HTSPORTSNEWS

Newport RFC head coach Tyron Morris insisted his side could’ve continued through the November break as his side sits on 25 points in Super Rygbi Cymru. 

Morris’s men entertained RGC 1404 last weekend in their last home game until December 14th, when they welcome league strugglers Swansea RFC to Newport Stadium, which will be nearly 50 days. 

After the four-week break, they will play one match in November and travel to fellow Gwent side Ebbw Vale on the same day as Wales vs South Africa at Principality Stadium.  

“I think these planned breaks have the potential to impact every team’s momentum,” insisted Morris. 

“It’s something new for all of us this season, so I’m sure some teams will benefit while others may face challenges. For us, the timing is helpful as we had two to three players pick up injuries in last week’s game, so this break allows them time to rehab. 

“It also gives us a chance to focus on cardio work without the usual wear and tear from Saturday games.”

Morris continued: “I feel we could have continued through the November break, playing the day before international games. 

“I don’t think the A (Super Rygbi Cymru) games would have impacted many teams, and it would have been great for supporters to stay in the rhythm of weekly matches and back their club right through to the new year. 

“The cup competition planned for the 12 weeks after Christmas is a great idea, and I’m especially looking forward to that part of the season,” Morris added. 

The new competition’s main aim is to support the development of young players, with Newport helping give opportunities with the regional side Dragons RFC in the BKT United Rugby Championship. 

“Our club has always been committed to supporting both young development players and senior players by ensuring they get valuable game time,” Morris added. 

“We believe we play an important role in helping them grow as players and thrive by providing opportunities to play at a high intensity. 

“We’ve contributed to the development of many players who have stepped up to the next level, including promising young talents like Nick Thomas, George Young, Che Hope, and Barney Langton-Cryer. 

“Recently, we’ve also given senior players Will Reed and Josh Reynolds some invaluable game time over the past two weeks.”

“Our connections are as strong as they’ve been over the past 3-4 seasons, thanks largely to the outstanding work Sam Hobbs did before stepping into his senior coaching role with the Dragons,” he added. 

The runner-ups from last season’s Indigo Premiership have made an impressive start to the new league, winning five of their six opening games. The Black and Ambers have put aside Bridgend Ravens (41-22), Swansea (35-27), Aberavon (29-19), and Rygbi Gogledd Cymru (62-7). The two defeats have come narrowly to last year’s Double Champions Llandovery (30-28) and Pontypool (17-14).

“We’ve been excellent at problem-solving on the field and have found ways to win, even when certain parts of our game haven’t functioned as planned,” said Morris on the Black and Ambers’s start to the season. 

“This shows our maturity and adaptability, as we’re able to pause during games, adjust our approach, and do what’s needed to secure the win. 

“Our attack hasn’t reached the level we’ve aimed for, largely due to frequent changes in partnerships across the team, particularly in our half-backs. 

“However, last Saturday’s game against RGC showcased a more well-rounded performance, where we dominated both upfront and in open play.”

That day, winger Lloyd Lewis picked up a hat-trick and Elliot Frewen scored a brace. Also crossing the whitewash were Joshua Skinner, Che Hope, Ioan Davies and David Richards. 

On the new era of domestic rugby in Wales and if it has improved the standard of rugby, Morris added: “Honestly, not really, the overall level of rugby has remained quite steady.

“ I haven’t noticed an increase in academy players getting game time compared to previous seasons, which might change, but with smaller senior regional squads, there could be limitations on how many young players are able to play regularly at our level.

“One noticeable improvement, though, has been the officiating. There’s a clear development mindset among the referees this season, and they’ve shown more engagement in aligning with how we want the game to be played and perceived,” Morris concluded.

A brace from Dewi Cross was accompanied by tries from Elijah Evans, Alun Rees, Aled Ward, Jason Harries and Benji Williams, completed the scores for the Blue and Blacks.

The Blue and Blacks started the encounter stronger, as winger Dewi Cross broke the deadlock after eight minutes. This came after returning Mackenzie Martin offloaded to Player of the Match Matty Young, who drew the last defender and allowed Cross to score in the corner. Moments later, the hosts found themselves back inside the Ravens 22 and after several phases, outside-centre Elijah Evans stretched over to score his first of the season. 

The visitors’ lack of discipline proved costly. After back-to-back penalties, the Blue and Blacks were metres away from the Ravens’ line. Then, after a successful take at the line-out, a powerful driving maul followed and Alun Rees crossed the whitewash for his third of the season. With outside half Harri Wilde keeping it 100% from the tee, the hosts went into an early 21-0 lead after 20 minutes. 

That lead narrowed minutes later as Ryan Wilkins powered through the Blue and Blacks’ defence to score the visitors first points of the afternoon. That deficit was reduced further with inside centre Ryan Wilkins crossing over. Late replacement Callaghan Smith added the extras as Cardiff went in at the break seven points ahead. 

HT: Cardiff 21-14 Bridgend Ravens

The momentum carried over into the second half, as the visitors regathered straight from the restart and was on the attack. However, a brilliant turnover by Lucas de la Rua helped relieve pressure on the Blue and Blacks’ defence.

On 50 minutes, the open side was involved in an off-the-ball infringement with Bridgend’s scrum-half Harvey Nash and referee Keith David then awarded both a yellow card. Going into the final quarter, the first try of the half was scored, and this came from a brilliant solo run by Tom Bowen, who put the Blue and Blacks on the front foot.

The ball was then spread quickly outside for Dewi Cross to crossover in the corner for his eighth of the season. Tom Bowen helped make the hosts fifth, putting his team in an excellent attacking position. Then, one phase followed, and after taking it from the breakdown replacement, Aled Ward powered over for his second of the season. 

With the bonus secured and after scoring his first try since 2020 last weekend, Jason Harries pounced on the loose ball and crossed over directly below the uprights. Benji Williams showed his speed after intercepting from just inside the visitor’s half as he raced over for the Blue and Blacks’ seventh.  

This win means Dan Fish’s men end block one of Super Rygbi Cymru with 34 points and are in pole position. On their return to league action, the Blue and Blacks will travel to Church Bank on November 23rd to face last year’s double Champions Llandovery RFC. 

FT: Cardiff 47-14 Bridgend Ravens   

Two uncapped and one shock return in Wales Autumn Internationals squad

After ten years since his last appearance for Wales, Dragon’s stalwart Rhodri Williams returns to Warren Gatland’s 35-man Autumn Series squad. 

Former England U18s, U20s, and now Gloucester Rugby player Freddie Thomas switches to Wales as he qualifies through his Grandparents’ Welsh heritage. The other uncapped player is Scarlets Rugby player Blair Murray, who helped his side to a historic 23-22 win over the Vodacom Bulls last Friday. The 23-year-old, who was born in New Zealand, qualifies through his mother, who is from Tonyrefail. 

Some other noticeable recalls are Leicester Tigers’, Nicky Smith, in-form Max Llewellyn, Gareth Anscombe and Tomos Williams all return from international absences. Aaron Wainwright, who is set to make his first appearance of the season on Saturday in Galway for the Dragons, has also been included. On the other hand, some noticeable absentees are the 2024 Six Nations captain Dafydd Jenkins, Liam Williams, Taulupe Faletau, Josh Adams and Elliot Dee miss out due to injuries.  

Dewi Lake continues to wear the captain armband despite the return of Wales’s World Cup captain, Jac Morgan who missed several games through injury. Second-row partnership of Adam Beard and Will Rowlands both return after missing Wales’ summer tour to Australia.  

Wales begin the Autumn Series against Fiji, Sunday November 10 (KO: 13:40), before facing Australia and the 2024 Rugby Championship winners South Africa. 

Wales Autumn Squad: 

Forwards: Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Kemsley Mathias, Ryan Elias, Dewi Lake (C), Evan Lloyd, Keiron Assiratti, Archie Griffin, Henry Thomas, Adam Beard, Ben Carter, Will Rowlands, Freddie Thomas, Christ Tshiunza, James Botham, Jac Morgan, Taine Plumtree, Tommy Reffell, Aaron Wainwright.

Backs: Ellis Bevan, Tomos Williams, Rhodri Williams, Gareth Anscombe, Sam Costelow, Ben Thomas, Eddie James, Max Llewellyn, Nick Tompkins, Owen Watkin, Mason Grady, Rio Dyer, Josh Hathaway, Blair Murray, Tom Rogers, Cameron Winnett.

Steff Hughes’ tenure at Rodney Parade came to a “bittersweet” end on Saturday evening

Dragons centre Steff Hughes played his last game at Rodney Parade in a 31-21 defeat to Benetton Rugby on Saturday and after a trip to Galway he will then ply his trade in Major League Rugby for Old Glory DC in Washington D.C. USA.

His time at the “Men of Gwent” came to a disappointing end as his side fell to their fourth successive defeat but this against a side that fielded 13-internationals.

“Not in terms of the result. Obviously, the love from the crowd was great. I’ve always loved playing here in front of the home support, so I’m really appreciative of that,” Hughes said on his last appearance at Rodney Parade.

“The result is disappointing, lots of good in the game, but we were inaccurate at key times so that was frustrating but from a personal perspective, I’m privileged to have played here, and it is bittersweet to play my last game here.

“We are definitely moving in the right direction, you can see the performances how we are competing against good teams consistently and that’s not going to change overnight its a gradual improve and its definitely improving,” Hughes on the start to the BKT United Rugby Championship for Dai Flanagan’s men. 

“We just need to get a couple of results now to give us a bit more confidence to get us going. 

“I think it’s important that we keep believing in what we are doing, because a lot of hard work has gone in and you’ve seen already when we played out in Leinster, we beat the Ospreys and the Sharks and Lions should’ve won those. 

“The growth in our game is definitely there we just need to do that next step.” 

That next step is a trip to Galway to face Connacht who will be looking to improve on their 33-12 defeat to Leinster on Saturday evening.

“On our day we can compete with anyone in our league, that’s where the belief needs to be,” Hughes said on the trip to the Dexcom Stadium.

“We need to look at this game and look at areas where we can learn quickly, especially our discipline giving teams easy opportunities in. 

“It’s about emptying the tanks this week, giving everything out in Galway and go from there.”

Hughes joined from the Scarlets back in 2022 and this followed being named as the Dragons captain for the 2023-24 season. On what he will miss about Rodney Parade, Hughes continued: “The people mostly, I’ve been lucky enough to play rugby a long time in Wales and when you leave the game, the only thing you are left with is memories.

“Not specifically around where you played well or the results it’s about the people you spent time with and for me that was a privilege as a lot of my best mates are here.

“I’ve really enjoyed every aspect of it you know, my ten years at the Scarlets and my two years here and doing bits with the media. I’ve thrown myself into it, and you know I’m really privileged to have had the opportunity to have played for so long in Wales,” Hughes insisted.

Hughes will now link up with head coach of the ‘The Flags’ and former Dragons defence coach, Simon Cross who guided his side to their second playoff last season. This comes as the 30-year-old is set to take up a player-coach role for Old Glory DC in the Nations capital.

“I think its where I’m at the in my career and where my family is,” Hughes on his move to America. 

“My son is one, so the opportunity came up and it just felt like the perfect opportunity for us to experience life completely different in Washington D.C. and everything that goes with that. 

“I’ve played Glasgow away many times, Ulster, Connacht, so it will be nice to play like Dallas away all that sort of stuff. 

“I’m just going to throw myself straight into it and really enjoy it,” he added. 

Already plying their trade in Major League Rugby are both Kirby Myhill and Rob Evans at Miami Sharks and also former Dragons player, Huw Taylor running out for Seattle Wolves.

“He’s a man about town in Miami,” he jokingly added on the former Welsh international, Rob Evans.

“I’m looking forward to going out there and catching up with him, Huw Taylor is playing in Seattle. They speak about the life experiences and how brilliant it is so I’m really looking forward to getting out there and contributing as much as I can on and off the field,” he concluded.

Tries from Bautista Bernasconi, Enzo Avaca, Marco Manfredi and Lorenzo Cannone helped the Italian side build on last week’s win over the Sharks as they were made to work for the bonus point in South Wales.     

The first attacking threat came after six minutes when Ben Carter stripped Benetton in the tackle and offloaded to Lloyd Evans, who kicked in behind. However, after recycling at the lineout, the visitors kicked to relieve pressure. 

The Italian side suffered an early setback when Tongan international Malakai Fekitoa replaced Ignacio Mendy before the ten-minute mark. Things went from bad to worse for the visitors as hooker Bautista Bernasconi was yellow-carded after making contact with scrum-half Rhodri Williams’ head at the breakdown. Then, after stealing the ball at the lineout, the ball was spread quickly to the outside and Jared Rosser got the hosts up into the Italians 22, but the ball was lost and the visitors regained possession and kicked to relieve pressure. 

Another opportunity came for the hosts, with winger Rio Dyer showing his pace in breaking through Benetton’s defence. However, a poor pass to the outside by outside-half Lloyd Evans broke all momentum. The hosts were then penalised for coming straight off their feet at the breakdown and Benetton kicked to touch. After the numerous opportunities in the visitors 22, the deadlock was broken after Joe Westwood intercepted and won the foot race from inside his own half. This came from reading the visitors’ attack excellently and crossed over. Evans added the crucial extras in a tightly contested first 30 minutes.

Jacob Umaga’s boot was instrumental in scoring the visitors’ first points of the evening. Aneurin Owen was penalised for being in front of the kicker, and the flyhalf slotted the three. This was shortly followed by back-to-back penalties and the visitors found themselves metres from the Dragons line. After a clean take at the lineout, a catch and drive followed and hooker Bernasconi crossed over. Umaga converted the extras and put his side into a 10-7 lead at the break.

HT: Dragons 7-10 Benetton Rugby 

Unlike the first half, the first points were scored after only five minutes. Scrum-half Williams knocked the ball on with tight-head Avaca regathering and powered his way through to score the visitors’ second, which wasn’t greeted well by the Dragons faithful.   

Moments later, the hosts found themselves on the front foot after a wrap-around. Angus O’Brien kicked in behind and left outside centre Tommaso Menoncello, taking the ball into touch to relieve pressure. It looked to be an overthrow at the lineout from Brodie Coghlan, but flyhalf Evans pounced on the loose ball and crossed over. Evans added the extras to reduce the deficit to three points after 50 minutes. 

The visitors responded accordingly after the Dragons were penalised for being off their feet. After the lineout, a few phases followed and replacement, Manfredi powered his way over after picking it up quickly from the breakdown.

A brilliant kick in behind forced Angus O’Brien to take the ball over his try-line, which resulted in a five-metre scrum for the visitors. A powerful push at the scrum followed by the visitors and Cannone crossed over for his side’s fourth of the evening.

Minutes later, the hosts scored their third after a robust carry from Shane Lewis-Hughes, who made his way through to score. O’Brien added the extras to reduce the deficit to 10 points with seven minutes left on the clock. However, this proved insufficient as the Italian side recorded their second consecutive victory.           

Dragons: 21 

Tries: Joe Westwood (26’), Lloyd Evans (51’), Shane Lewis-Hughes (73’)

Conversions: Lloyd Evans (26’, 51’), Angus O’Brien (73’)

Penalties: 

Drop Goals: 

Yellow Cards: 

Red Cards: 

15. Angus O’Brien, 14. Rio Dyer, 13. Joe Westwood, 12. Aneurin Owen, 11. Jared Rosser, 10. Lloyd Evans, 9. Rhodri Williams, 1. Rodrigo Martinez, 2. Brodie Coghlan, 3. Leon Brown, 4. Shane Lewis-Hughes, 5. Ben Carter (capt), 6. Ryan Woodman, 7. Harri Keddie, 8. Taine Basham.

Replacements: 16. Oli Burrows, 17. Cameron Jones, 18. Chris Coleman, 19. Steve Cummins, 20. Dan Lydiate, 21. Dane Blacker, 22. Steff Hughes, 23. Ewan Rosser.

Benetton: 31  

Tries: Bautista Bernasconi (38’), Enzo Avaca (45’), Marco Manfredi (61’), Lorenzo Cannone (67’)

Conversions: Jacob Umaga (38’, 45’), Tomas Albornoz (61’, 67’) 

Penalties: Jacob Umaga (32’)

Drop Goals: 

Yellow Cards: Bautista Bernasconi (15’)

Red Cards: 

15. Matt Gallagher, 14. Ignacio Mendy, 13. Tommaso Menoncello, 12. Ignacio Brex, 11. Louis Lynagh, 10, Jacob Umaga, 9. Andy Uren, 1. Thomas Gallo, 2. Bautista Bernasconi, 3. Simone Ferrari, 4. Niccolo Cannone, 5. Federico Ruzza, 6. Alessandro Izekor, 7. Michele Lamaro (capt), 8. Lorenzo Cannone.
Replacements: 16. Marco Manfredi, 17. Destiny Aminu, 18. Enzo Avaca, 19. Eli Snyman, 20. Manuel Zuliani, 21. Alessandro Garbisi, 22. Tomas Albornoz, 23. Malakai Fekitoa.

Dewi Cross, who first appeared as a Blue and Black’s off-the-bench against Ebbw Vale in October 2022, was one of five try scorers who helped see off a spirited Aberavon side 31-14.

Tries from Ethan Phillips, Harri Wilde, Alun Rees and Jason Harries saw the Blue and Blacks overturn a 14-0 deficit to keep their 100% home-winning record at the Arms Park. 

In the opening exchanges, both teams shared possession equally, and the deadlock was broken after just seven minutes. This came from a brilliant chip over the top from outside half Ed Dunford, which was successfully gathered by Sam Jardine. Jardine finished off the move by offloading to Luke Davies, who raced over for the first try of the afternoon. 

Moments later, the Wizards doubled their lead after the Blue and Blacks were penalised at the scrum. Then, after a successful take at the line-out, several phases followed, and Ashton Evans powered his way over on his 100th appearance for Aberavon. 

The hosts responded accordingly, as Harri Wilde kicked into the corner after the visitors were penalised at the scrum. From the driving maul, there was a substantial amount of pressure on the Wizards’ defence, leading to Ethan Phillips crossing the whitewash for his first of the season. The visitors could extend their lead further after the Blue and Blacks were penalised at the breakdown. However, Ed Dunford’s shot deflected off the left upright. 

Before halftime, the Blue and Blacks went hunting for their second of the afternoon. This soon paid off, as Harri Wilde crossed over in the corner for his first try of the season. Wilde brilliantly added the extras, which meant it was level at the break. 

HT: Cardiff 14-14 Aberavon 

The second half started quickly with a number of attacking threats early from the Blue and Blacks. However, at the 47-minute mark, referee Craig Evans awarded Aberavon’s James Clegg a yellow card after an infringement at the breakdown. With the one-man advantage, quick thinking at the lineout resulted in the Blue and Blacks’ third as Alun Rees snuck up the touchline to score his first of the season and put the hosts into the lead for the first time. 

Shortly afterwards, the number of Blue and Blacks was reduced to 14 men after a Benji Williams shoulder-charge, but this didn’t stop the hosts. After a brilliant break from try scorer Harri Wilde who offloaded to Jason Harries to score his first try since the win against Llanelli in January 2020.

On 69 minutes, the visitors spilt an attacking threat and Harri Wilde kicked upfield a little too hard as the ball went dead and play was brought back just inside the hosts’ 22. From the resulting scrum, the Blue and Blacks were penalised at the scrum and ill-discipline was again an issue, but this time at the lineout after the kick into the corner. From the tap and go, there was some heroic defending on display from the hosts, leading to the Wizards being held up over the line.  

Harri Wilde helped in making Cardiff’s fifth, which resulted in them claiming the bonus point, as the outside half made a brilliant break on the outside and offloaded back inside for Dewi Cross to score on his 50th appearance. Wilde was unable to add the extras but the Blue and Blacks recorded another victory over Aberavon as they extend their lead at the top of Super Rygbi Cymru. 

Scarlets 23-22 Vodacom Bulls: Dwayne Peel’s Scarlets dig dip to secure a historic win over South African Opposition.   

After a hard-fought win last time out, the Scarlets build on that by edging out last year’s BKT United Rugby Championship runners-up after a late Tom Roger’s try. 

Also crossing the whitewash was captain Josh Macleod and Blair Murray, which was accompanied by the boot of Ioan Lloyd, as the West Wallians put a holt on the Bulls’ dominant start as they won their first home game of the season at the Parc y Scarlets. 

Like their start against the Ospreys last weekend, the Bulls started quickly. This time around, through outside centre, Canan Moodie who broke through the host’s defence to begin the South African side’s first attacking threat. Then, after some quick handling scrum-half, Zak Burger offloaded back inside so Moodie could cross the whitewash for the first points of the evening. The hosts then responded accordingly minutes later after the Bulls were penalised five metres out, and after gambling with the tap-and-go, Macleod powered his way over for his first try of the season. Ioan Lloyd added the extras to bring proceedings back level after ten minutes.    

The openside was then penalised for a high tackle after a TMO check, and outside-half Boeta Chamberlain kicked into the hosts’ 22. After a successful take at the lineout and with a penalty advantage, one phase followed, and scrum-half Zak Burger went blind to score the visitors’ second of the match easily.

On 26 minutes, Ioan Nicholas knocked the ball on after attempting to catch the high ball from a Bulls clearance kick. From the resulting scrum, the visitors won a free kick and spread the ball quickly to the left-hand side before returning to the right as they entered the host’s 22. After this try scorer, Moodie assisted in the visitors’ third after breaking through to put his side metres out, then departing Kurt-Lee Arendse crossed after successfully picking up the loose ball up.

Boeta could not add both extras from the visitors tries, which meant the Bulls went into a 12-point lead. Just before the break, Cameron Hanekom was penalised for being off his feet and fly half Lloyd slotted the three points from an impressive distance, reducing the deficit to nine. 

HT: Scarlets 10-19 Vodacom Bulls

It was a quick start to the second-half, and this came from winger Sebastian de Klerk, who kicked the ball out on the full, which meant the hosts had a lineout just outside the visitors’ 22. After recycling at the lineout, Lloyd broke through and offloaded to Murray, who crossed after expertly breaking through the Bulls’ defence. 

Lloyd added the extras to make it a two-point game. After a poor clearance kick from fly half, Lloyd, the visitors had a lineout just inside the hosts 22. From the lineout, Cobus Wiese, wearing the No.25 jersey, regathered and went metres out from securing the bonus point. However, after some heroic defending from the hosts, the ball was held up and from the goal-line dropout, Lloyd kicked to relieve pressure.

Moments later, the Bulls scored their first points of the half. Ryan Elias was penalised for not rolling away, and Chamberlain calmly added the three to extend the visitors lead. However, with the hosts looking to build momentum, Nama Zaba was penalised for not releasing, and Lloyd converted the three for the hosts. Taine Plumtree was penalised from the restart, and the South Africans found themselves back inside the hosts 22. After sharing the work, the visitors found themselves metres away. However, Tongan international Sam Lousi showed his strength by stopping this attack and winning the hosts a scrum. From the resulting scrum, the West Walians kicked to relieve pressure prior to the 60-minute mark.

With the conditions worsening, Plumtree pounced on a loose ball and kicked into the visitors’ 22. 

Australian Max Douglas expertly won the lineout, but any attacking threat was put on hold after Bulls replacement Johan Grobbelaar made direct head contact with his opposite number and fellow South African Marnus van der Merwe. 

From the TMO check, referee Federico Vedovelli deemed it a high degree of danger and awarded the replacement hooker a red card. A catch and drive followed from the kick to the corner, and with another advantage in hand, the hosts looked for their third score, but after a few phases, they returned to the penalty. 

At the second time of asking, the catch and drive was good, and after putting a considerable amount of pressure on the Bulls’ defence, there was nothing apparent after another TMO, but the Scarlets had a five-metre scrum. With the one-man advantage, the ball was spread quickly out wide after a brilliant long pass from Sam Costelow, which played into the hands of Tom Rogers, who showed great footwork and crossed over to put the hosts into the lead. With the clock in the red, the hosts won a penalty at the scrum and kicked the ball dead to win their second consecutive game of the season. 

Speedster Tom Bowen replicated what he did on his Blue and Blacks debut by scoring another hat-trick in sensational fashion at St Helen’s as Cardiff RFC move back to pole position after a win over Swansea RFC.

Ethan Lloyd scored his first try for the Blue and Blacks with both Steffan Emanuel and Benji Williams also crossed over as Dan Fish’s men won their fourth game of the season. 

It took the hosts only three minutes to break the deadlock after the Blue and Blacks were penalised for holding on, fullback Josh Phillips added the three to put the hosts into an early lead. From the restart, the hosts knocked the ball on but from the resulting scrum The Whites won a penalty and kicked up-field. 

Next came a brilliant break from winger, Dewi Cross who put the Blue and Blacks up-field and then the hosts were penalised. However after kicking to the corner an unsuccessful take at the line-out followed and The Whites turned over possession and kicked to relieve pressure. 

After a brilliant 50-22 from Luke Davies, a number of phases followed from the lineout and scrum-half Davies crossed over on 17-minutes for the hosts first of the afternoon.

Then the visitors first try came after a turnover at the line-out and Benji Williams broke through to put the visitors in a good attacking position. After some brilliant handling skills in the backline Steffan Emanuel drew the last defender and offloaded to Ethan Lloyd to score his first try for Cardiff. 

In their next visit to the hosts 22, a brilliant cross field grubber kick from Harri Wilde played into the hands of Dewi Cross, however Cross looked to have scored but was penalised for double movement after discussions from the officials. 

Cardiff’s next real attacking opportunity came from quick thinking by fullback, Matty Young who quickly kicked across field for Steffan Emanuel to gather. The inside-centre then put the visitors on the front foot and offloaded to Tom Bowen who showed his pace as he crossed over for his fourth of the season. 

The next attacking threat from The Whites saw Cardiff penalised for not rolling away at the breakdown and the hosts kicked into the corner, however after winning a scrum from the line-out, the Blue and Blacks won a penalty and kicked to touch to relieve pressure. 

HT: Swansea 10-14 Cardiff 

Just like the first-half it only took the hosts three minutes to go back in-front, as after numerous penalties in Cardiff’s 22, Luca Giannini powered his way over for The Whites second. Giannini quickly claimed his second after breaking through the Blue and Blacks defence minutes later.

However, from the restart Cardiff won a penalty at the breakdown and kicked to the corner and after turning the ball back over after the line-out, the ball was spread out wide for Harri Wilde to send a flat pass to Tom Bowen who scored in the corner. Benji Williams secured the bonus point on the 58-minute mark and this came from a brilliant line break from Tom Bowen who offloaded to the number eight to cross the whitewash.

After picking up his first try for the Blue and Blacks last weekend against Carmarthen Quins, Steffan Emanuel showed his speed as he scored after intercepting from inside his own half. Harri Wilde added the extras to put Cardiff into a nine point lead going into the final quarter. 

On the 68-minute mark, Cardiff were in another great attacking position but replacement scrum-half Aron Hemmings deliberately knocked the ball on and was awarded a yellow card for the hosts. With the one man advantage, Tom Bowen yet again showed his quality on the outside and scored his third of the match and sixth of the season.

Late on in the match winger, Dewi Cross was awarded a yellow card after an infringement. Then with the clock nearly in the red, outside-half Harri Houston kicked behind for replacement Brandon Wood to gather and score to secure The Whites a losing bonus point. 

FT: Swansea 29-38 Cardiff 

The Blue and Blacks face Swansea RFC and will look to build on last weekend’s revenge 50-0 win over Carmarthen Quins, where they moved to the top of the table one point ahead of Newport. 

Player of the match Steffan Emanuel, who scored a try, also helped steer the ship for Dan Fish’s men from the tee. On his first start of the season for the Blue and Blacks, Gavin Parry crossed over twice with both props, Marc Thomas and Joe Cowell also crossing the whitewash. 

Luke Pollock, who went off injured, scored his first try of the season before Nathan Hudd was sent off for making head contact with Quins outside-centre, Iestyn Gwilliam at the end of the first-half. The open-side has been handed a 10-week ban by the SRC disciplinary process suspended to five until the end of the 2024-25 season. 

Dewi Cross, Benji Williams and Aled Ward all crossed over as Cardiff returned to winning ways after a disappointing defeat at Carmarthen Park in their last away outing. 

Team News:

Pre-Match Thoughts: 

Dewi Cross, who sits top of the defenders’ beaten tally with 31, said: “We knew we needed a big performance at home against Carmarthen after a defeat down there. We have grown massively over the past few months, on and off the field, with the culture around the squad being a big part of this.

“It’s a very tough place to go, and it’s never an easy task to play down at St Helen’s. We need to turn up on Saturday with the intent we had against Carmarthen at home and hopefully the weather holds up for us.

“We’ve had clear messages from the coaches about our game plan for Saturday, we haven’t changed much but we are in the mindset of playing heads-up rugby and enjoying ourselves at the same time. 

“They are a very physical team, they bring a lot of line speed so we are expecting our skill set to be put to the test. We need to stick to what we have practised and trust the process,” Cross concluded. 

Head coach Dan Fish said on the trip to Swansea: “I was really pleased with the bounce back we had last week.

“We had a real strong defensive effort to keep them too nil. Scored some good tries with exciting attacking rugby. Another challenge awaits this weekend against Swansea.

“We know they are going to come out firing at home and we need to match that. Couple of changes to the team which is exciting. Boys have deserved these opportunities and we know that we are building a competitive squad which is very healthy to have in this league.

“Big congratulations to Craig Hudd who captains the side on the weekend,” Fish added.

Remember the last meeting at St Helen’s? 

The last time the Blue and Blacks visited St Helen’s was in November last year in the ninth round of the Indigo Premiership.

Cardiff came into the game after defeats to Gwent sides Pontypool and Newport. Joey Tomlinson scored a brace and Tom Habberfield crossed over as Cardiff recorded a 22-12 win. 

Opposition form 

Hugh Gustafson’s side come into the encounter after losing all four of their opening games. These came against Carmarthen Quins (39-29), Newport (35-27) and back-to-back losses to Bridgend Ravens. 

They last won a competitive league game at St Helen’s against Neath when they were 33-25 victors back in April. Newly signed outside-half Josh Phillips has made an impressive start as he sits in fourth place on the points tally with 38 points scored and will be one to look out for on Saturday.  

Head-to-Head

Previous meetings between the two sides play into Cardiff’s hands with the last six matches going in favour of the Blue and Blacks. The last time The Whites had recorded a win over the Blue and Blacks was in April 2019, at St Helen’s. It was an unconverted Ryan Griffiths try that proved to be the difference as Swansea won narrowly 20-17. 

Those unable to make the journey to St Helen’s on Saturday can stay up-to-date with live updates on our social media channels (X, Facebook, and Instagram)

Cardiff RFC will look to bounce back after last week’s disappointment at the Park by hosting Carmarthen Quins on Saturday afternoon (2:30 pm).

The Blue and Blacks face the Quins on the back of their first defeat in Super Rygbi Cymru last timeout. Tries from Lewis Morgan, James Newnian, Rhodri Davies and a brace from winger Iori Badham saw the Quins make it back-to-back home wins.

Despite losing, Matty Young crossed over for a brace, and Joe Williams picked up his first try of the season as Cardiff fell to a 31-19 defeat at Carmarthen Park. 

There was also yellow card fever as referee Mathew Leon handed out five second half yellow cards. Tom Phillips was sent off for ten minutes early in the second half, compared to Iori Badham and Will C Lewis, who were sent off with only minutes left on the clock. Rhys Barratt and replacement Aled Ward were also awarded a yellow card.

Team News:

1.Marc Thomas

2. Gavin Parry

3. Thomas Harper

4. Ethan Phillips

5. Sean Moore (C)

6. Craig Hudd

7. Nathan Hudd

8. Aled Ward

9. Ethan Lloyd

10. Steffan Emanuel

11. Dewi Cross

12. Jason Harries

13. Luke Pollock

14. Tom Bowen

15. Matty Young

Replacements:

16. Charlie Manship

17. Rhys Barratt

18. Joe Cowell

19. Evan Rees

20. Benji Williams

21. Sion Davies

22. Osian Darwin-Lewis

23. Joe Goodchild

Pre-Match Thoughts: 

Speaking ahead of the fixture and the mood among the player’s, openside Nathan Hudd said: “It’s pretty positive to be honest. 

“Carmarthen is a tough place to go to pick up points, and after we put the first half performance behind us, the second half performance was more like us as a team. 

“I think we knew what type of game it was going to be. The Quins are strong up front with a good driving line-out, and we gave them lots of opportunities to use it, and they punished us for it. 

“It’s a tough place to play, but there’s never an easy away trip in this league.

“The messages haven’t changed from last week. Luckily, the double header fixtures allow us to correct some of the wrongs.

“We are expecting another tough game. Hopefully, for us, we can build on the second half performance and take that into the first half on Saturday,” Hudd added.

Head coach, Dan Fish stated: “We played well for large periods of the game, there was a 25-minute period where we let 3 soft tries in and we wasn’t clinical ourselves.

“Second half we played some good rugby and are looking to continue that into this week’s game. We know it’s going to be another tough encounter but got to stand up to that challenge and be better than we was last week,” Fish added.

Injury Update:

From the weekend, Alun Rees (Bicep contusion), Jarred Williams (ACJ) and Tom Rice (Shoulder) all picked up injuries at the weekend and therefore are not available.

Cam TylerGrocott underwent ankle surgery at the end of August and is looking to make a return at the end of the year. Scrum-half Tom Habberfield, has yet to be involved in the new season as he is currently out with a cervical disc prolapse. 

After making his debut for the Blue and Blacks at the last home game against Ebbw Vale, Josh Thomas will be out for 12 weeks with a double Grade 3c biceps femoris tear. Fraser Jones, who has had an ATFL tear, is looking at six-plus weeks out of action.

Lucas de la Rua (Concussion) and Harri Wilde (Mandible) were taken off in the first half in Colwyn Bay against RGC and are close to returning. Wales U20’s star Kodie Stone is closing in on his first season start as he is recovering from a hamstring strain.

Remember the last meeting at the Arms Park? 

The last time Carmarthen Quins travelled to the Arms Park was in April this year. That day saw complete domination from the Blue and Blacks as they ran in 11 tries. Luke Pollock, who made his first start of the season at the Park, scored three times. Dewi Cross, Alun Rees, Morgan Allen, Harrison James, Harri Wilde, Tom Rice, and Joe Williams all scored as Cardiff recorded their biggest win of last season (77-7).   

Head-to-Head at the Arms Park 

Previous meetings at Arms Park between the two sides play into Cardiff’s hands. In the last two meetings at the Arms Park, the Blue and Blacks have scored 159 points compared to Carmarthen’s seven.

The Quins last recorded a win at the Arms Park in January 2022, winning narrowly 27-25. Before then, you would have to go back to April 2016, when the Quins last won away to Cardiff. The Arms Park was known as the BT Cardiff Arms Park as they recorded a 42-16 bonus point victory.   

For those unable to make the game, you can follow our live updates on our social media channels (X, Facebook, and Instagram) to stay up-to-date with the action.