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Cefn Coed Youth 5 Abercynon Youth 20
Playing their last game of the season Cefn Coed produced a fine performance in this hard fought fixture on a rock solid playing surface on a very warm afternoon. Abercynon started strongly throwing everything at a stubborn Cefn defence who held out until 5 minutes before half-time. Abercynon created the overlap and last ditched tackles from Ieuan Barrett and Matthew Costigan could not prevent the Cynon Valley outfit from scoring the try which was well converted from 30 metres.
With the half-time scores standing at 0 - 7 Cefn added the scrummaging power of Nathan Nicholls and this contributed to hooker Corey Davies taking four balls against the head in the second half which allowed Cefn to launch a number of fine attacks. Cefn's Kane Evans produced an excellent Man of the Match display coming close to scoring on two occasions but Cefn could not capitalise on his breaks. Abercynon extended their lead to 0 - 20 through two further tries and a penalty before Cefn notched up their only points of the fixture through hooker Corey Davies who forced his way through the visitors' defence to ground the ball for the try, his last in Youth rugby.
Cefn finished very strongly destroying the Abercynon forwards in the mauls with fine work from Aaron Warren, Luke Ryan, Jay Segerson and ever improving prop Aled Morgan, the Cefn pack managing to maul their visitors 30 metres down the field on numerous occasions.
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Merthyr 'B' Youth 15 Cefn Coed Youth 13
This midweek fixture threw up a classic encounter with the lead flitting between both sides until the result was decided minutes from the final whistle. Cefn started strongly and opened the scoring through Matthew Rolls who crashed over for the try after excellent work from Hywel Scott-Thomas and Michael Driscoll. Merthyr then struck back to take the lead just before half-time.
With Cefn playing some fine rugby and dominating the contact area through their forwards it was inevitable that another score was on the cards and James McCormack powered over the line to ground the ball for an excellent score which Nathan Driscoll duely converted.
With the minutes ticking by Merthyr score what was to be the winning try but Cefn continued to surge forward and nearly scored on two occasions late in the game through Matthew Rolls and Alex Thomas but were denied a well deserved win by a stubborn Merthyr defence. This match was a great advert for rugby in the Merthyr Borough as two fine side fought out an outstanding duel.
Unfortunately Cefn could not continue with their recent great form over the past few weeks and went down 38 - 5 against a very strong Brecon outfit in their penultimate league fixture of the season with Kane Evans score their only try of the day.
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Mountain Ash Youth 5 Cefn Coed Youth 6
This was a superb display from a Cefn side weakened by unavailability of players for various reasons but the squad selected put on a gritty, workman-like performance to overturn a physical Mount outfit. Cefn played much of the first half defending but went into the interval with the scores at 0 - 0.
The second half was far different as Cefn had soaked up everything that the home side could muster and it was their turn to attack. Good work from Ieuan Barrett led to a break down the wing but he was guided into touch deep in the Mount half, next up was a cracking attack from Alex Thomas who power into the Mount defence and was halted by a last gasp tackle. Then came Cefn's best chance of the match as the forwards drove on Aaron Warren power towards the line but the referee penalised the home side for collapsing the maul on their own try line. Nathan Driscoll stepped forward to slot over the resulting kick to take Cefn into a 0 - 3 lead.
This score spurred on the home side who replied with a well worked try, the Mount back lie released their winger to ground the ball in the corner but they failed to convert the kick from the touchline. With minutes ticking by and Cefn now trialing by 2 points Mount were penalised for off-side and after some back chat the referee advanced to kick on 10 metres which took this within kicking distance. Nathan again stepped forward to convert the penalty from 35 metres to allow Cefn to win the game with two minutes remaining on the referee's watch. There were excellent displays notably from Jamie Price and Aaron Warren who shared the Man of the Match Award.
Next up for Cefn is an away fixture against Brecon Youth RFC in the Heart of Wales League.
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Abercynon Youth 27 Cefn Coed Youth 3
Cefn defended for much of the first half has Abercynon placed them under enormous pressure pinning the young Cefn outfit back in their own half for long spells of time. Nathan Driscoll slotted over a penalty kick for Cefn Coed to equalise an earlier 3 points by their hosts to take the scores to 3 - 3. The young Green Army were defending everything that was being thrown at them but with one lapse in concentration the home side were able to slide in at the corner for the only try of the half just a minute before the half-time whistle.
The second half started well for Cefn who were now playing down the slight slope and with the wind at their backs and this made a big difference for much of this period as Cefn produced some fine moves with centres Alex Thomas and Rhys Davies prominent in attack. Cefn did cross the try line but were denied the try as the referee failed to see Luke Ryan grounding the ball and this was judged to have been held up.
With man of the match scrum-half Jamie Price making his comeback from a serious shoulder injury Cefn were able to re-cycle quick ball and be a constant threat throughout. There were excellent displays from Corey Davies, Aaron Warren, Rhys Edwards and Matthew Rolls but this was all to no avail as Abercynon ran in three late tries to win this match. The score defiantly did not reflect the match in question nor the effort put in by the Cefn outfit who were excellent on the day.
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Treharris Youth 7 Cefn Coed Youth 8
Watching Cefn Coed Youth in the last two weeks hasn't been for the faint hearted with both games being decided in the dying seconds. Cefn produced an excellent first half performance controlling much of the possession and territory but a resilient Treharris defence kept them at bay leaving the interval scores standing at 0 - 0.
The second half started much the same with Cefn pushing for the score and they came close on two occasions through Shane McDonnell and Matthew Rolls before No. 8 Luke Ryan finally broke the deadlock as he picked up from the base of a ruck to smash his way over the try line for the try. Now with Treharris trailing it was the home side who were pressurising and doing all the running but with Cefn Coed's stand-in Captain Hywel Scott-Thomas, prop Aled Morgan and centres Rhys Davies and Alex Thomas producing superb performances in defence the hosts were finding it difficult to score.
Cefn's defence was finally breached in the last minute of the game as Treharris scored a try and conversion which looked to have won the game but with the referee signalling one more re-start and Cefn had to regain possession to have any chance of producing the win. Nathan Driscoll placed up a high re-start which he followed himself aided by No.8 Luke Ryan, they tackled the receiver to the ground and the penalty was finally awarded for holding-on on the floor. Nathan Driscoll stepped forward and slotted over the penalty from 30 metres to win the game with the final kick of the match breaking the hearts of the young Treharris outfit.
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Cefn Coed Youth 14
Tredegar Youth 13
Tredegar started very strongly and caught Cefn Coed cold scoring two tries in the first 5 minutes after turning over Cefn ball at two rucks and spreading the ball wide on both occasions to score in the corner, both tries went unconverted. Cefn then settled into a pattern and began to gain a foot hold in the game forcing Tredegar back every minute of the half which allowed Cefn to spend the last 10 minutes of the first half camped in the visitors twenty two. Cefn came close on three occasions in the first half through Jay Segerson, Shane McDonnell and centre Alex Thomas who played his first game for three months after illness.
The second half started with the Tredegar flyhalf slotting over a superb drop-goal to take the scores to 13 - nil to the visitors. Cefn then grew in confidence using the forwards to power through the Tredegar defensive line which allowed Corey Davies to notch up his third try of the season picking up from the base of a ruck and crashing over for the score, Nathan Driscoll then slotted over the conversion.
Cefn now had the upper hand in the forward contest although the very cold conditions were making handling in the back line difficult which allowed Tredegar to re-gain possession on a number of occasions to clear their own lines. Cefn were now placing the visitors under enormous pressure and eventually scored the winning try through Matthew Rolls, Michael Driscoll took excellent line-out ball which allowed the Cefn forwards to surge through the Tredegar pack with Rolls grounding the ball, Nathan Driscoll kicked the conversion to leave the final scores standing at 14 - 13. Cefn did have to withstand a late Tredegar rally but they held on for the win.
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Cefn Coed Youth 22
RTB Ebbw Vale Youth 7
Cefn Coed produced a fine performance to overturn RTB Ebbw Vale on a snow cover field on an icy cold day. Starting strongly Cefn opened the scoring when Matthew Rolls kicked the ball into the corner then following his own kick to gather and dive over the try line for the first score of the day. Matthew Rolls then doubled his and Cefn's tally when he crossed the try line for the second time after receiving a looped pass from Nathan Driscoll in a three versus two situation, Driscoll converted the try to take the scores to 12 - nil. Nathan Driscoll then added a penalty after the RTB forwards were penalised for handling in the ruck which left the scores standing at 15 - nil at half-time.
The second half started with the referee constantly on the whistle penalising both sides for infringements at the contact area, so with this constant flow of penalties it was inevitable that the referee would brandished cards and brandished he did showing Cefn Coed 2 Yellows and 1 Red plus a Yellow for RTB. With the team numbers now reduced to 12 versus 14 Cefn had to defend hard for 10 minutes till their numbers were at least restored to 14 men but not having conceded any points it was tremendous effort from all concerned.
RTB then reduced Cefn's lead to 15 - 7 before Aaron Warren scored a fine forwards try as he crashed over from short range after good work from James McCormack and Luke Ryan, Driscoll then added the conversion to leave the final scores standing at 22 - 7 at the final whistle. There were notable performances from Hywel Scott-Thomas, Jay Segerson and man of the match Matthew Costigan who was only playing his third game at scrum half.
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Bedlinog Youth 23
Cefn Coed Youth 5
Bedlinog were far the stronger team in a scrappy first half littered with mistakes as both teams played only their second game in twelve weeks due to the terrible weather conditions of the last few months. Cefn let in two tries in a fifteen minute spell as they fought back against a tide of penalties which were conceded at the contact area.
Cefn started the second half trailing 18 - nil but they fought back strongly and controlled much of the forward play for the next 35 minutes, coming close on a few occasions through Hywel Scott-Thomas and Perry Lander. Cefn traded tries with Bedlinog in the second half with Michael Driscoll finally crossing the try line for the visitors scoring a fine try after good work from Owen Pugsley and Aaron Warren.
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Cefn Coed Youth 3
Bedlinog Youth 9
Bedlinog started strongly and pinned the young Cefn side back into their own half for long periods of time in the first half, notching up 3 penalties to take the score to nil - 9 at half time in the this Heart of Wales Cup fixture. The first half Cefn showed signs of their long lay-off due to the bad weather but the Second half was a completely different story as Cefn piling on the pressure and restricting Bedlinog to very few opportunities.
Cefn continued to play well right throughout the final stages of the stop start encounter but could only manage a solitary 3 points from the boot of Keiron Davies. There were excellent performances from Perry Lander, Matthew Costigan and the ever present Hywel Scott-Thomas.
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Cefn Coed Youth 10
Neath Athletic Youth 20
This was a gallant effort from Cefn Coed Youth who pushed Neath Athletic Youth all the way to the final whistle in this titanic encounter. Neath started strongly scoring within two minutes of the start, quick ball being presented to their backs who carved open the Cefn defence for the Neath wing to score in the corner.
Cefn replied quickly with a penalty from Keiron Davies who slotted over the kick after the Neath defence killed the ball at the contact area to take the scores to 3 - 5. With the Cefn side now over the early shock the home team began to turn the screw on the Neath pack, who were struggling to cope with the front three of Corey Davies, Jay Segerson and Shane McDonnell. Cefn were now in control of the contact area demolishing the visitors’ scrums and stealing line-out ball through Captain Michael Driscoll for the remainder of the first half. Unfortunately Cefn fell further behind minutes before half time when a breakaway try and a late penalty by Neath left the home side trialling 3 - 13 at the interval.
Cefn came out in the second half throwing everything at Neath who were now pinned back in their own half for long spells of play as Cefn thrust forward with purpose looking for points. This score came when the Cefn pack marauded forward allowing Michael Driscoll to peel off the back of a maul and thunder over for the try, Keiron Davies stepped up and converted from in front of the posts. Cefn continued to push for the score coming close through Hywel Scott-Thomas, Rhys Davies and Kane Evans but all fell cruelly short.
With Cefn throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Neath it was inevitable that gaps would appear in the home defence and the visitors' wing took full advantage of one of these gaps sprinting a full 70 metres to score what was to be the killer blow in Cefn's Welsh Cup hopes.
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Cefn Coed Youth 21 Treharris Youth 11
This was a tremendous result for Cefn Coed Youth RFC who entered this fixture with 13 squad members missing through illness, injuries or work. Playing much of the first half in Treharris territory Cefn were unlucky not to open the scoring through Hywel Scott-Thomas who crashed over to score after good work from the Cefn pack but the referee disallowed the try due to an earlier infringement.
Cefn maintained their pressure on Treharris and they were rewarded for their endeavour after 18 minutes with a Rhys Davies try. Rhys Davies gathered a Lewis Morgan pass 10 metres out and powered through the visitors defence before grounding the ball for the score, fly half Keiron Davies adding the conversion for a 7 - nil lead.
Treharris crept back into this fixture as Cefn's indiscipline at the contact area allowed their opponents to kick two penalties to leave the scores standing at 7 - 6 when the half-time whistle sounded.
Cefn continued to pressurise Treharris at the beginning of the second half and with the score finely balanced Treharris were finding themselves being pushed deeper and deeper into their own half and it was from that pressure Cefn were allowed to carve open their next try score opportunity. Lewis Morgan kicked a penalty to touch on the Treharris five metre line and from the resulting line-out scrum half Kirk Barrett found stand-in Loose Head Prop Nathan Nichollos who marauded forward through the on-rushing defence to crash over to score under the posts, again Keiron Davies slotted over the conversion.
With the Cefn pack now in control of the contact area and the Treharris back line having to commit to more and more defensive work it was inevitable that fly half Keiron Davies would find the gap to score his fifth try of the season which he converted himself to take the score to 21 - 6. A late lapse in concentration from the home defence allowed Treharris to score a well earned consolation try, Treharris using their overlap to good effect to score in the corner.
Next up for Cefn Coed Youth RFC will be a difficult trip to Abercynon for a league fixture on 24th October, 2009.
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Cefn Coed Youth 0 Bedlinog Youth 3
This was a titanic battle against two well match sides as Cefn Coed dominated the first half and Bedlinog the second. Cefn threw everything at Bedlinog in a frustrating first half as the visitors held out to keep the scores at 0 - 0 even though Cefn had come close on three occasions through Corey Davies twice and flanker Hywel Scott-Thomas.
The second half saw Cefn dominate in the line-out but suffer in the scrums, this scrummage ball gave Bedlinog the platform to attack Cefn at will but a strong Cefn defence held out until 10 minutes before time. The referee awarded a penalty to Bedlinog which they converted, this left Cefn trailing 3 - 0 with only minutes left on the clock. Cefn pushed for the winning score but they were unable to get the try they needed to win the game and in the final minute of play a missed penalty from fly half Keiron Davies went inches wide and even that was not enough to salvage the draw.
Next Saturday Cefn Coed Youth RFC host Treharris Youth RFC at the Vaynor Playing Fields (Cefn Coed).
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Gwernyfed Youth 14 Cefn Coed Youth 3
This was yet another frustrating weekend for Cefn Coed Youth, having dominated possession and territory for much of this game Cefn were unable to score the vital points to overcome a well organised Gwernyfed squad. A strong wind hampered the home side for much of the first half with Cefn opening the scoring through a Keiron Davies penalty after Gwernyfed were caught off side, two later penalties were missed due to the strong wind blowing them just off target as Cefn continued to push the home side deeper and deeper into their own half. Gwernyfed finally got a grip on the game when their fullback skipped through three tackles to release his winger how crossed to score under the posts and the conversion was added to take the half-time score to 7 - 3.
Michael Driscoll was again dominant in the line-out steeling valuable opposition ball whilst maintaining 100% on Cefn's own throw, this allowed Cefn to cross the Gwernyfed try line on two occasions during the first half. The two opportunities came from catch and drive ball deep inside the Gwernyfed 22 metre line by Michael Driscoll and Hywel Scott-Thomas and they were both deemed to have been held up by the referee as he was unable to see the ball clearly.
The second half started much the same as the first had finished with Cefn Coed controlling the pace of the game and maintaining possession for long periods of time, running through phase after phase but not producing the killer edge they showed in their first four games of this season. Cefn were denied another two tries by the referee in the second half through Luke Ryan and Aaron Warren, the referee again could not see the grounding of the ball so he awarded the 5 metre scrum as there was forward momentum from the Cefn Coed pack, who were now well on top.
Gwernyfed secured the win with a breakaway try from well inside their own half minutes before the final whistle which left the final score standing at 14 - 3.
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Cefn Coed Youth 0 v Mountain Ash Youth 21
After only two minutes Mountain Ash took a 7 - nil lead against a shocked Cefn Coed who failed to take the opening kick-off and from a resulting penalty the Mountain Ash centre found the gap and sprinted in to score the first try of the day. The following 15 minutes of play was a very niggly affair with both packs trying to gain the upper hand and the referee constantly on his whistle awarding minor penalties for offences in the contact area.
Eventually the Cefn pack took control up-front and they began to dominate in all areas of play taking balls against the head in the scrums, taking opposition line-out ball and turning over ball at the contact area. Michael Driscoll was now playing a stormer at second row winning all his own line-out ball and taking the majority of the Mount ball which gave Cefn the platform to launch attack after attack at the Mount back line who defended brilliantly all afternoon. Mount extended their lead just before half-time with another breakaway try which left Cefn Coed trailing 14 - nil at the interval.
Cefn were now playing 80% of their rugby down in the Mount half and dominating possession but Cefn were unable to break the Mount defence. Kane Evans had a break down the right and Lewis Morgan down the left but the Mount cover defence snuffed out both oppotunities just inside their own twenty two metre line. The Cefn forwards came close on a number of occasions but failed to breakdown the resilient Mount back line. There were notable performances from Hywel Scott-Thomas, Aaron Warren and Matthew Rolls but all to no avail as Mount scored a third breakaway try minutes from the final whistle to leave the scores standing at 21 - nil to the visitors who took the spoils in this first League encounter of the season and shatter Cefn's 100% winning record.
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Cefn Coed Youth 26 RTB Ebbw Vale Youth 18
An impressive display from Cefn Coed Youth gave the young squad their fourth win from only four outings this season against a talented RTB Ebbw Vale side who visited Cefn and left with their heads held high after a spirited performance.
RTB took on Cefn right from the outset and shot into an early 8 - nil lead after a fine try and a penalty kick which was converted from all of 50 metres. After the early shock Cefn settled into their stride and produced two superb tries of their own, the first through Rhys Davies who carved open the RTB defence after good approach play by fellow centre Lewis Morgan. Then RTB added to their score with a penalty before Cefn scored their second try of the game when hooker Corey Davies found some room in the loose which allowed him to power towards the line, crashing over to score with several RTB forwards in tow. Keiron Davies slotted over the conversion to allow Cefn to take a 12 - 11 lead at the half-time interval.
Cefn opened the second half well retaining the ball for long periods of time and testing the ever present RTB defence who were now tiring as the tackle count was mounting. Due to front row injuries sustained RTB opted for passive scrums which took the edge off the dominance of the Cefn forwards, particularly props Shane McDonnell and Jay Segerson who destroyed the visitors scrum on many an occasion during the afternoon.
Keiron Davies continued his fine run of scoring in every game this season by running in under the posts to score before Man of the Match Corey Davies rounded off an excellent afternoon with his second try of the game, Keiron Davies again added the conversion.
All the Cefn squad would like to wish flanker Benjamin Arthur a speedy recovery after he was hospitalised on Sunday afternoon with a leg injury which he sustained in the dying minutes of this pulsating encounter.
Cefn Scorers were:
Tries - Corey Davies 2, Rhys Davies & Keiron Davies
Conversions - Keiron Davies 3
