Mini Rugby 0809

Results Sunday 8th March

U9s Machen 4 v 8 Penallta

Despite horrendous weather conditions the Mini Pitmen produced their best performance of the season so far.

Playing in Machen on a rain soaked mudbath of a pitch Penallta played with flair and style that defied the conditions. Right from the start they showed their class with strong. runs from Will Keep, Morgan Pace and Luke Corten. In the tackle area Machen were organised however it was the positive attitude of Penallta that was impressive. The mauling and ball retention was superb Once again Liam Lintern and Ieuan Morgan were impressive and Cameron Davies had his best game of the season. Kallum Batt, Ioan Williams and Taran Fox proved once again that positive intent is more important than size in the tackle situation. With a comfortable lead at half time Penallta were able to rest some of their more experienced players and Machem rallied a little. However Penallta always had plenty in reserve and came away comfortable winners. Thanks to the parents for sticking with it. Remember - Wellies and an Umbrella next time!

Try Scorers Morgan Pace x3 Will Keep x2, Ieuan Morgan x2, Liam Lintern x1.

Player of the Match Cameron Davies. His best performance of the season.

U11s Machen 5 v 15 Penallta

On a wet and windy day in the Rhymney Valley the young Penallta team, now 15 players strong, made the short trip to Machen to meet up with a team that had 5 district players amongst its ranks. This was going to be the battle that they had been looking for, a time to see how they have progressed since the beginning of the season, and of course a big challenge to the unbeaten run.
The game started in awful conditions and the first ten minutes were littered with mistakes by both teams and it was the Machen team who were first to capitalise with a try in the corner. That was the only time that Machen came into the Penallta half of the field, right from the kick off it was pressure from the young pitmen. They soon levelled the scores with a try coming from relentless pressure and tackling that drove the Machen team back beyond the gain line whenever they had the ball. The half time score 5 points each.
Penallta kicked off the second half and were soon under pressure from a breakaway by the Machen backs but the Pitmen would not let their try line be crossed a second time. With time going on it was soon getting down to fitness levels, and after many hours spent in the gym it was the Penallta boys who started to be first at every breakdown and gain possession of the ball. With 10 minutes to go Penallta were rewarded with a try after 8 phases of play with the forwards picking and driving over half the length of the pitch. Although the try was not scored by the forwards it was their presence and commitment that led to the final drive across the line. The last try showed the superior fitness in the rain and mud of the Penallta team with the Machen boys now struggling to keep up with play.

That now makes 11 wins in a row for the Young Penallta team, it’s getting harder each week but the boys put in the effort and commitment in training and are reaping the rewards. The squad is now 15 strong and they all want to be in the starting line up so training is getting harder and when they get on the field they are fighting for their places every time.

Try Scorers Pat Lewis x2, Nathan Davies x1

... thanks to Bill from the U11s for his excellent reports & updates!

Results Sunday 1st March

U8s Penallta 7 v 10 Bridgend Young Stars
This was a tough encounter with Bridgend showing their intent from the start with some quick early scores. This unsettled Penallta for a period but the boys fought back and ended the game as 10 tries to 7 losers. The lads didn't roll over and it was a good team fight back but not quite enough, with another very good performance from Kieran O'Leary (4 tries) and further tries from Ioan Lewis, Joshua Cloudsdale and Tomas Moya.

U9s Penallta 2 v 5 Bridgend Young Stars

Penallta produced the best period of rugby today against an experienced and big Bridgend Young Stars team.

The first half was outstanding with both side playing committed, skilfull rugby. In a game dominated by tackling, Penallta's young side didn't take a step back. Once again Tarren Fox, Ieuan Morgan, Ioan Williams and Kallum Batt proved that size does not matter. The Mini Pitmen tackled with fantastic aggression and their work was backed up by excellent forward work of Jac Morris, Matthew Conti, Luke Morten, Jacob Back, James Clarke and Cameron Davies. In the backs the running of Morgan Pace, Liam Lintern and Will Keep kept Bridgend on their toes. Bridgend scored first. Hoever Penallta hit back straight away when Morgan Pace outflanked the Bridgend defence and ran nearly the length of the fiel to score.

That first half was without doubt the best half of rugby the Mini Pitmen have played.

The second half started positively with Jac Morris powering over for an early try. As the game wore on Bridgend changed tactics and started using their bigger players to crash into the defence. Penallta tired and Bridgend ran in 4 trys.

Final score Bridgend 5 - Penallta 2.

Player of the Match Matthew Conti. He really got stuck in today!

U11s Penallta 40 V 5 Bridgend Young Stars
They came, they saw, they went home, and the record stayed intact. That makes ten wins in a row for the young Pitmen, and what a win it was. From the kick off to the final whistle they were magnificent in all phases of play showing the large crowed that had come to watch how rugby at this level should be played. Again this week the Penallta squad of 13 players was dwarfed by over 20 players who had made the trip down the M4 from Bridgend to take their record
From the first whistle to the last the work rate and commitment in the contact area was awesome causing many turnovers and mistakes in the Bridgend ranks. The forwards caused havoc wherever they went and the backs were electric, running in 8 tries to 1 consolation try from the opposition.

Results Sunday 22nd February

Penallta RFC U8s travelled to St Josephs RFC on Sunday to play two matches in a round robin against St Josephs RFC and Barry RFC.
The first match was played against St Josephs. The boys were on fire and played their best game of the season. The tagging was particularly good and the attacking rugby excited everyone watching. Penallta ran out 11 tries to 6 winners - a great team effort, with excellent performances from Kieran O'Leary(5 tries) and Ioan Lewis(4 tries). Great individual efforts from Sam Phillips and Josh Williams also saw them score their first tries for the club.
Scores:

St Josephs U8s - 30

Penallta U8s - 55 (Penallta scorers - Kieran O'Leary (5), Ioan Lewis (4), Sam Phillips, Josh Williams)

Penallta played Barry RFC in the second match. This again was a great performance and a match where Penallta delivered on all fronts. Barry played well, but they had no answer to Penallta's stubborn defence and sharpness when in possession. Another excellent all round team performance with every player having a hand in the match. Penallta won the match 7 tries to 2 with some great tries from Ioan Lewis(2), Kieran O'Leary, Sam Phillips, Ethan Snow, Oliver Morgan and Tomas Moya.

Scores:
Barry RFC Under 8s - 10

Penallta RFC Under 8s - 35
(Penallta scorers - Ioan Lewis (2), Kieran O'Leary, Sam Phillips, Ethan Snow, Oliver Morgan, Tomas Moya)

U9s
After a pretty dismal peformance last week, Penallta U9s put smiles back on the faces of their fans with two excellent performances in Cardiff today.

Against St Josephs two closely match teams slugged it out showing some excellent committment and running rugby. The u9s are using a new strategy whereby players are playing either as forwards or backs. The strategy worked today, Penallta played with continuity and confidence with trys from Morgan Pace and Liam Lintern. The game ebbed and flowed but in the end it was a case of what might have been. Missed passes and the odd decision against Penallta tipped the balance towards St Joes. In a game they should have won, a defensive slip up off the last move of the game gave a try and the game to St Joes. Final score 3 trys to 2.

Man of the match Lewis Phillips for finally starting to use his strength in the rucks and mauls.

In the second game Penallta played Barry. The game was dominated by Penallta who impressed with committment, good passing and continuity.
Penallta ran in 5 tries - Morgan Pace and Liam Lintern once again on the score sheet. Jac Morris impressed with 2 storming tries. Ieuan Morgan finished the job off with a try.

By the players request they were all players of the match such was the team spirit.

Final Score 5-0.

Well played lads!......................................

Fixtures 15th February

Penallta RFC Under 7s and Under 8s played visiting teams from Llanishen RFC.

First up were the Under 7s. This was a terrific game with plenty of action. Great interplay between the youngsters saw tries for Ethan Snow (2), Joshua Cloudsdale (2) and Tomas Moya. The boys worked really hard and showed a lot of character to come out on top in a nip and tuck game.

The Under 8s suffered a loss to probably the best Tag Rugby team we have played in the last 2 years. Llanishen played some excellent stuff and our boys will only learn from this. Kieran O'Leary scored two impressive tries from distance and the rest of lads worked hard but found it difficult to break the opposition down.

Scores:

Penallta U7s - 25 Penallta scorers - Ethan Snow (2), Joshua Cloudsdale (2), Tomas Moya

Llanishen U7s - 20

Penallta U8s - 10 Penallta scorers - Kieran O'Leary (2)

Llanishen U8s - 35

U11s 15 v 0 Llanishen
With 8 wins in the bed, the boys from Llanishen came and said, it’s time to roll over but the young pitmen prefer their poetry on the rugby field and rolling over is something they don’t do!. The Llanishen squad of 20 plus players dwarfed the 12 young pitmen who were available for the game but as they have shown in the past size doesn’t matter when you have hearts like these boys. From the kick off to the final whistle it was a game of attack and defence, with Penalta doing the attacking and Llanishen doing the defending, and when Llanishen did get the ball they were knocked down and back by the best tackling display this season.
The match was a hard physical affair and points were few with the Llanishen defence only being pierced once in the first half by a great team effort by the young pitmen.
The half time score Penallta 5 -Llanishen 0, but it was still anybody’s game to win. Llanishen brought on some fresh legs in the second half and started off well but were soon having to scramble their defence after the ball was ripped away at a maul by the rampant Penallta pack and the backs let off their leash yet again flew up the pitch to score a spectacular try. With the score 2 tries to nil the Llanishen team rallied and started to put some moves together but were given no time to dwell on the ball with the Penallta pack stealing ball at every opportunity. With the Llanishen team tiring, the supreme fitness of the Penallta squad shone through scoring another try thanks again to great pressure from the forwards and silky running by the backs.
The final score, Penallta 15 - Llanishen 0, that's nine wins in the bed and the little boys said, roll over, no way!!
Try scorers: Connan (x2), Nathan and a new lip for Connor.

Fixtures 1st February
U9s Penallta 0 v 6 Abercynon

Penallta U9s hosted Abercynon on Sunday. What a difference a week makes! After the excellent performance against Merthyr we were expecting good things, however... We knew Aberynon were strong from playing them last year. They play a fast expansive game and gave us a demonstration of excellent rugby. To be fair they have been together as a team since U6 and most of our team are new this year. One "distraction" was that Abercynon had a girl on their team. This was the first time most of the team had played against a girl and some of the Penallta players thought it rather amusing. More fool them, she was an excellent player and every bit as physical as the rest of the team.

Despite being beaten Penallta never gave up and there were outstanding efforts from Ieuan Morgan, Will Keep, Cameron Davies, Kallum Batt and Liam Lintern. Penallta now need to play in the match situation like they do in training.

Final Score 6-0 Abercynon.

Player of the match Kallum Batt for some nice breaks and good aggression.

U11s Penallta 25 v 5 Abercynon
On a cold and windy day most people would have liked to have been wrapped up at home in front of a fire, but not the young ‘pitmen’, they were out to keep their unbeaten run going and they were looking forward to this local derby. Abercynon came with a big pack and it looked like they were going to keep the ball in close and trundle up the field but the smaller Penallta pack met them man for man, stripped the ball on numerous occasions and fed the backs who responded with some outstanding running rugby. With the forwards and backs working together in close harmony and producing some of the best rugby they have played this year Penallta ran in 3 tries while keeping the determined Abercynon team out.
The second half was just as good with both teams displaying great attacking and defending rugby in an arctic wind that was freezing the large crowd of spectators that had come to watch the match. The Penallta forwards were magnificent putting the larger Abercynon pack on the back foot at every ruck and mall and letting loose the backs who showed everyone what running rugby was all about. Two more tries for Penallta came from the continued pressure from the whole team and sandwiched between was a sole try from the determined Abercynon team.
8 wins in a row now for the young ‘pitmen’ and they are getting better each game. Today the fitness from the gym sessions showed through with Penallta looking the strongest team at the end of the match. Don’t forget, gym training every Thursday 6 till 7 at Ystrad Mynach College and skills training every Saturday at the leisure centre.
5 Different scorers this week Callam Flanigan, Joe Thomas, Iestyn Derrick, Pat Lewis and Connan.
A great team effort, keep it going lads, and remember the scorers rely on the rest of the team to give them the opportunity to shine.

Sunday 25th January

U8s Merthyr Tydfil 3 v 7 Penallta
Penallta RFC Under 8s travelled to Merthyr Tydfil RFC on Sunday. This was The Mini Pitmen's best performance of the season with some great teamwork, determined running rugby and excellent defence.
Kieran O'Leary shone, scoring 4 tries along with a brace from Ioan Lewis and another from Oliver Morgan.

U9s Merthyr 2 v 0 Penallta

Today saw the team travel to Merthyr for the return match. After a heavy defeat last time it was with some trepidation that the players travelled up the A470.

In a very physical game both teams literally slugged it out. The tackling was ferocious and no quarter was given. Both sides tested the tackling laws to the limit with hand offs and the occasional high tackle. Merthyr eventually scored and went into half time 1-0 up.
The second half went the same way as the first with the same intensity shown by both sides. Merthyr crossed the try line again and despite stirling efforts by Ieuan Morgan, Morgan Pace, Liam Lintern and Ioan Williams, Penallta were unable to score.

Final result 2-0 to Merthyr. However all spectators agreed that it was a great game.

Player of the match Ioan Williams. The second smallest player with the biggest tackles..... Bob

U11s Penallta 25 v 0 St Josephs
Penallta under 11s were made to work hard to keep their winning streak going, and they did just that with some ferocious tackling in defence and some great attacking, running rugby by the whole team to secure their seventh win in a row. St Josephs (Newport) came to Ystrad Mynach to win but went away disappointed as the young pitmen gave them nothing and defended their line like demons making sure that they kept their line uncrossed yet again. The first half was a hard tussle and the sparkle was all from the young Penallta team with four unanswered tries from Pat Lewis (2) Joe Thomas and Tyler Porter.
The second half was a different affair with the St Josephs team putting the Penallta team under pressure from the kick off and were kept out by some great last ditch tackling close to the line. Penallta rallied and were soon rewarded by another try for Pat Lewis half way through the second half. With the match won the young Pitmen went off the boil and were content to keep the St Josephs team back in their own half until the final whistle. The final score - Penallta under 11s 25, St Josephs under 11s 0...... Bill

Sunday 18th January

U11s - Penallta 15 v 0 Beddau

After the long layoff it was good to get back onto the field again and it was soon to see that there was a little rustiness amongst the players. Beddau started strong and put the young pitmen under a lot of pressure but were unable to get close to the Penallta line due to some ferocious tackling by both the forwards and backs. As the half went on, the Penallta team shook off some of their rustiness and started to put the Beddau team under pressure and with some slick handling between forwards and backs were rewarded by a try by Pat Lewis who drove over from 5 metres out. Half time score Penallta 5 Beddau 0.
The second half was a different affair with the Penallta youngsters putting Beddau under pressure from the kick off and they were rewarded after 5 minutes with a try by Joe Thomas. This try again came from a team effort with the forwards working hard to give the backs good clean ball that they could run at the Beddau line. Beddau came back at the young pitmen and were again kept out by some wonderful defensive tackling.
The game was sealed with 5 minutes to go when Tyler Porter drove over from close range after some great runs from a number of the backs and great ground work by the forwards.
Final score Penallta 15 - Beddau 0, six wins in a row for the young pitmen, who is out there to stop them?
With the squad now at 14 players there is still room for new members who want to play under 11s rugby at a high level. Training on a Thursday night in the gym at Ystrad Mynach college (6 till 7PM) and on Saturday mornings at Ystrad Mynach leisure centre (10 till 11 AM) Or contact the team manager Christine Hunt on 01443 816033 ........Bill

U9s - Penallta 1 v 0 Beddau

Penallta got 2009 off to a good start today with a win over Beddau. In a wind affected game, Penallta defended heroically in the first half tackling with determination and aggression. There were tremendous performances throughout the team.

In the second half the team showed some of the potential for running rugby. Morgan Pace crsssed the line but the try was controversially disallowed. However Penallta's class finally showed when Liam Lintern crossed for a try. Beddau rallied but Penallta's defence was solid holding out until the final whistle.

Player of the match Jacob Back. His aggressive tackling in the first half and work in the mauls was excellent.....Bob

Sunday 30th November Fixtures & Results

U11s - Penallta 20 v 15 Pontypridd

Five in a row was the aim of the Penallta young pitmen when they took the field against a strong looking Pontypridd under 11s team on Sunday morning, and from the kick off it was going to be a hard challenge for them. Pontypridd put Penallta under pressure from the start and for the first 8 minutes the Pit boys had to live on scraps and could not break the hold the big Pontypridd pack had on the game. Pontypridd were rewarded for their hard work with a try nonstop pressure on the Penallta line. Almost straight from the kick off the Penallta youngsters were in the faces of the Pontypridd defence and with some slick interpassing they were rewarded with a try by Pat Lewis. The half ended with the score tied at 5 points each.

The second half started with the Penallta team working as a unit and the passing between forwards and backs was magnificent and they were rewarded with tries by Callam Flanagan and Iestyn Derrick. This was a team effort with every player on the field giving their all and not pulling out of any tackle. Pontypridd joined in with the same spirit and were rewarded with their second try after the only defensive error by the Penallta team, the score 15 to 10 with 3 minutes to play. Straight from the restart the Penallta team put Pontypridd under pressure and from a loose ball at a ruck Patrick Lewis streaked away to score putting Penallta 20 points to 10 ahead. Pontypridd were not out of the game yet and made one last effort and scored the last try of the game in the corner. The final score Penallta under 11s 20, Pontypridd under 11s 15.

The team never have a player of the match but this time a special mention has to be made to the forwards who were magnificent throughout the game winning rucks and getting turnover possession throughout the game and giving the backs good ball to run at the Pontypridd team.

.... thanks to Bill Hunt for his excellent match reports!

U9s v Pontypridd
Bigger, faster, stronger. That's the only way to describe Pontypridd u9s. As you would expect with a club like Ponty the opposition were well drilled and highly skilled. They had a large squad in more ways than one 20 players with a few that would not lhave ooked out of place in an U11s team. Despite this Penallta did not give up and refused to be intimidated. There were stirling efforts all round with everyone getting stuck in. However for the first time this season Penallta failed to score.

Final Score Pontypridd 7 Penallta 0.

Player of the Match Jac Morris for never giving up.

U7s & U8s

Penallta RFC Under 8s and Under 7s played visiting teams from Pontypridd RFC on Sunday. It was a tough day for the Mini Pitmen, but both age groups played very well against excellent opposition. There were two very well taken tries by Kieran O'Leary and Ioan Lewis for the Under 8s. Some great running rugby saw scores from Joseff Back, Cori Davies and Joshua Cloudsdale for the Under 7s.

Penallta U8s 10 v 35 Pontypridd
Penallta scorers - Kieran O'Leary, Ioan Lewis

Penallta U7s 15 v 30 Pontypridd
Penallta scorers - Joseff Back, Cori Davies & Joshua Cloudsdale

Sunday 23rd November Fixtures & Results
Penallta U8s 25 v 20 Merthyr Tydfil
Penallta RFC Under 8s played visitors from Merthyr Tydfil on Sunday. Some great attacking rugby and excellent tagging gave the Mini Pitmen a well deserved win against good opposition.

Penallta's try scorers were Tomas Moya, Ioan Lewis(2) and Kieran O'Leary(2).

Penallta U9s v Merthyr Tydfil

Penallta U9s faced a difficult task against an experienced Merthyr side. However in the first half they fronted up to the task and showed lots of skill and good defence work. Penallta were helped by excellent play once again from Jac Morris, Ieuan Morgan, Luke Corten & Taran Fox. Jac and Ieaun scoring excellent tries. In the first half Penallta put some good phases of play together. The rucking was improved and the off load in contact was excellent.

In the second half Merthyr's experience told and they ran in some excellent tries.

Final Score 2-6 to Merthyr.

Making his debut for Penallta - Ioan Williams had an impressive game. Coming on in the second half he made some crucial tackles with school mate Efan Willis. Making a comeback - Josh Flannagan had some good runs and was effective in the tight.
Player of the match today Liam Lintern for good running and good aggressive tackling.

Penallta U11s 10 v 5 Merthyr Tydfil

On a cold, wet and windy Sunday morning the boys from the pit (Penallta under 11s) and the young steelmen (Merthyr under 11s) got ready to do battle. And what a battle it was - with Merthyr having a big pack and looking to dominate up front from the beginning but it was the speed and handling skills of the Penallta backs that were the dominant factors. At a scrum 10 metres out from the Merthyr line, the ball came out from the rear of the Merthyr scrum and was gathered by the second row Sam Hunt who powered over for the first try of the game. Merthyr restarted and from the kick off they used their big forwards to pound the Penalta back line and were kept out by a determined display of tackling by all players. Just before half time Merthyr were rewarded for their efforts by a try by one of their forwards. The half time score level at 5 points each. The second half started with Penalta resorting to what they are best at, running rugby and great inter-passing between backs and forwards and this was rewarded 8 minutes into the second half by a great team effort and a try by Joe Thomas in the corner. The final score Penallta 10 points Merthyr 5 points.
Again a great team effort by all the players with all 12 getting onto the park and showing that the extra training that they are doing is reaping benefits on the field. Next week the U11s are away to Pontypridd so any new players who would like to be involved with the team please contact Christine Hunt on 01443 816033.

Sunday 16th November
Results
U9s v Abergavenny
A depleted u9s squad had a tough game against a very physical Abergavenny side today. Even at full strength it would have been a struggle. Penallta showed good committment in tackes, but couldn't match Aber in the contact area.