IEUENCTID BANGOR YOUTH

TUESDAY APRIL 6th

PLATE SEMI FINAL

BANGOR 5 - 16 CAERNARFON

This was a really tough punishing game with both clubs fielding a strong team. The scrummaging was at times brutal with both front rows being forced up. Bangor couldn't establish any rhythm giving away many penalties and the Coffis  punished them with great touch kicking from outside half Aled Jones who opened the score with a penalty goal. Bangor took the lead with a great try starting from a scrum in  mid field and centre Jonni Hughes made a clean run to the corner to get an unconverted try. Both defences were strong and so very little open rugby was produced but the Coffi's winger Sam Jones produced a good body swerve to pass two Bangor defenders and regain the lead with an unconverted try.

The second half was equally tough with two strong packs fighting for possession that saw several players hobbling off the pitch. Aled Jones took the game away from Bangor with a try resulting from a tap penalty and another penalty goal.

TUESDAY MARCH 30th

NANT CONWY 17 - 8 BANGOR

Bangor couldn't quite raise their game enough to win with some good performances from some players and under par performances from others. They weren't helped by Nant declaring uncontested scrums and as the game wore on they were penalised relentlessly producing frustration and ill discipline resulting in a player from both sides being sent off towards the end. Nant took the lead in the first half with a try from lightening fast centre Andre Chaner converted by Dion Jones.  Bangor were strong in the pack winning almost all the line outs thanks to Joe Adamson but they found it tough going before they scored a try through forward Joe Simpson who had an outstanding game. Nant went further ahead in the second half with a try from Dion Jones which he converted. Bangor only managed a penalty from Darren Brace but Dion Jones soon cancelled that with a penalty for the home side.

Bangor pulled off a draw on their second visit to Pwllheli in this league match with both teams scoring a converted try in the first half. Bangor introduced new blood into their team  with first time appearances from Ben Baker (Flanker), Rhees Williams (2nd row) and Declan Jones (Wing) all stepping up from the Under 16 team.

Bangor's best period was the opening quarter when centre Llyr Roberts rounded off a great back move with an excellent try converted by Darren Brace. Pwllheli were rewarded with an equally fine try from Gwion Williams which he converted to level the score. After that it was all hard work in a game dominated by set pieces. Pwllheli tried kicking the ball behind the defence allowing Bangor to set up some counter attacks. Dan Davies was outstanding at full back, tackling, fielding and kicking to touch to relieve the pressure and frustrate the home team. Bangor hardly escaped from their own half of the field in the second half of the game but did not crumble thanks to persistent tackling  and they held on to to end. Sean Kendrick had a great game in the second row returning from injury for his first game this season. Bangor's man of the match was Hooker Dan Entwistle.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27^th

Pwllheli 20 - 16  Bangor

Bangor Youth are starting to emulate the National Team when it comes to Rugby, this is the second game that Bangor have had to play catch up rugby and leave the best part of their performance until the last quarter of the game and on this occasion it was too little too late. Pwllheli were not a better side than Bangor but they did take their chances when they got them. Pwllheli did not score any of their points from good attacking rugby, all their points came from unforced errors by Bangor in their own 22 such as knock ons from restarts, poor field kicking and the odd panic pass.

Pwllheli’s game plan was simple but effective, keep the ball with the forwards and then kick over into space with runners chasing forcing mistakes from Bangor which eventually turned into points.

Bangor were in this contest throughout and some good ball handling amongst the backs looked like leading to certain tries but for the last pass not going to hand. It was aggressive amongst the forwards with both sides competing for every ball and the defence form Bangor, when Pwllheli were virtually camped on the try line for what seemed to be an age and to come away with nothing for their efforts, was credit to the Bangor defence.

The backs had their moments with Darren Brace making a good run in the first half linking well with the winger who just got caught short of the try line. No tries for Bangor in the first half but there were  9 points from the boot of Jonni Hughes.

The second half was initially the same as the first but then Bangor seemed to step up the pace for the last 20 minutes and put Pwllheli under pressure with running the ball wide and with confidence. Jonni Hughes made a great break from his own 22 to as far as the opposition 22 where he offloaded to Darren Brace in support and then on to the wing who just couldn’t finish it off. Bangor were now putting a lot of pressure on Pwllheli who were constantly giving penalties to slow the ball down but eventually Joe Adamson burst through for a deserved try which was converted by Jonni Hughes to make it 20 – 16 with 10 minutes to go.

The final minutes were played in Pwllheli’s 22 with Bangor constantly testing Pwllheli’s defence resulting in Pwllheli being constantly offside and even resulting in deliberately throwing the ball out to touch which resulted in another penalty but 3 points were not enough to win this game. Bangor kept pressurising and looked like scoring but the last pass wouldn’t go to hand and eventually the ball was lost and kicked into touch which signalled the end of the game.

A welcome return to rugby for Rhys Cochyn who enjoyed his game and gave a good account of himself before coming off due to lack of match fitness and Joe Simpson who had his first full game for the Youth also gave a creditable performance giving both of them a good insight into Youth Rugby.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6th

CAERNARFON 10 - 3 BANGOR

VIDEO

Its 7 weeks since Bangor last played together and perhaps they were a bit rusty but they put all they could into this hard fought game. The home team deservedly came out on top but Bangor came close to scoring on several occasions. Playing uphill, Bangor found it hard to get out of their half and the first try came when their clearance kick was gathered by the Caernarfon full back who ran it back and put Carwyn Roberts in at the corner. Bangor ran the ball back and somehow managed to fluff a certain looking try that any one of several could have grounded but they did well to restrict the score to 5 - 0 at half time. Bangor should have come out for the second half with some confidence but the home team found that playing uphill was no obstacle. Putting a penalty kick into the corner, they produced a well rehearsed lineout with a short throw that was returned to hooker Mathew Bohana to score in the corner. Bangor got more of the game in the later stages and when the pack drove over the line they were unable to ground the ball. They came close to breaking the defence in the backs with some good breaks from Jonni Hughes and Llyr Roberts but their only reward was a penalty from Jonni Hughes.

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SATURDAY DECEMBER 12th

BANGOR 55  - 0  DENBIGH

This was a friendly game played with 14 a side. Bangor were almost at maximum strength with the return of Joe Starling, Olu Peyrasse and Meurig Thomas from college and the addition of some first team players in the absence of a league game. This proved too much for the visitors who hardly got a look in as Bangor ran in 9 tries with relative ease. The opening try was not long coming when the visitors were quickly dispossessed of the ball in the backs and a speculative kick down field was gathered by Rhodri Parry who touched down for a converted try. The next try came from a good back movement starting at the lineout and ending with Iwan Roberts crossing the line. The visitor's kick off was returned with a long kick down the touchline and a great supporting chase was rewarded with a good bounce into the hands of Llyr Roberts for the first of his four tries. The game continued in this vein with Bangor able to bring on replacements to give the whole squad a run out. The Denbigh lads to their credit kept trying to the end.

Scorers

Rhodri Parry 1 try and 2 conversions

Llyr Roberts 4 tries

Iwan Roberts 1 try and 1 conversion

Olu Peyrasse 1 try

Ivo de Jesus 2 tries

VIDEO CLICK HERE

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SATURDAY DECEMBER 5th

BANGOR 0 - LLANGEFNI 14

The youth team took a blow to their league aspirations also with the problem of absent players and went down 0 -14 to Llangefni. The visitors scored one try from Tom Lewis and Carwyn Milburn kicked 3 penalties. Bangor deserved to get some points on the board especially in the second half when the visitors were penalised 5 times in a row defending their try line and might have expected a penalty try and a sending off but they got away with it and were rewarded with a clean sheet.

BANGOR 51- 0 NANT CONWY

NORTH WALES LEAGUE

28^th NOVEMBER

Bangor caught Nant on a bad day and even without Jonni Hughes they had an easy win to maintain their challenge at the top of the youth league . Both squads were reduced to 13 players under the rules as the visitors were struggling for numbers. Bangor ran in 9 tries, four from centre Llyr Roberts, three from centre Meurig Evans and one each from scrum half Rhodri Parri and Dan Eds. Outside half Darren Brace added three conversions.

VIDEO

BANGOR 17 - 15 RUTHIN

NORTH WALES CUP

14^th NOVEMBER

Bangor produced something of a shock result in a game that was in the balance right to the end. The visitors had no less than six of the North Wales squad in their ranks but Jonni Hughes saw them off scoring all Bangor's points. The result was due to a great team effort. A titanic forward battle  gave both teams ball to play with and produced numerous close contact infringements. Bangor went into an early lead with two penalty goals from outside half Joni Hughes. Ruthin then took the lead with a converted try. Taking a tap penalty in front of the posts, Ed Mason got the touch down and Shay Tudor converted. Bangor struck back with another Hughes penalty to briefly regain the lead. Bangor were put on the defensive with a barrage of infringements resulting in a 5 m lineout. This developed into a maul and Will Mitchelmore got a touch down in the corner to give the visitors a 12 - 9 lead at half time.

The home team started the second half badly and were knocked back for a while. When Shay Taylor struck a drop goal that many thought went wide, Ruthin appeared to be in the driving seat but Bangor held on and gradually regained the upper hand thanks to robust forward play.  Jonni Hughes did a kick over the head of the defenders and full back Darren Brace gathered the ball and fed it back inside to Hughes who touched down. Although the conversion looked to be a formality, Hughes placed it wide leaving Bangor one point adrift. The Cae Milltir squad were in full cry now and their centres made several useful breaks with no result. Hughes had another two penalty attempts with the last one going over to regain the lead. Ruthin finished strong and only great defence and stalwart rucking kept them out. In the final move they got the ball along the back line and would have scored in the corner but for a great tackle that made them lose the ball on the try line.

Bangor voted two players as man of the match, Centre Meurig Evans and hooker Carl Roberts.

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BANGOR 16 - 10 CAERNARFON

OCTOBER 31^st

The result could have gone either way as both teams used the stiff breeze to full affect. Bangor dominated the first half keeping the visitors on the back foot with attacking rugby. Bangor came close to crossing the line twice in the opening minutes with some strong running from centre Llyr Roberts and winger Peter Froment. Caernarfon didn't help themselves giving away a string of penalties and after 15 minutes of play Jonni Hughes gave Bangor the lead with a 40 m kick and  followed up with a second penalty a few minutes later. Another penalty allowed Bangor to take a quick tap and scrum half Rhodri Parri rounded off the move with a fine try. Hughes' conversion gave Bangor a 13 - 0 lead at half time.

The game looked to be in the bag for Bangor but Caernarfon showed that they could kick with the wind behind them and took command of the game. Their winger came close to scoring in the corner and Bangor only got out of trouble by first taking a scrum against the head thanks to hooker Carl Roberts and then stealing a lineout to get clear of the danger. Caernarfon looked to have scored a try when the scrum half put the left wing in but he knocked on touching down. This was rectified moments later when Bangor failed to find touch and the visitors sent the ball along the line resulting in a try from Morys Williams. Bangor came under the cosh with relentless pressure and another great back move put winger Ioan Jones in for a try. Lucky for Bangor the conversion was missed. Bangor's forwards seemed to find some new life and picked up the pace of their game in the closing minutes to force play into the visitors half. They were rewarded with a penalty for the last kick of the game and Jonni Hughes made no mistake and Bangor celebrated going top in the youth league for the first time in many years.

VIDEO 1  VIDEO 2

Llandudno 22 - 64 Bangor

17/10/2009  

Bangor Youth’s travelled to Llandudno with almost a full squad and were confident of giving Llandudno a good game. On arrival we were informed that Llandudno only had 13 players available which gave Bangor an opportunity to rest a couple of players with niggling injuries although they were to feature in this game at some point. Llandudno had some of the biggest players that we have encountered in the past 18 months of Youth Rugby and even their No 10 was bigger than the majority of Bangor’s forwards. The game plan and tactics for Bangor was to go wide at every opportunity and run Llandudno around with the expectation that they would eventually tire and our fitness would see us through. 

It wasn’t the best start as a mistake by Bangor allowed Llandudno a line out inside our 22 which they won and used their power to burst through for a try within the first 2 minutes. Bangor eventually got into their game plan spreading the ball amongst the backs with some good handling and angled running but this would not have been achievable if it wasn’t for the forwards who took on their much larger opponents head on with not one of them taking a back step to provide the launch pad for quick ball allowing the backs to finish off. It soon become obvious that Llandudno’s lack of fitness was to be one of their downfalls and this proved to be the case when Bangor kept running the ball wide and spreading Llandudno’s defence resulting in gaps appearing within their defensive line which allowed the Bangor backs to score on almost every attack.

Llandudno did have their moments with their No 10 continually trying different tactics which were not always read by his team mates and almost all their 22 points come from his vision of the game.

The backs had a good game of running rugby today resulting in 8 tries but a lot of acknowledgement has to go to the forwards who fought for everything against a much larger pack showing that technique and teamwork can overcome brute strength and size. The consistent front row of Eiros,Karl and Mike, who hardly ever get a mention on reports, are proving to be a real handful for opposing sides and it was no different today with the front trio and their remaining forwards competing for every ball and even winning some against the head. Joe Adamson got the forwards their deserved reward with 2 tries of his own resulting in a tally of 10 tries for the team with 7 converts from 3 different kickers.

There is still work to be done with this Youth side but they are certainly heading in the right direction but your next challenge is always your biggest one and Bangor have another tough game in the league against Caernarfon in a fortnight which will no doubt be another good test for this Bangor side.

Point Scorers 

Llyr Roberts   3 tries

Ivu                 2 tries

Joe Adamson 2 tries

Rhodri Morris 1 try   1 Con

Peter Froment 1 try

Jonny Hughes  1 try  5 Cons

Darren Brace   1 Con

Bangor Youth 51 - 0 Llangollen

10/10/2009

This friendly was organised to allow the Bangor coaches to look at some of their players in different positions and for the newer members to get some more Youth Rugby experience under their belt. Llangollen started off brightly enough being awarded a penalty within the opening minute and kicked to the corner for a lineout which was won by the Bangor forwards. The clearance kick didn’t go far and resulted in the Llangollen winger running elusively through some Bangor players before finally getting tackled and the ball being finally cleared by Bangor. Bangor started to get some phases together but knock on’s and the odd forward pass stopped them getting the score. Eventually Bangor’s forwards took control pounding the Llangollen defence resulting in a good forwards try by 2^nd Row Joe Adamson. As the game wore on Bangor were becoming more confident and produced some good phases of play producing another 3 tries for the first half, one each for Ivu De Jesus, Jordan Scott and the ever present Llyr Roberts. Half time score 34 :0.  

To their credit Llangollen tried to change their game plan by kicking into corners and using inside passes to their forwards which nearly paid dividends when their No 8 burst through the gap but was caught short of the try line with some good individual tackling and none more so than Meurig Evans who appears to get great personal satisfaction from one on one confrontations.

The result eventually became a foregone conclusion and the Bangor team were told to try new moves practiced on the training field, one of which ‘The Guinness Ball’ was well executed with Iwan Roberts initiating the move and Jordan Scott going over for his second try of the match. A combination of good handling from all players resulted in a further 4 tries, a third for Jordan, 2 more for Ivu making his hatrick and a second try for Llyr Roberts who is fast becoming a prolific try scorer this season. Jordan Scott was taken off with over 20 minutes left in the game as a cautionary measure which left Bangor playing with only 14 against 15 for that final period. Ivu scored his third try in the corner which took Bangor over the 50 point mark which resulted in the ref calling an end to the game with over 10 minutes to play.Meurig Evans converted 3 of the tries and was awarded his well deserved Man of the Match Award for his tenacious tackling in defence and ball handling in attack.

Although a good overall display for both forwards and backs, the most encouraging signs were the younger team members getting 6 tries between them and the limited numbers of penalties that Bangor gave away which has proved to be their downfall in past games. The Bangor players are aware that the next fixture away to Llandudno in the league will be a completely different proposition but with the present commitment and enthusiasm and with other players yet to come in there can be no reason why Bangor can not come away with an away win.

Scorers:  Jordan Scott  3 tries

               Ivo De Jesus  3 tries

              Llyr Roberts   2 tries

              Joe Adamson  1 try

              Meurig Evans  3 cons            

The game was 3 points all until the very end and then the visitors grabbed a try to take the game.

Denbigh Youths 20 - 32 Bangor Youths

Due to work commitments Bangor Youths could only assemble 12 players for the friendly trip to Denbigh. In a sporting gesture Denbigh supplied 3 players to make it a 15 man contest. Playing downhill from the start Bangor started quite brightly and harassed the Denbigh back line causing confusion amongst the home side which resulted in Llyr Roberts getting his first of three tries which was converted by Meurig Evans who had adopted the kicking duties for this game. The game became scrappy in parts but to their credit the Denbigh forwards continued to test Bangor with their aggressive play which was eventually rewarded with an unconverted try for the home team.

The Bangor forwards had to work hard for every ball but on occasions come off second best in the ruck area with the ball being stolen on a number of occasions allowing Denbigh to counter attack but a combination of poor handling from their backs and dogged defence by Bangor prevented them from scoring. With every ball being aggressively competed for Bangor got some good back play going only to be pulled down metres short from the try line only for a good supporting forward, Eiros (Giovanni) Thomas to pick up and score the try. Denbigh responded well with a good cross kick which caught Bangor napping resulting in a try in the corner for the home team. A converted penalty for Denbigh left the half time score at 13 – 12.

Playing uphill in the second half Bangor started to play better rugby and the fitness was definitely a factor as Denbigh were struggling to compete leading to frustration and unfortunately resulting in the sides trading punches on a couple of occasions. Bangor held it together showing good composure and got a further 3 tries, 2 for Llyr Roberts who has scored in all 3 games this season and 1 for the ever present Peter Froment who finished off a well worked try that started with the forwards and then along the back line for the wing to finish off.

A good return to Youth Rugby for Joe Adamson who worked hard in the lineout’s and although the only jumper available on the day he still managed to compete well and make it as difficult as possible for the opposition.

Denbigh provided a good test for the Bangor forwards which can only help in their preparation for the next league game against Pwllheli

COBRA YOUTHS 17 - 22  BANGOR YOUTHS

SATURDAY AUGUST 29^th

Due to late withdrawals , work commitments & holidays, Bangor’s youngsters travelled to Meifod in Powys with only thirteen players. Upon arrival Cobra themselves only had a squad of seventeen for the same reasons & in the true spirit of the game they transferred their extra men to Bangor to ensure a competitive fifteen aside match in this pre-season friendly.

Making their Youth team debuts for Bangor were three of last year’s under sixteens, scrum half Rhodri Parry, wing Jesus Aravjo de Ivo & second row Aled Bodden-Edwards.

From the kick-off Bangor looked lively and instantly put their opponents under the cosh and from this early pressure centre Llyr Roberts broke through for an excellent score which went unconverted.

On their first visit into Bangor territory the home side attacked the visitor’s line several times before finally driving over from close range to take the lead when the try was converted. Their advantage was short lived however when Darren Brace slotted over a penalty, awarded for a mid-field offence.

A lineout steal on half way by second row and captain Joe Starling, his third in a row, saw the ball move swiftly across the pitch and when in-form centre Llyr Roberts gathered a perfect ball he straightened up and went on a charging run and burst through several defenders to score an impressive solo effort.

On another rare Cobra visit into the Bangor half the visitors’ defence let slip a soft try from a couple of missed tackles which was converted with the aid of the strong wind and the home side led by a point at the interval.

In the second period Bangor outscored their opponents by three Darren Brace penalties to Cobra’s one kick to fully deserve this away win.

The evergreen Joe Starling shone throughout & always ensured a great platform for his side with his dominance in the lineouts, and the industrious Euros Thomas was immense scavenging everything on the ground. Llyr Roberts was also outstanding but the man of the match was awarded to rookie scrum half and debutant Rhodri Parry who belied his age and played with the maturity of a veteran throughout , there is a bright future surely ahead for him.

LLANGEFNI 10 - 10 BANGOR

NORTH WEST WALES YOUTH LEAGUE

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 5^th 2009

The game ended with honours even after a closely fought match. Bangor had the best of first half occupying the home side's territory for long periods. Both sides tackled well and handled the ball well although Cefni did more kicking than Bangor. Bangor had the best of the scrummages but the home team did better at the line outs. The score was opened by Bangor's centre Llyr Roberts who went over the corner. Jonni Hughes made a great conversion from the touchline. Hughes added a 50 metre penalty soon after. Llangefni replied with a penalty from outside half Carwyn Milburn.

The second half went the way of Llangefni and developed into a stalemate for a long period with both sets of forwards contesting strongly for the ball in the rucks and mauls. Cefni's winger Carwyn Owen always looked to be the danger man and his efforts were rewarded with a try after he entered the back line from the wing and found Bangor wanting in defence for the first time. His try was converted by Milburn to level the score. With little time left Bangor launched a last ditch effort and Darren Brace had a drop goal attempt charged down and when the ball was gathered by an off side player they thought they had a penalty in front of the posts but the referee decided to end proceedings there and then by blowing the final whistle. Bangor's man of the match was Peter Froment who did so much work off the end of the line outs and scrums to stop the home side  attacks.

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