Fixture

Oakdale RFC | Under 8s 15 - 15 Caerleon RFC | Under 8s
Kian Davies
Try 1
Griff Tovey
Try 6
Albie Wynn
Try 2
Joshua Johnson
Try 1
Brody Baker
Try 1
Harri Williams
Try 1
Oliver Morris
Try 2
Mac Baldwin
Try 1

Match Report
03 December 2017 / Team News

(I Love You) Just the Shay You Are

Is a song title that is not to be taken literally. I think the world of young Mr Edwards, I really do, but we used the other obvious title (That’s the way (Shay) I like It) in the first week of the season. With a barmy seven degrees on the thermometer it was up to the Crazy Eights to turn the heat up on newcomers to the Lower Recreation ground, Caerleon RFC this morning.

With Poppy still being laid low with Crewe Flu, Amie winning gold on the parallel bars, JB off breaking stone with his bare hands and Olly Bish feeling the after effects of a Mikey Rayer down the Diff there was a slight imbalance in the team with 13 players to select from. It was decided that with Kian Davies back in the side he needed some good game time, so he started the first two segments of play.

With Griff Tovey guessing correctly which hand the leaf was in the Dale started the match and showed their visitors what they could expect when Albie Wynn got the ball in his hands and ran straight into the corner for the first score of the day. Caerleon came straight back and scored a try of their own but then we got to see Swffryd’s next winter Olympics superstar as Griff Tovey weaved his way through the Caerleon defence like a seasoned slalom skier with his hips going one way then another and without a hand being raised in anger. Albie raised the bar a little higher when he got his second with only four minutes on the clock, but then wobbly waist Tovey lifted that bar clean off with a quick-fire hat trick of tries.

Caerleon were trying their best to stay in touch but some resolute defence from Elliot Hall and Alfie Short halted attack after attack. They did though manage, with the help of a very generous Referee, to get three more tries of their own and the period finished at 6-4 to the Dale.

On came the Bananas for the second period but Caerleon brought on their secret weapon and they immediately went at the jugular with two quick tries within the first 90 seconds. Some excellent passing out of the tag by Shay Edwards and Harri Williams got Oakdale into the scoring zone and Olly Morris got his first of the morning. Back came Caerleon with a try but then Kian Davies showed no signs of tiredness as he took the ball from the restart and ran straight in for a try. Josh Johnson and Kingsley Parry Lewis were a constant thorn in the away side’s attacking prowess and tag and tag fell with turnover ball being gained on a few occasions. If we do something well is support the ball carrier and a trademark Crazy Eights try soon followed when JJ took the ball from Harri and Max Baldwin took the ball from JJ to get over the line to square things up at 3-3. But with the last play of the period that secret weapon of Caerleon’s (his name was Otis by the way) bagged himself another try, and the period ended at 3-4.

Apples took to the field again, Kian went off and JJ stayed on and it was away we go again with Hannah Benger being involved with strong running and good lines. She broke the defensive line well and put JJ in for his first score of the day. Back came Caerleon with a try of their own before Griff danced his way through for another brace of tries. Brodie Baker was side-stepping like a demon but could not find a way through to the line, Alfie was running straight, and Elliot was like a tagging tiger around the pitch but still Caerleon came back at the Dale and managed to get two tries of their own to make the third period 3-3 and a score line of 12-11 with eight minutes of the final period to play.

It was a tense and nervous opening with both sides dropping the ball and when it goes on the floor you know there will be one player who is always first on it, yes Brodie won the ball several times on the morning with some great floor work and that allowed Harri Williams to get his first of the morning. But Caerleon kept themselves in the game with two more tries from Otis. It seemed that Brodie was selling one to many side steps and was getting caught up in bamboozling the visitors but with one great run he got it right and went over to get the Dale back into the period. Let alone the players, the coaches were out of breath such was the intensity and the pace of the game. Caerleon scored another two tries to take themselves into a one point lead and as everyone looked up to the electronic scoreboard they could see the Dale behind and the seconds diminishing.

With the ball in his hands Kinglsey tapped and fed Alfie, he ran on but was tagged. He turned in a flash shipped the ball onto Shay who side stepped one and then fed Olly Morris. With Coach Rhys shouting for him to run down the middle Morris wasn’t having none of it and went on one of his trademark arcing runs. The touchline was his only friend out wide as the Caerleon defence clambered back to close the space down and get his tags. Parents were running down the line shouting ‘Go Olly, Go My Son’ (and that was just the Mothers) as he pinned his ears back and only had eyes for the line. Everyone looked across and could see that man Otis steaming straight for the Prince of Waun Goch but like a veteran long jumper Morris dived from metres out to score an inch in from the corner flag. Ella was thrown into the air by her Dad and all the players went to congratulate Olly.

With the Referee now completely out of breath and with a sore hamstring the final whistle blew and both sides shook hands after an exhilarating morning and a 15-15 score line. We talked after the game about closing the space down and the need to defend as a team and we will get it right. If Caerleon had left Otis sitting on the blinking dock of the bay, then it would have been a comfortable morning as he scored eight tries, but we will come up against talented players and we need to deal with them as a team and communicate.

The Player of the Match award recipient was one today which we could not put off any longer as he had shown improvement, courage and development in bucket loads these last couple of weeks. His decision making has improved, he’s found a side-step or two and he is now scoring tries for fun. That chest certainly puffed out when he name was called, and it was great to award the ‘Shusher’ to Shay Edwards. Eye of the tiger, Shay, eye of the tiger………

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