Casey. Abercwmboi found their form to level the game at 2 - 2 with the final 'third' to play. A super try for Dan after great team work helped secure a turnover saw Llantwit edge in front again with a couple of minutes remaining. Abercwmboi threw everything they had at our defence. Some great try line defence kept our visitors at bay until the relentless pressure finally told with Abercwmboi squeezing over in the corner with the last play of the match. A fantastic match played in good spirits with good intensity - well done everybody!!
21 March 2010
Round Robin at Glyncoch
Under 9's - Glyncoch RFC hosted our under 9's in a round robin against last week's opponents Abercwmboi and Pontypridd. Abercwmboi started well and were soon 3 - 0 up. However a try with the last play of the first half from Alex game us some hope. The second half saw a much improved performance with some tremendous tackling - special mention for some of the crunching hits put in by Joe. A late try in the corner by Oli was unfortunately too little too late and the final score was 4 - 2 to Abercwmboi. Next up were Ponty and again the boys gave 100% against a very good team. Some of the defending was first class and there was a big improvement in the rucking and mauling. We were also able to put them under more pressure than when we last met. However Ponty's sheer physicality and ability to move the ball wide meant that they ended up winners by 8 tries to nil. A great team effort and Thomas Hunter, in particular will no doubt sleep well tonight for his non stop grafting.
28 March 2010
Tour - New Quay, West Wales
First up were our hosts Aberaeron. Any concerns that after 2 late nights our boys would struggle seemed justified as Aberaeron scored the first try of the game with barely a hand being laid on any of our opponents. However our boys were quickly into their stride and making some big hits against our strong and skillful opponents. Unfortunately Joe and Ieuan picked up some injuries as they threw themselves into their tackling. Tries from Casey (2), Dan and Oli saw Llantwit take the lead with only minutes remaining. However with the last play of the game Aberaeron drew level and we all agreed that 4 - 4 was a very fair result.
Next up were Aberystwyth who although smaller were if anything more physical than Aberaeron. Llantwit played out of their skins with some fantastic defence and vastly improved rucking. Aberystwyth scored just before half time and even though we threw everything at them our boys just failed to grab the try they needed to bring the scores level. A special mention to Louie who battled through some stomach pains to make a big contribution to the team. A 1 - 0 loss was no disgrace against a very good side.
A big thank you to Aberaeron for hosting us. We look forward to returning in the future. Finally we hope the boys enjoyed tour. We were proud of the way they behaved both on and off the field and were a real credit to the club. And parents.............you were pretty good too!!!
16 May 2010
Abercwmboi Festival
After the excesses of Presentation night 9 weary young souls turned up at Abercwmboi. A lacklustre warm up did not bode well but as soon as the boys pulled on their Llantwit jerseys they were transformed. Treorchy were our first opponents and great tackling and some fantastic running meant that the boys opened their account with a 6 - 0 win. Next up were Abercwmboi - we have had some titantic struggles already this season and today was no exception. A great team effort saw the game end in a 3 -3 draw. The more mathematically enabled worked out that anything but a loss against Beddau would see our boys through to the semi finals. The boys were soon 2 - 0 up and although Beddau pulled one try back gritty resolve and some great tackling meant that the boys emerged 2 -1 winners and topped their pool.
Penallta were our semi final opponents and a great run by Dan was finished off in the corner by the ubiquitous Tom Hunter. Penallta then threw everything at us and great defence and 100% commitment meant that we were still in front with only minutes remaining. However Penallta first drew level and then scored in the corner with the last move of the game. Slight disappointment soon gave way to enormous pride in the way the boys had performed - what a way to end the season!!
Finally a big thank you to Abercwmboi for inviting us to their first festival a big well done from the Under 9's to Llantwit U7's for emerging as tournament winners.
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