Year 9 keep Welsh Cup hopes alive.
Brynteg yr 9: 7 Gowerton yr 9: 22.
Tom Howell takes on his opposite number with James Rudderham in support.
Late tries ensure Gowerton go through to the semi-final.
Gowerton’s year 9 team travelled to Bridgend to take on Brynteg in the last eight of the Welsh Schools’ Cup competition. The visitors knew they faced a tough task if they were to reach the semi-final of the competition, with the hosts having a tradition of producing strong rugby teams.
The hosts kicked off and the early stages saw the visitors on the front foot with lock Morgan Morris and prop Steffan Gibbon both carrying the ball strongly and with flanker and captain Will Jones controlling the tackle area the forwards were able to give a regular supply of quality possession to their backs which allowed them to probe for weaknesses in the home defence and after good work by wing Steffan Tyrrell they took the lead when full back Keelan Giles crossed for a try converted by centre Tom Howell.
Flanker Rhys Evans who dominated the lineout, powers forward.
Gowerton continued to have the better of the game, with flankers Rhys Evans and Jones aided by the excellent throwing of hooker Dafydd Williams dominating the lineout and with a regular supply of quality possession, fly half Philip Jones varied play intelligently. The visitors were unable to add to their initial score due to the outstanding defence of the hosts for whom flanker and captain Luke Williams and full back Stuart Floyd-Ellis worked tirelessly.
Despite the visitors’ pressure it was Brynteg who were next to score. A kick deep into Gowerton’s territory bounced awkwardly and when it was eventually gathered full back Floyd-Ellis nipped in to intercept the pass and score in the corner. Fly half Luke Bevan added an excellent touchline conversion that left the teams locked together at 7-7 at the break.
Jordon Liney, who scored the second try, is held up over the line.
The second half started in a similar vein to the first, with Gowerton on the front foot and the combination of excellent home defence and a propensity for the visitors to spill the ball in contact meant that the scores remained tied as the game entered the last quarter.
Then in the 44thminute, centre Jordon Liney chipped ahead and won the chase to score in the corner and put the visitors back in front. Gowerton continued to press and hooker Williams, centre Liney and No.8 Jack Cambriani were all held up over the line. It seemed inevitable that Gowerton would score again and the hosts’ defensive effort eventually took its toll and the visitors crossed twice in the final five minutes to cement their place in the last four. First centre Howell crossed after a move from a scrum on the hosts’ ‘22, and then full back Giles counter attacked from inside his own half and linked up with No.8 Cambriani who crossed to complete the scoring.
Gowerton have been drawn to play the winners of Whitchurch HS (Cardiff) and Glyncoed (Ebbw Vale) in the semi-final.
Captain Will Jones starts an attack from a scrum in Brynteg’s ’22.
Tom Howell finishes the attack by scoring in the corner.
Photographs: Connor Brannan yr 9.
