This away fixture was expected to be an extremely tough encounter as the bulk of the Gwent side were made up of the Pontypool side defeated at the semi final stage of the DC Thomas Cup.
CSRU Under 11s District Rugby Gwent A 12 v Cardiff A 14 13th May 2008 Cardiff started strongly, and although not securing quality quick ball at each breakdown, scrum half Megan Jones (Ysgol Mynydd Bychan) managed to feed her outside half Breandan Nap (Cathedral) with a succession of high quality ball. The Pontypool referee did not appear to manage the offside rule well and allowed the Gwent half backs and centres to continually encroach into the offside area, but the class of the Cardiff half back pairing ensured that they made the most of their limited space and time. From a maul within the Cardiff 22, influential number 8 Cameron James (Rumney) broke free and was supported well by his skipper Sydney Blackmore (Llandaff). A ruck ensued and quick handling along the back line saw Jerry Casserly (Roath Park) dismiss his opposite number with ease. With the full back out of position, Casserly raced in a full 70 yards to open the scoring. Converted by openside flanker William Brinkley (Cathedral). Both sides battled well with some excellent counter attacking moves and resilient defence on show, but it was the referee again who thwarted a number of Cardiff moves into their opposition area. Advantage was short lived and Cardiff therefore were not allowed to make the most of a handful of opportunities. The Gwent side however, managed to make the most of extended advantages and looked to probe the Cardiff defence whenever the opportunity arose. Some more superb handling saw a similar build up to the first try on the other side of the field and again, from a ruck ball, wing Connor Martin (St. Johns) showed brilliant acceleration to run in the second of Cardiffs well deserved tries. Brinkley again converted. Half time Gwent 0 Cardiff 14 Cardiff seemed to suffer from the excessive heat from the kick off and two tries came from the home side, one an interception following a defensive lapse and the other from a very well worked Gwent backs move. Sam Scanlon (Creigiau) once again showed his power with some charging runs, but the Cardiff pack were not able to support his gains. Full back Joel Croker (Baden Powell) also displayed his vast array of skills with an all round performance in this new position. Gwent showed that they were able to compete with the best and demonstrated some excellent vision with the ball in hand, but they were unable to covert territory into points late on in the game leaving the final score 12 points to 14 in favour of the away side. Player of the Match Cardiff scrum half Megan Jones (Mynydd Bychan). Destructive in defence and inventive in attack. An exhilarating performance by the future Wales star. Gwent B 0 Cardiff B 24 Cardiff showed their strength in depth with an outstanding display on this warm evening at New Panteg RFC. From the kick off the Cardiff pack took full control and allowed the backs to run riot in the mid-field. With their tails up, the Cardiff side were ruthless in their continued efforts to pressure Gwent into making mistakes. Lloyd Hopkin (Llanishen Fach) secured a hatful of ball against the head in the scrums and with Elliot Rees (Coryton), Tom Edwards (Creigiau) and John Hunt (Cathedral) in spirited mood, the pack were able to secure a plentiful supply of ball. The Cardiff back line made the most of their opportunities and with the superior skills of outside half Luke Fish (St. Albans) on show, he was able to set his backs off on a number of attacks into the opposition territory. Cardiff tries were scored by Joshua Rodgers (Cathedral), Hugo Souto (Christ the King), Lloyd Hopkin (Llanishen Fach) and Callum Bricknell (Herbert Thompson). Another excellent Cardiff performance. Final score 25 0 Man of the Match Excellent displays came from all quarters, but in particular Year 5 Callum Bricknell (Herbert Thompson) whose angles of attack and footwork were sublime.