Category: 1st XV News

It was a bright sunny afternoon with a blustery wind coming in from the town end but the first derby of the afternoon was set, kicking off early due to the second derby at Parc y Scarlets between Scarlets and Ospreys at 3pm

With 6 changes to the starting line up after the victory against Bedwas last week, the squad looked set for an afternoon of running rugby.

Llanelli got the game underway, with the strong breeze at their backs. From the off the Quins looked to continue where they had finished last week, moving the ball across the backline with swift hands between centres Josh Batcup and Nick Reynolds setting Dylan Morgans up the touchline only for Llanelli to be penalised at the breakdown in the first 5 minutes. Jac Wilson’s first penalty opportunity was a successful one to get the Quins on the scoreboard.

The scoreboard remained unchanged in the first 20 minutes as both teams fought hard in both attack and defence. The Quins pack were dominant in the scrum and led to Scrum Half Gareth Rees looking sharp in attack from a quick tap penalty only to be turned over. The Quins lineout was not at its best and an overthrow set Llanelli on the attack in the 22^ndminute. Keeping the ball and pressurising the Quins try line Llanelli blindside Flanker Joel James picked up from the base of a ruck to be driven over from close range to get the opening try of the match. The try was converted by Outside Half Jonny Lewis.

Quins were made to make an early substitution with Scrum Half Gareth Rees taking a knock to the head and was replaced by Liam Davies on 30 minutes. Quins kept working hard into the wind towards the end of the first half and were rewarded with their first try on 37 minutes when substitute Liam Davies spotted a gap on the blindside and went over in the corner. The conversion was unsuccessful from the touchline. Llanelli’s indiscipline at the breakdown eventually cost them with Joel James receiving a yellow card on the stroke of half time. Quins went in at half time with a 1 point lead 8-7.

With Llanelli down to 14 men the Quins came out to start the second half with the wind behind them and looked to start where they had finished the first half. With only 3 minutes of the second half gone Quins secured their second try through great hands and finished off under the posts by Shaun Jones, Jac Wilson converting. Quins were now leading 15-7 and had the wind at their backs but basic handling errors and turnovers were stopping the Quins momentum. The lineout continued to malfunction in key areas and this was now a concern as the second half progressed.

Jac Wilson converted another penalty on 52 minutes to take Quins two scores ahead. With the continued handling errors and turnovers in the second half Llanelli kept the pressure on. Llanelli were back down to 14 men in the 58^th minute as Centre Oliver Reyland was yellow carded for an offside offense. The arm wrestle was continuing and 8 minutes later, teams were even as Quins substitute Gethin Robinson received a yellow card.

With just over 10 minutes to go Llanelli kept the pressure on and from another misguided lineout Llanelli took advantage with Number 8 Nathan breaking through to go over in the corner. The conversion went astray and now Llanelli were back within one score.

Llanelli kept hold of the ball playing into the wind and kept the pressure on in both attack and defence. It was in the 75^th minute they were able to find a gap in the Quins defence for young outside centre Joe Roberts to go over bringing the score to 18-17 to Quins. It was a pressure conversion for substitute Ashley Sutton which he converted to take Llanelli ahead again 19-18.

The Quins came back at Llanelli in the closing stages but again the handling errors and turnovers cost us the game.

Final Score Carmarthen Quins RFC 18-19 Llanelli RFC

So it is back to the training ground to rectify the wrongs in readiness for our next fixture away to Aberavon RFC on Saturday 13^th October – Kick Off  2:30pm

Quins  19  Cardiff 13

The City Slickers hit the Town after a good victory over Newport last Saturday, expecting to continue their run. The Quins had other ideas. In wet and windy conditions, the Park was once again in immaculate playing condition.

The Quins made six changes from the Bargoed match and introduced two of their Junior Internationals in Osian Knott and Jac Price to the Premiership. The playing conditions did little to prevent both sides from moving the ball. Despite giving away height and weight, the Quins pack were able to match and better the Cardiff eight throughout the game.

The visitors took a tenth minute lead with a Steff Jones penalty, only to see the hosts level matters minutes later with an Aled Thomas penalty. A  few minutes later a Cardiff attack took play up to the Quins line. An obvious Cardiff knock on was missed and a neat chip over the home defence gave Will Rees-Hole to catch and touch down. Steff Jones took the visitors into double figures with the conversion. The Quins line out was in commanding form, winning their own throw in and often disrupting the Cardiff throw in. Despite being on the wrong end of the whistle, the Quins won a penalty for Aled Thomas to convert and minutes later he slotted over his third to take his side to within a point at the turn around.

The half time talk certainly had its desired effect and the Quins upped the ante. Cardiff tried to use the wind advantage, only to be met with the safe Aled Thomas and Jac Wilson, who used their backs to counter attack with relish, causing the visitors defence all sorts of problems. More strange decisions from the officials added on the frustration of the Quins players, but their patience held and prevented any dangers.

After gaining the upper hand Aled Thomas put over his forth penalty from 40 meters to give the Quins a deserved lead. The Quins tackling was of the highest standard and they drove the Capitals side back time after time. A communication hic- up  led to a brief delay but this did not deter the Quins concentration and after winning a line out 20 meters out, their control and power drove play up to and over the Visitors line for Nick Reynolds to be credited with the score, Aled Thomas converted from the touch line, giving the Quins a two score lead.

The visitors found themselves in a catch-up situation and were met with crunching tackles, and swift counter attacks by the Quins.  They elected to take a pot at Goal in added time in an attempt to get a losing bonus point.

The game was allowed to continue for fully 15 minutes of added time, before the Referee called a halt to signal a well-deserved Quins victory which moves them up into 6th place. All the replacements were used, giving game time to the squad and that vital experience need to improve.

This was a performance that truly shows a fifteen man approach and team spirit that will win them many more matches.

Next week they travel to Bedwas for what promises to be an exciting encounter.

Quins  41    Cross Keys  26

Making two changes from last weeks debacle, the Quins well and truly buried that performance with a 6 try feast. From the kick off into a strong wind, Elis Lloyd was able to gather and take play up to the Keys line. His pack were soon behind him and Ed Siggery was able to power over for an opening minute try, Aled Thomas converted.

From the restart the Quins were able to control their possession and again take play deep in the visitors  22 for Elis Lloyd to crash over, Aled Thomas was on hand with the conversion. The Keys were able to use the strong wind to get out of trouble, but this played into the Quins game plan and from a brilliant counter attack, a move that took them the length  of the field, Dale Ford went over in the Vicarage corner. Aled Thomas put the kick over from the touch line  to complete 3 tries in 13 minutes.

The visitors had no answer to this Quins approach, and their line out dominance and solid scrummaging, gave the Keys very little opportunity to mount any threat. From this they were able counter attack and keep play in the visitors  half despite the strong wind. On the half hour, Keys managed to take play into the Quins half and a clever kick ahead gave G. Ellis the chance to touch down under the posts. Jason Tovey converted.

The Quins were able to use the control they were winning and from yet another counter attack, Liam Davies was on the end of a six  man handling move to go over for the bonus point score and Aled Thomas again did the honours with the conversion, all before the interval. With the elements at their back, a cricket score was envisaged, and as early as the second minute, Aled Thomas slotted over a 35 meter penalty, to restore a four score lead.

A powerful surge upfield led to a scrum under the posts. From this possession the Keys defence  were mesmerised and slick passing to the left gave wing Dylan Morgans plenty of space to cross wide out, for an unconverted try. The Quins were left a little disrupted due substitutions and this gave the Keys pack the chance to use their renewed scrummaging advantage to gain a penalty try. This seemed to give new life to the visitors and the Quins took their foot of the gas, and this enabled Leon Andrews   to steal over for his sides third try.

With the chance of a bonus point try on offer, and playing catch up rugby, the Quins lost concentration to let sub Taylor Hansen through for this added bonus to flatter the Keys score. Tovey took their score to 26 which seemed unlikely for most of the match.

This opening League victory restores the confidence to the squad and they look forward to next weeks match at Bargoed. This performance was down mainly to a team effort and it is hoped they will improve even more in the weeks ahead.

The same as last season, a shaky start as in Llanelli but thank goodness they recovered.

The Quins side included only two players who had not played in the Park, with Haydn Pugh at the helm and Ellis Lloyd starting his tenth season. The opening set piece gave the Quins eight the chance to demonstrate their scrimmaging power and win a penalty, and minutes later Aled Thomas narrowly missed a 35 meter penalty, Dylan Morgan gathered out of defence and tore through visitors defence only to be stopped near the Newport line, and he repeated this scare minutes later, only to be halted once again by desperate defending.

A Newport attack was halted in the Quins 22 and from the resulting counter attack play was taken up to the visitors line. From the scrum that followed, the Quins control enabled Lewys Millen to pick up and shrug of two tacklers to crash over for a try. Aled Thomas converted. These early signs looked promising as the Quins set piece and line out were settled and this gave fly half Jac Wilson chances to gain ground with his boot.. The Black and Ambers were always willing to move the ball around and from such a move the ball was passed around several players giving Matt O’Brien the chance to cross under the posts. He added the points himself.

Rubbing salt into the wounds, minutes later a similar passing bout resulted in O’Brien crossing for his second try and again add the points. The visitors changed end 14 -7 ahead. The Quins looked dejected and despite their enthusiasm there was no method in their attacks with loose passing letting then down.The Black and Ambers were now in confident mood and added two more tries through T Pascoe and K Taylor for O’Brien to convert one and add a penalty with the last kick of the match.

It was a disappointing performance and the team must learn to be patient in their approach and use their obvious talents to better use. With Cross Keys the visitors to the Park next week, more concentration will be needed in this important season

Written by Liz Jones (WRU)

Merthyr head coach Dale McIntosh has laid down the gauntlet to his players – and the rest of the Principality Premiership sides – ‘let’s do our talking on the field and produce a brand of rugby to be proud of this season’.

McIntosh, who has guided the Ironmen to back-to-back Principality Premiership – and Cup – titles after gaining promotion to the top tier of Welsh club rugby two years ago, believes the Premiership coaches and players have a duty to produce an entertaining style of rugby to repay broadcasters BBC and S4C for investing in the league this season.

BBC Wales have pledged to broadcast Principality Premiership rugby on their Scrum V Live programme every Friday evening, there will be highlights and features on Scrum V on Sunday evenings while S4C will also continue to broadcast live Principality Premiership rugby throughout the season along with the WRU National Cup, Plate and Bowl Finals at Principality Stadium.

The former Pontypridd and Wales flanker said, “We as coaches and directors of clubs need to appreciate the investment the broadcasters have made in covering this level of rugby and entertaining the crowd needs to be one of our aims.

“It’s down to us coaches and players to produce a standard of rugby worthy of that commitment. If we can produce a good account of ourselves, I’m sure the clubs will see the value too with additional sponsors.

“There are a lot of nervous people in the Premiership at the moment, us included, with the added pressure of relegation at the end of the season, but it’s time to do the talking on the field and basically put up or shut up. We’ve all got a duty to the game and as clubs I believe our role is to provide the best possible standard of rugby for our level of the game. Whether your level is grassroots club, Premiership or professional, all you can do is be the best you can possibly be. I hope we can inspire some Merthyr youngsters to put on the Merthyr jersey one day and represent their town.”

With the Principality Premiership reducing in size from 16 to 12 clubs next season, McIntosh is not underestimating Merthyr’s task as they attempt to hold onto their crown.

“Defending the title is going to be tougher this season,” added the New Zealand born Welsh international. “There are a lot of strong squads out there and whoever gets into their stride first will steal a march on the other challengers.

“We are all aiming for the top eight spots to avoid the relegation fight and a lot will depend on keeping your squad as healthy as possible. We’ve lost a few key players in the likes of Kristian Phillips and Ed Siggery but we’ve gained some good additions such as Jay Baker, Lewis Williams and Adam Thomas. I think we’ve got better balance up front and a backline to match anyone now. We have always tried to play expansive rugby when the time is right and we will definitely look to put some more width on our game this season.”

Merthyr begin their campaign at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday before welcoming Bedwas to The Wern next weekend. Their first televised fixture is at Stadiwm Zipworld at the end of the month.

“We can’t wait to get started and you can’t get much better than a trip to the Arms Park to kick off the season. Cardiff have recruited strongly and will be guided well this season by half-backs Steff Jones and Martin Roberts.
“Bedwas at home will be interesting – they have a young squad this season but they beat us well at
The Wern in our last two home games against them so we won’t be taking them lightly. It will be fantastic to be part of a great Friday night occasion at RGC at the end of September. RGC will always provide tough opposition and their proud home crowd will give both teams a very warm welcome I’m sure.”

Head of Sport at BBC Cymru Wales Geoff Williams said: “Friday night rugby on the BBC has been a staple part of the sporting diet in Wales for many years, and armchair rugby fans will be delighted to see it continue. By securing these rights, fans will be able to continue to watch free-to-air rugby every week on BBC Cymru Wales as well the Scrum V highlights programme on Sunday evenings.

“The revamped Premiership will be an exciting competition that’s rooted in communities across Wales, and it has a strong following amongst rugby fans. This season, there is certain to be a significant amount of jeopardy and rivalry among the sides vying to top the league and BBC Wales will be there to bring our audiences all the drama from the touchline.”

S4C Sport Content Commissioner Sue Butler said: “Live Welsh club rugby has always been an important part of S4C’s sports output and we are delighted to be continuing our coverage of the Principality Premiership, this time in partnership with BBC Wales.”

WRU Group Chief Executive Martyn Phillips added, “Having the support of BBC Cymru Wales and S4C to show regular, live Principality Premiership rugby is a huge boost for the league, clubs, players and coaches involved. The Principality Premiership clubs are the pinnacle of Welsh club rugby. This is a significant change for the Premiership and an opportunity for reinvention and re-energising the competition. I look forward to an exciting and competitive season.”

Principality Building Society has extended its title sponsorship of the league and the WRU National Youth Leagues for the 2018/2019 season.

The member-owned organisation first lent its Welsh brand to the domestic league’s top division in 2005, and is now set to complete 14-seasons directly supporting the top division in Welsh club rugby, before standing down as title sponsor of the competition.

Julie-Ann Haines Chief Customer Officer at Principality Building Society said: “Principality has agreed to continue as the title sponsor of the Principality Premiership for one further season, which will also include sponsoring of the National Youth Leagues. We’ve had a great reaction from the local clubs for the support we have given them and it has been a pleasure to bring the emerging rugby community together.

“Our partnership with the WRU provides opportunities for people to enjoy life through sport and helps to create memorable experiences for our members and communities. Our clubs are an integral part of their local communities, inspiring young people to take up the game to improve their physical well-being, while socially uniting fans and volunteers to make the league such a success. It promises to be another great season – good luck to all 16 teams.”

Here we go again, but with a great deal more importance on the outcome than we have had for a while. But we have lots to look forward to after a very good preseason under new Head Coach Emyr Phillips and the coaching team.

The playing front has been strengthened by the following senior players:

·         Edward Siggery [flanker] – former Quins mini and junior makes the retun home from last seasons champions Merthyr. Ed has won the Welsh Cup and the League numerous times and the hard nosed winning edge will be a great quality to add to the squad.

·         Mathew John [wing] – Haverfordwest product ‘Snowy’ has played in the Premiership for Cardiff and been a Bedwas stalwart for the last few years. A strong running winning who will get his share of tries and ensure the scoreboard keeps ticking over.

·         Gareth Rees [scrum half] – Ammanford product Rees was a product of the Scarlets age grade system. Currently serving in the Royal Navy, but working locally, Rees will be a real livewire at the base and is a great addition to the group.

·         Liam Davies [scrum half] – experienced scrum half Davies a former Scarlet, Osprey and Brive man will add quality to the pool of players fighting for the 9 jersey. The Llangennech based product has a bullet pass and will keep a few opposition backrows in check this year.

·         Tom Ball [hooker] – Mynyddygareg product Ball was a Scarlets Academy product who spent last season with Swansea. A very fit hooker who is technically sound and will provide real competition and edge at hooker.

In addition the following players have linked up with the squad for the first time and made an excellent contribution to preseason so far and will feature during the season:

·         Carwyn Francis – prop from Carmarthen Athletic

·         Robbie Thomas – wing from Carmarthen Athletic

·         Daf Jones – backrow from Pontyberem

·         Shaun Williams – prop from Hendy

·         Curtis Ford – wing from Kidwelly

·         Elliot Dawe – wing from Felinfoel

·         Rhys Evans – centre from Llandybie

·         Guto Davies – backrow from Crymych

·         Steff Harries – prop from Crymych

Sincere thanks from all at the club to the coaching staff at the above clubs for working with us to  develop these players in the journeys as rugby players.

Our two preseason games versus Tata and Birmingham Moseley have been excellent work outs and our two conditioned training games versus Llandovery and Llanelli have given the boys invaluable experience. We are all looking forward to the coming season with real enthusiasm and the challenge is to build on last seasons challenge where we featured strongly in the run in for the title.

Let’s all get behind the whole group as we look to ensure our club has another successful season which reflects the efforts of the whole club; every club player from mini to senior, every coach in the whole club, every helper, committee man and supporter, lets ensure we all have a season to remember.

I must also on behalf of the first fifteen squad and staff wish the other teams in the club every success for the season, from minis, juniors, youth and girls and womens rugby, have a great season.

Enjoy your rugby!

Steff