Pembroke youngsters shine in hard-fought Emlyn victory

PEMBROKE RFC First XV travelled to take on Dreigiau Emlyn (Newcastle Emlyn Athletic) with a young squad and a few enforced changes due to injury. The match was played in glorious sunny, dry weather, in front of a good crowd, writes Darrell Willington.

The visitors opened strongly with a number of well constructed thrusts, which lead to the game’s first score after five minutes to give them an early seven point lead.

Emlyn struck back minutes later with an unconverted score and began to assert themselves.

After a period of stalemate, Emlyn mounted a concerted attack on the visitor’s line and were repelled many times, but eventually pierced a determined defence to take a three-point lead.

The visitors replied within a few minutes, building through a number of forward drives and phases ending with their backs executing some adept footwork that allowed their full back Jones to dive over for a well deserved try to give his side the lead.

Both teams kept testing each other in this fast moving game, until another multi-phase approach from the half way provided Pembroke’s backs with quick ball, they got close to the line and flanker Davies dived over to extend the visitors’ lead.

With little time to the break the home side struck back when their substitute centre beat a flat-footed defensive line to get his side to within two points at the break.

The second half saw more open rugby from both sides.

The visitors’ pack had held it’s own against a strong home unit, but then produced a huge moment 12 minutes in, with a concerted drive from five metres out, allowing No 8 Shaw to pick up and dive in for a converted try to the delight of the team and travelling support.

Minutes later, Emlyn converted a penalty and both teams continued to trade territory for the next 20 minutes in this tense affair.

With only minutes to go of normal time, the home side scored a very well-conceived try to bring the score to 25-26, which lead to a very exciting, and tense period in extra time.

Pembroke failed to capitalize on a penalty won close to the Emlyn line, then Emlyn lost a player to a yellow card and the visitors were able to win the resulting scrum to dispatch the ball to claim a rare win in Emlyn, to the delight of players and supporters alike.

Afterwards senior player Lewis Davies was voted man of the match for the visitors.

Three of the club’s youngsters represented Pembrokeshire in the most recent Dewar Shield match on Friday evening.

The Dewar Shield is one of the most prestigious schoolboy rugby union competitions in Wales. It is contested by district and schools representative teams and has a history stretching back more than a century.

The Panthers and Youth didn’t have matches, whilst some of the junior age groups were in action, with coaches reporting some excellent performances from their squads.

Up-coming matches this weekend include, First XV have a Div 4 Welsh Cup bye and entertain Tenby Athletic on 10 October, the Panthers are due to travel to Treorchy in their first WRU Championship game on Sunday, whilst the youths entertain the Quins in the local derby KO 2.30pm.