Fixture

Caernarfon Youths 40 v 7 Newtown Youths

It was North Wales Youth Cup day on the Morfa on Saturday when Caernarfon welcomed Newtown RFC for this first round fixture. 

With the visitors arriving with a skeleton team it would have been reasonable to have assumed that an easy task lay in wait of the young Cofis. The first 5 minutes of the game, however, proved different when, from the kick off, a knock on saw the visiting forwards exert extreme pressure on the home sides line, only some excellent defence preventing an opening try. With pressure still mounting an infringement by the visitors saw a scrum awarded to the Cofis, no more than 7 metres from their own line. A clean strike allowed scrum half Guto Williams ample time to feed his back line, a series of swift passes finding the safe hands of winger Jack Davies, his indomitable run taking him from inside his own half to open the scoring left of the visitors posts. In difficult kicking conditions the conversion attempt proved successful, winger Owain Williams coolly slotting over to provide the extras.

This early score provided a respite from having to defend and no sooner had the re-start been taken the home side were back in opposition territory where a series of forward drives found the Cofis with a scrum 5 metres out from the try line. Clean ball was required and the Caernarfon pack duly obliged, quick distribution allowing centre Tom Devine the perfect line to crash through under the posts. The conversion was again successful and with barely ten minutes gone the Cofis found themselves with a comfortable 14 point advantage.

The kick-off again gave the home backs the chance to stretch their legs and some excellent phase ball soon saw them back in their opponents half. Another score was imminent, on this occasion the forwards keeping the ball tight and allowing second row Naajib Islam to take the final pass, crashing over in spectacular fashion under the posts.

With Williams again adding the extra two points and the game barely at the 20 minute mark things were indeed looking ominous for the visitors, however, to their credit the following few minutes were spent deep in the home sides half, again only resolute defending preventing them from opening their account. Clearly frustrated at heir inability to penetrate the Cofis defence a change of tactic saw a speculative kick to the corner go awry, thus providing the home side a scrum put-in on their twenty two metre line. Again, quick, clean ball found fly half Josh Eden in space, his pass letting winger Davies complete his brace, again tearing in from the halfway line to give his side another seven pointer.

With the outcome of the game now not in doubt Caernarfon were soon to add to their tally when, from the re-start number eight Llew Williams' powerful run provided the perfect foundation for another Devine try, a perfectly timed pass from his Number Nine allowing him to crash through despairing tacklers and score near the posts. 

To the visitors credit the next score was to be theirs when another speculative kick ahead found them with a line out on the home sides try line. Despite losing the set piece a penalty award for holding provided the launchpad for the score, flanker Callum Love crashing over under the Caernarfon posts. With fly half Rhys Morris' successful conversion this proved to be the last action of the half, the young Cofis going into the break with a 35 points to 7 advantage.

Secure in the knowledge that the game was won the second period saw four replacements enter the fray, however, despite these fresh legs the game seemed to lose its edge, complacency by the Cofis often accompanied by elementary errors by both sides. After about 15 minutes of play, mostly in the middle of the park a penalty award to the visitors was placed neatly near the corner flag, providing the perfect opportunity for them to trouble the scorecard. Further penalties ensured culminating in a yellow card for fly half Eden for not retreating. 

Despite some intense pressure and reduced numbers the Cofis were able to repel their opponents, a turnover eventually allowing winger Davies the space to break up-field, slipping a perfectly timed pass to centre Jac Mcguffie, his jinking run eventually finding the ball in the hands of prop Kieron Roberts and a pressure relieving try.

With time running out the final ten minutes of the game were played out deep inside the home sides half, however the away forwards, perhaps lacking that killer instinct, were unable to capitalise on their possession and territorial advantage. 

With Caernarfon back to full strength, the Cofis were to suffer the indignity of another yellow card, on this occasion scrum half Williams sin- binned for a minor indiscretion. This yellow was to prove insignificant however, with the referee bringing an end to proceedings and a comfortable 40 - 7 victory to the home side.

Despite the relative ease of the victory there is no reason to believe that the away league fixture will provide anything other than a stern test of the youth teams abilities, with Newtown having shown enough to suggest that, given home advantage they will pose a serious threat to the young Cofis league ambitions.

Next up for Caernarfon is the re-scheduled fixture with Dolgellau on Friday night with both teams looking to improve on the early season draw at Marian Mawr. Kick off 7:30pm.