Rydal Vikings 16 pts RGC 1404 A 30 pts
The weather conditions didn’t bode well for the first outing of a new rugby team to North Wales. RGC 1404 ‘A’ team who’s sole purpose is to supply players to the senior RGC 1404 team were to face wet and blustery conditions at Rydal Penrhos 1st team pitch, Colwyn Bay.
In fairness both sides handled the slippery ball well, although it was lost several times in contact. The first twenty minutes were fairly even but a long pass out from Nick Saunders saw Ben Stelmaszek race over for the RGC A squad’s first try. Saunders converted from out wide to give a seven nil lead. Stelmaszek almost scored his second shortly afterwards but was forced into touch just a few yards short. As half time approached, it looked as if the scoreboard would not be troubled again but the Vikings managed to force the ball over for a deserved try. The conversion was missed and the half time whistle blew.
The second half was only two minutes in when Saunders kicked a long range penalty and when the Vikings infringed again, he tried an even longer kick. This attempt hit the cross bar and bounced back into play where the impressive Anthony Tilley, following up, almost scored under the posts. The Old Boys managed a penalty of their own but the young Gogs were now running rampant and the Vikings were forced to kill yet another ball just short of the line. The quick thinking James Farrell took a quick tap and fed Sean Condon who crashed over whitewash. Saunders duly converted. A reverse carbon copy saw the Vikings score from a tap penalty but a missed conversion meant that they were still chasing the scoreline. One more penalty for the home side was met with two from the visiting Saunders. It was then the Gogs exciting young backs showed their flair and a fine break by Rob Tilley saw him put Andy Clutton in the clear and he used his pace to score out wide. A final conversion by Saunders saw the RGC 1404 A side home and dry.
Marc Roberts the WRU Performance Development manager said “This was a performance that showed potential, especially as the squad was so young ranging form 17-22 years of age. We still have work to do and we will continue to develop this young group of players”.
