CARMARTHEN QUINS : Official Website

Quins  27  Bedwas 13

Due to the recent spate of bad weather, the Park was the only venue left in the Principality Premiership to survive. Having taken the honours away at Bedwas by just the one point, the Quins were keen to make it a double and a step nearer safety.

The Quins started on the front foot and moved the ball about at pace keeping their supporters on their toes on this bitterly cold afternoon. A 5th minute penalty gave Aled Thomas the chance to put the home side ahead and encouraged their players to keep the ball alive with attack being the watchword. After eleven minutes this approach backfired when an attempt to run the ball out of defence was intercepted giving wing Jordan Rees a clear run in under the posts, for Evan Lloyd to convert.

This just urged the Quins into keeping up their attacking style and Aled Thomas reduced the deficit with his second penalty midway through the half. The visitors were forced to pull out all the stops to defend desperately and after a patient build up, play was driven to near the  Bedwas line. A power drive after winning a line out was just stopped inches short and from another line out the Quins were determined not to be denied and their usual power play gave Shaun Jones the chance to touch down for Aled Thomas to regain the Quins lead.

Bedwas were quick to respond and this time it was the Quins defence who had to work overtime for next five minutes before the interval to keep their line intact. The visitors were rewarded for their efforts but missed two penalty attempts within minutes of each other but after 44 minutes  Evan Lloyd was on target to bring his side to within three points of the Quins total.

The Quins set piece and Line out were working well and gave the visitors little chance to threaten the Quins defence. From this line out control, the Quins were able to exploit a gap and after drawing the cover defence a well-timed pass to Gethin Davies saw him make the twenty meters to go over under the posts. Aled Thomas did the honours with the conversion.

Play was kept alive with some enterprising moves and credit to both defences the score line stayed quiet and with the eighty minutes nearly up the Bedwas skipper decided to take a pot a goal and gain a bonus point which was duly converted by Evan Lloyd.

The Quins response was immediate and after a powerful surge upfield from the restart, the reliable Dylan Morgans sliced through an overstretched defence to score a fine try. Aled Thomas conversion was the last touch of the match and the Quins took the league points and move up to 8th place and closer to survival.

The Quins will play five teams below them in the League in their remaining fixtures, so they have all to play for, but the bottom five Clubs face a tricky couple of months in their bid for a place in next seasons Premiership

 

The Quins travel  to Parc y Scarlets next Friday evening and take on Llanelli RFC who will be desperate to win in their bid to stay afloat, but the Quins will be all out to get revenge for the defeat at Home Kick off a Parc y Scarlets is at 7.15 pm.

Quins  39    Bargoed 17

 

Quins Head Coach Emyr Phillips made six changes from the narrow Cup defeat heralded a must win approach, and as in most matches both sides tried to settle early, but after just 3 minutes the Quins went ahead with an Aled Thomas penalty.

 

This was followed by a period of  both sides attempting to move the ball with defences getting the better of things. After 17 minutes a Quins attack was thwarted and the visitors were quick to counter with several players handling to put James Leadbeater away to cross for a well taken try, Josh Prosser added the extra points. The Quins were quick to react and after several dangerous attacks play was camped in the Bargoed 22,.From a line out, the Quins control sucked in the visitors defence and Steff Marshall had amble room and time to put in an accurate cross kick to the Vicarage corner for Aled Thomas to gather and go over for a text book try to retake the lead after 25 minutes. His conversion was just wide.

 

The visitors were pinned down in their own half and from a charge down the Quins were awarded a penalty for Aled Thomas to increase the Quins lead. Prosser managed a penalty to narrow the lead after 32 minutes.  The patience of the Quins control kept play in the Bargoed half and the action was moved from left then back to the right ,keeping the visitors defence on their toes, but such was the Quins possession that a score had to develop and sure enough after 39 minutes the overlap was found out right for Dale Ford to race over.Aled Thomas converted to end the half with the Quins  ahead 18-10

 

The Quins eight were getting the better of things and play was switched from side to side and the visitors defence were kept at full stretch. Steff Marshall was able to find the touch line with long probing efforts, keeping play in the Bargoed half and this gave Osian Knott the space he used well and he went over for try number three. Aled Thomas slotted the conversion. The home side were in full control and kept their supporters satisfied with penetrating runs and power plays.

 

From yet another team effort play was forced into the visitors 22 and the ever improving Lewys Millin was on the end of a charge to score the bonus point try for Aled Thomas to convert. The Quins were well on top and plenty of ball movement gave their backs the  action that pleased their supporters, which led to another skilful bout of play that gave Torin Myhill the room to dash over for try number five, Aled Thomas added the extra points taking his tally up to 19 points.

 

All credit must be given to Bargoed as their never say die attitude gave Josh Howells the chance to find a gap to cross for a well-deserved try for Rosser to convert. The final ten minutes saw both sides open play at all times and this was a fine example of the skill ,intensity and  spirit of the Premier Division.

 

Other Premier Matches highlighted the fine example of what the Division has to offer and develop and this must be stressed to the people who say otherwise. This victory increases the gap between the bottom five Clubs and with five fixtures against sides below them the Quins must feel well on target to survive.

 

Next Friday we travel to the capital to face an encounter with Cardiff RFC who in fine form.

 

Friday 18^th January 2019 – KO – 8:00pm

So the end of 2018 is nearly upon us and what a way to finish the year on a high with a local derby against our Regional opponents Llandovery RFC.

Here are your final 2018 #mightquins match day 23 selected to face Llandovery RFC live on S4C Y Clwb Rygbi.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy new year and best wishes for 2019

Carmarthen Quins RFC v Llandovery RFC

Friday 28th December 2018 – Kick Off 7:30pm

15 Aled Thomas

14 Dale Ford

13 Jack Price

12 Josh Batcup

11 Dylan Morgans

10 Steffan Marshall

9 Jonathan Evans

1 Steff Phillips

2 Torin Myhill

3 Javan Sebastian

4 Lee Taylor

5 Hayden Pugh ( c )

6 Shaun Jones

7 Ellis Lloyd

8 Lewys Millin

Replacements

16 Thomas Kaijacks

17 Thomas Ball

18 Connor Allen

19 Ed Siggery

20 Gethin Davies

21 Gareth Rees

22 Osian Knott

23 Curtis Ford

Quins  13  Pontypridd  16

The Quins made four changes from the Ebbw Vale match, to take on 2nd placed Pontypridd on a wet and miserable afternoon.

Almost from the kick-off the Quins were awarded a penalty only to see Aled Thomas kick sail inches wide. The Quins pack were up against a heavier and more experienced eight but soon settled and were able to win their own put in at both line out and set piece, and after 10 minutes Aled Thomas put the Quins ahead with a 35 yard penalty.

Jac Wilson was able to nurse the touch line which gained valuable ground, and Haydn Pugh and Josh Helps were able to take more than their share of line outs, the visitors were denied good possession and posed no serious threat. It was 25 minutes into the game before Ponty were able to win a line out in the Quins 22 for wing Corey Howells to cross for a try  and Lewis  Williams to add the extra points,

As has happened in many Quins matches this term, this set back seemed to spur them on, and after a move started by Dale Ford in his own half, and several Quins players handled to see Osian Knott start a run that emphasised the threat he has promised, and his dummy pass fooled the covering defence for him to waltz over near the posts for Aled Thomas to regain the lead with his 35th min conversion. Just on half time Aled slotted over his second penalty to give the Quins an interval lead of 13- 7.

The Ponty outfit are not a side to lie down and Lewis Williams converted two early penalties to level matters, and after a Quins Yellow card, it seemed the visitors had broken the Quins resilience. Not the case as they knuckled down with powerful work by their pack, the ten minutes passed without any addition to the score, and the visitors very rarely pass up a chance like this, so credit must be given to the Quins defensive qualities.

Ten minutes from time Williams held his nerve and with the help of the upright, he put over his third penalty to give the visitors a slender lead. The final passages of the match saw both sides strive to add to their scores, but sound defences took the honours and the final whistle heralded a narrow Ponty victory.

The loosing bonus point keeps the Quins in eighth place and after this fine performance against a dangerous Pontypridd side, who knows what the future holds for this young Quins team.

The next match will be televised live on BBC ScrumV next Friday away at Merthyr Kick Off 7:10pm , and all will remember our outstanding win up there last season so let’s hope for a similar performance.

EBBW Vale clinched a 22-8 win over Carmarthen Quins in a gritty battle in front of the BBC Wales cameras, at Eugene Cross Park on a cold Friday night.

Their first scoring chance came in the fifth minute. Rhys Jones’ kick was aimed for either Josh Lewis or Dafydd Howells, but both mishandled the already slippery ball.

However the referee had blown for a foul on Jones by Lee Taylor, an action that earned the Quins forward ten minutes in the bin.

Ebbw Vale couldn’t take advantage of the extra man, in fact it was the visitors who took a 12^th minute lead via an Aled Thomas penalty, and just before Taylor returned to the field, Toby Fricker was denied a try after Ebbw’s Lee Taylor did well to hold him up over the line.

It looked like that Ebbw Vale had taken the lead on 27 minutes when a length of the field move culminated in Fricker finding a gap and diving over. However, after a consultation with the TMO, it was disallowed after Ross Jones was judged to have made a tip tackle in the build-up. So instead of being perhaps 7-3 up, Ebbw were still 3-0 down and had Jones in the bin to boot.

Ebbw Vale had to settle for a penalty goal instead, Rhys Jones kicking from an angle to level the scores.

Jones had another go to try to give his side an interval lead, an ambitious attempt from 55 metres out that was on target but didn’t have the distance.

But deep into added on time, Fricker finally got his try, burrowing his way over with Jones converting putting the score to 10-3 at the break.

They extended their advantage 12 minutes into the second half. It was an excellent passing move that ended in Dafydd Howells diving over in the corner and Jones converting well.

Carmarthen kept on attacking, desperately looking for a way back into the game, but each time they were met with a blanket defence as Ebbw forced them into errors.

Eventually they were rewarded. Jac Price, who had only been on the field for two minutes, scoring the try, with the conversion going wide.

But the home side cemented the win in the final minutes with a Rhys Jones penalty.