Sunday 9th January

Bridgend v Newport

Another beautiful morning and a soft, if cloying, pitch made conditions almost perfect for running rugby.

After losing heavily at home we were hoping for the sort improved A team performance we had shown against Cardiff, Swansea and especially Pontypridd.

Once again we made the worst possible start when a missed tackle led to the opening home score.

To their credit this seemed to galvanise the boys as they dominated possession and camped in the home half  After a period of sustained pressure George crashed over to level the scores and then we unbelievably took the lead when big Mathew did the same.

Unfortunately that was as good as it got as the same old problems reappeared....particularly the narrowness of our defence which saw four massive overlaps taken advantage of by Bridgend to give them a 25-10 half time lead.

The second half continued in much the same way with the home team punishing every mistake we made to run in tries, some from their own line.

By contrast every opportunity we had, and we had quite a few, were again lost for the usual reasons as we fell to yet another disappointing loss which again doesn't reflect the true abilities of the team.

Newport B 35 Bridgend B 20

Once again it fell to the B's to give us something to smile about and they didn't  disappoint.

This time it was our turn to take an early lead when a show and go near the home line saw Dan open our account.

Though the home team then levelled the scores some sparkling combined play led to tries from Ieuan, Ethan (2) and Gethin which saw us leading 25-10 at half time.

The second period was more even for although we scored the next two tries through Mathew and Ethan....(again), the home side with some A players in their ranks scored two of their own to make the final score 35-20.

What was particularly pleasing apart from the spirit shown by all of the B team was the performance of the many year 5's in their ranks.

We will continue to work on the areas of concern at training and hope for an improved A performance in the next game, the DCT Bowl home game against Swansea Valley on February 28th.

Wednesday 5th January 

RAFFLE SHEETS

If you've filled your Raffle Sheet then please bring it along with you to training tomorrow night.

Reminder - 1st prize is £80, which can be exchanged for 2 Wales v France tickets if desired.

 

2 games Saturday against Bridgend Schools at Pyle RFC. Further details to follow.

 

Sunday January 26th

D C Thomas Plate

Llanelli 20 Newport 15

After a long trip to Felinfoel RFC,  though the weather was gloomy our spirits were high after having such a good session at training on Thursday.

The squad had a late withdrawal when Dan was taken ill overnight but otherwise was as selected.

Despite a poor warm up session we made a strong start dominating territory and possession but yet again the errors which have plagued most of our games this season appeared yet again which meant we failed turn our advantage into points...though Mason was unlucky not to open our account when his foot crossed the touchline in the act of scoring.

By contrast the first time the hosts had an opportunity they took it when a break from  deep in their own half and a missed tackle led to the only try of the first half.

We continued to make error after error in the second period and soon trailed by 15 points after conceding two more tries.

A try by Eddie gave us hope of a comeback but our restart kick failed to go the required distance and from the resulting scrum on half way a simple set move cut our defence to shreds to increase the deficit to 15 point again.

A powerful blockbusting run by big Mathew from deep in our half saw him brush off would be tacklers and left defenders trailing in his wake on his way to the line to cut the host lead to 10 points.

It was all Newport again now but time after time passes weren't made or were dropped and clear overlaps ignored while the home team defended as if their lives depended on it.

We did eventually manage to put Tom over in the corner but we had left it far too late to get get the vital score which would have put us through as the away team in a drawn match.

On the balance of possession, territory and penalty count this is yet another game we could have/should have won in what has been a maddeningly frustrating season for coaches , supporters and team alike.

The ability and skill levels of all the players is plain for all to see but apart from the the magnificent display at Pontypridd before Xmas has been unable to be produced for an entire match.

Whilst we now have the Bowl to play for, if we continue to produce the same sort of  error strewn display we are unlikely to go far in a competition we have never ever had to compete in before.

 

 

Monday January 13th 

Newport A 10 Cardiff A 25

Following their last game at Pontypridd Newport were confident of going into 2020 against a Cardiff team that beat them 8 tries to 1 earlier in the season. 

Playing down the slope the visitors soon put Newport under pressure by working the ball wide to stretch a narrow home defence. Cardiffs first 2 tries came in either corner when once again wingers were left to defend 2 or 3 man overlaps. 

Newport were struggling to even get out of their own half due to a mixture of a good Cardiff defence and a Newport attack that all too often took the ball standing still and then ran sideways offering Cardiff easy pickings as they drove them backwards with ease.

Cardiff extended their lead by running hard, straight and with aggression through the heart of the home defence with players dropping off tackles once again. 

Newport gave themselves a mountain to climb by conceding again for a half-time score of 20-0 to Cardiff. 

The second half thankfully was an all together different affair.  Newport upped their game,  started winning possession and started to put Cardiff under pressure. 

Tries by Drew and Zac either side of another Cardiff try ensured that Newport 'won' the second half so a much improved half resulted in an 'acceptable ' defeat when you consider the thrashing Cardiff  gave us at the start of the season.

Player of the match was given to Drew who lead by example and also got onto the scoreboard following a powerful run to the line.

So poor defence was again our undoing particularly in the first half. We'll continue to work on it in training but players need to switch on and focus when they cross the whitewash.

Newport B 20 Cardiff B 20

Following the heavy defeat at Rumney earlier in the season, the B team were eager to make amends and took the game to the visitors from the first whistle.

Ferocious tackling and great line speed forced Cardiff into a number of mistakes as they struggled to get out of their own half.

With the wind at our backs we looked dangerous moving the ball wide with Tom G orchestrating things at outside half and centres Jack H and Issac linking well. 

It wasn't long before we crossed for our first try with young Rhys B going over in the corner. This was quickly added to with another 2 tries scored by Ieuan and Sam E. 

Cardiff, despite being shell shocked at our fast start, soon began to get their way back into the game as their big forwards gave them some forward momentum. Heroic defending from full back Jack H kept them out on more than one occasion but they did eventually cross to give a halftime score of 15-5.

The boys were ecstatic with the first half performance but well aware that they needed to back this up second half.

Cardiff started the second half strongly, with their big ball carriers making big inroads into the home defence. They added 2 quick scores to level the game up at 15 all going into the last 10 minutes. 

The boys didn't let their heads drop and began putting together some phases which took us to the Cardiff line. After a number of penalties it was Ieuan who crashed over for his second try of the game and edge us ahead.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to hold onto victory as Cardiff managed to break away for the final score of the game and end an enthralling game 20-20.

In the end, a draw was probably the right result though both sides will have gone away thinking they could have won it.

Player of the match  could have gone to a number of boys but it was Jack H (Pentrepoeth) who took the coveted kit bag with some superb defence and also showing up well with ball in hand. 

Well done all involved.

Training as usual Thursday at Riogerstone.

2 matches next week against Swansea - details to follow.

 

Sunday December 8th

Early Christmas Present arrivesi as Newport win The Roger Stokes Cup for the first time.

 

Pontypridd A 5  Newport A 25

 

After four long years of waiting Newport are finally holders of the Roger Stokes Cup following a resounding away win in Cilfynedd.

Both sides were missing players for a variety of reasons with Newport without 5 of last week's Cup team.

We showed great attacking intent against Pontypool as our 7 try haul then would suggest, however our Achilles heel of a narrow defence once again cost us dear.

However the new centre partnership of George and Dylan worked extremely well in  it's first outing and provided much greater solidity and positional acumen in defence.

Playing down the slope we made the best possible start when some lovely interplay saw Joe cross for the opening score. This was soon followed by a fantastic show and go from Eddie which saw the home defence left flat footed and stretched our lead to 10 points.

As always Ponty also tried to play open rugby, moving the ball at every opportunity but at long last the hard work put in during training sessions saw our blitz defence shut out every attack.

A typical barnstorming run from Zac helped us to finish the best half of rugby we have produced this season with a 15 point lead.

With the slope in their favour Ponty made a strong start to the second period but we soon increased our lead when Mason finished off one our best combined attacks of the season to cross in the corner.

With our swarming defence suffocating every home attack and forcing handling errors another Zac special made it 25 nil before Ponty showed how dangerous they could be with a fantastic team effort from deep in their own half which gave them a well deserved score to make the final tally 25-5.

This was without doubt one of the best Newport performances for many years which augurs well for the second half of the season and sees everyone head into 2020 with a smile on their face.....and the Plate in our sights!

The B team also played some fine rugby in their match but a mixture of good home play and matters outside their control saw them slip to a 15-25 loss that didn't reflect how close the game was.

Tries were scored by Elliot and Jack Harding (Marshfield) who crossed twice , with Elliot, Iuean and Justin in particular all impressing.

What has been pleasing this season is the number of players starring for the B team who were given a chance in the A's and who subsequently kept their place, several of the B's made a strong case for their inclusion yesterday.

However with the A team playing so well, those A boys who were absent will  face a battle to get back into the team.

 

With the long Christmas break now looming we hope all squad members keep their fitness levels up and work at their game during this time, we would encourage all scrum halves in particular to work on the speed, accuracy and distance of their pass.

 

We will see you all at the next training session which will be on the first Thursday back on January 9th.

 Boys and girl .....enjoy your xmas puddings....just don't come back looking like one!

 

Wishing you all a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year.....and hopefully a successful one!¥

 

See you in 2020

 

Sunday December 1st

D C Thomas Cup 1st round

Newport 35 Pontypool 45.

At last we were able to play our cup match on a cold but dry morning on a Chepstow pitch that was in remarkably good condition.

Unfortunately for a variety of reasons we were missing no fewer than 10 squad members which included both first choice wingers  and our most powerful centre. 

Due to the requirement for 4 cup substitutes the B team were left with no cover at all but luckily did not need them.

We made the best possible start in the As when early pressure saw Ethan score a fine opening try.

We had by far the better of the breakdown battle throughout the match with the forwards in particular having their best game of the season.

However our perennial Achilles heel of bunching in the defensive line meant that all too often our wingers were left marking three or sometimes four Pontypool backs,  something that the visitors took full advantage of to score 4 unanswered tries.

Thankfully we were  causing the visitors problems whenever we had the ball and two fine tries from Logan and Eddie reduced the deficit to 10 points before another easy score left us trailing by 15 -30 at the break.

It was emphasised during the half time chat that we were not out of it, especially if we could get an early score.

The boys did better than that as Ethan, again, crossed soon after the restart and then Dylan retrieved the ball direct from the next kick off to make it 25-30

Unfortunately Pontypool again found our narrow defence all too easy to outflank and did so to stretch  stretch their lead to 15 points.

Our boys were far from finished and an unbelievable run from near our line by Zac which seemed to leave almost all of the visiting team grasping at thin air or shrugged off saw him score an incredible try which again reduced the margin to 10 points.

Another fairly easy Pontypool try near the end finally put the game out of our reach but big Mathew who had  caused all kinds of problems for the visitors with his powerful runs made sure we had the final say by crashing over the line with several desperate defenders unable to stop him.

So our attention will, now switch to the Plate where we await the losers of the Llanelli/ Merthyr match.

If we can only improve our defensive alignment we could go far in this secondary tournament.

The makeshift B team suffered only their second defeat of the season after conceding a last second try. 

Once again their effort could not be faulted with two u10s particularly impressing.

AJ had to move to outside half from the wing and did well in difficult circumstances whilst Rhys was again faultless as the last line of defence to prevent several tries.

Well done everyone but our next ( and last) games on Saturday will be against the powerful Pontypridd teams.

Friday October 22nd

Unfortunately tomorrow's games are off due to the  condition of the pitches.

We hope to play next Saturday now.

Christmas Cup

Fifteen schools attended the latest tournament on the 3G pitch at Spytty on Wednesday and the warm feeling engendered by the rugby offset the chill of the day.

The tournament was split into two sections with the strongest 8  in two groups of four playing for the Cup and Plate and the other 7 contesting the Shield and Bowl.

All 15 enjoyed success of one kind or another during the afternoon.

With three schools, High Cross, Ysgol Gwymraeg Casnewydd and Ysgol y Ffin finishing with the same points  for the first time ever a trophy was shared by all three.

The Bowl was also close with Undy and St Andrews both overcoming a shaky start to finish level on points....to again share the trophy by pipping Milton and Lliswerry.

The main section was also closely contested with the holders, The Dell and a young Charles Williams losing in the semi final play offs to .....AGAIN .... share 3rd place after drawing their match.

Rogerstone then produced their best display of the afternoon to see off Mt Pleasant by 2 tries to nil to win the Plate.

The last game of the afternoon was a real cracker between the two unbeaten schools Pentrepoeth and Marshfield. 

Despite some outstanding passages of play neither defence could be breached and for the second tournament in a row and for the first time ever they again had to share the trophy.

 

Monday October 18th

Rhymney Valley 40 Newport 20

Once again a Jekyll and Hyde performance from the A team led to another disappointing defeat.

After the intensity shown in the Cup game the first half was as poor as that match was good.

Mistakes littered the whole period with missed tackles, poor breakdown support and dropped passes.

Rhymney Valley were well worth their 30-0 half time lead, we could only be grateful it wasn’t  bigger!

The half time chat seemed to galvanise the team as they finally began to compete at the breakdown and boss the game.

We “won” the second half by 20 points to 10 , thanks to tries from Logan, who deservedly won the man of the match award with a display of aggression which belied his small  stature, Ethan and George who crossed twice.

Unfortunately we had left too big a mountain to climb after such a poor first half performance and must learn that the game is 40 minutes long not 20. If we repeat this display against Pontypool in the next round of the Cup on Saturday we shall not be progressing further.

Rhymney Valley B 20 Newport B 20 

Another battling display from the B saw them recover from an early 10 nil defecit to lead by 20 points to 10 in the second half after tries from Sam, Justin, Masaki and Roman, before two late home tries rescued a draw for them.

It wasn’t a pretty game ..... more of a continual pitch wide maul, which suited the home team more than us.

Nevertheless the determination throughout shown by all of the boys was in stark contrast to the first half of the A game.

Several boys made strong claims for A places and the large number of u10s also did themselves justice, none more so than Otis whose all action display at scrum half earned him the mom award, though several others could also have got it.

The Cup game next Saturday will be at Chepstow RFC.

Could those boys who have still not paid for their kit set please do so ASAP.

See you Thursday.

 

Wednesday afternoon will see 15 schools competing in the Christmas Tournament on the 3G at the International Sport Village at Spytty.

 

Thursday October 14th

Training tonight is cancelled.

Two games Saturday v Rhymney Valley on the 3G pitch at Ystrad Mynach, first game 11am.

Details to follow.

Saturday October 9th

D C Thomas Cup

South Powys 15  Newport 45

How lucky were we to play our Cup match last night as although we might have been cold we weren’t wet too ,conditions were perfect for running rugby and both sides certainly provided lots of it in a thoroughly enjoyable game.

The boys had looked in good form in the first training session after the half term break and carried it into the game. Keeping possession from the kick off they stretched Powys from side to side and after what was probably our best combined play of the season Fletcher was able to finish it off with a try in the corner.

Tries continued to come at regular intervals as the boys produced some outstanding rugby with Logan, Zac, Joe, Eddie and George crossing to give us a 30 point lead at the break.

Both sides made frequent , rolling , substitutions during the game and this undoubtedly seemed to affect us rather more than the home side.

Passes which went to hand in the first half were either not made or dropped and the second period ended with both teams scoring 15 points each, our scorers being Gethin, Mathew and Eddie again.

South Powys, in their first game of the season, played their part in a wonderful game of running rugby which was thoroughly enjoyed by the large ( very cold) crowd.

It was pleasing to see the work being done in training finally beginning to pay off, with the counter ruck , tackling and handling particularly impressive......however, we still have work to do on defence with boys continuing to  follow the ball across the pitch and crowding around the ruck leaving us badly exposed out wide.

Still this was without doubt our best display of the season both individually and collectively, the smiles on the boys faces showed how much they enjoyed it...as did we.

We hope we can carry this into our next game against Rhymney Valley next Saturday.

Well done boys!

We were sorry to hear that Lila has suffered another wrist injury (outside the rugby pitch) we hope it does not prove to be too serious and that she is able to rejoin the squad as soon as possible.

Get well soon Lila !

 

 

 

Monday 21st October

BOWLING

Our team bonding event will take place at Hollywood Bowl in Cwmbran (NP44 1QS) on Thursday at 6pm. Please conuld we aim to meet there for 5:45pm.

The night includes: a game of bowling, food afterwards (burger/veggie burger/ hot dog and chips) and a mocktail / slush puppie. If there are any food allergies / intolerances please let us know.

There will be prizes on offer for the top bowling team and highest individual score.

We are offsetting the cost of this so ask for a contribution of £6 to be paid on the night.

Could you please confirm attendance below so I can get exact numbers for the night.

Cheers

Owen

 

Thursday 17th October

Training will be at Rogerstone tonight.

See you there.

A report of last week's TPS schools tournament is in tonight's Argus.

Tuesday 15th October

Training, if on, will be at Rogerstone from now on.

Affiliation

It was decided at a WSRU meeting last night that schools that have not filled in an affiliation form and paid £20 fee by the end of next week will not be able to enter inter school fixtures/tournaments.

Districts will also not be able to select any players from any schools which have not affiliated. 

Has your school affiliated?

 

Monday 14th October

REGISTRATION FORM

Please can all parents complete the form below asap. Should only take a minute or so.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Ug4_TzS3ZEGUCRtgHRR5k6Bbe4pleNhAh51cw2cTzG9UMVQwVDlPSFM1MzRKQ0lKTU1RQU5IR1RZVS4u

 

Friday October 11th

Due to the continuing poor weather and the forecast we have decided to cancel tomorrow's games.

See you at training next Thursday.

 

Food

Can you please bring the usual selection of food for tomorrow, some paper plates would also be useful.

Thursday 10th October

Another concentrated defence session, hope we can put into the games on Saturday.

Two games v Bridgend...who beat Cardiff last weekend....this Saturday at Chepstow RFC.

Please meet at the club by 9.15.

We may need to provide food for after the game as usual.

Please check website tomorrow and Saturday for any updates.

#####

Training tonight will be held at Rogerstone Primary from 4:45 - 6pm.

No metal studs allowed on the pitch.

Wednesday October 9th

The Glebelands are likely to be unfit tomorrow so are trying to get permission to use the 3G pitch at Rogerstone Primary.

The postcode is NP10 9YX

Unfortunately it will mean those of you travelling from Chepstow/Caldicot will have to endure the dreaded tunnels.

It is best to exit the M4 at J27 and then head for Risca, carry on to the first roundabout and take the 1st exit, down to the next roundabout 1st exit again....turning for school is first left, then left again.

Boys will need suitable boots or good trainers, they should also wear tracksuit bottoms and long sleeves. 

Children should NOT enter the 3G area until a member of staff is there.

We are waiting to hear if we can use it so please check again tomorrow. 

#####

Monday October 7th

Sponsorship

We are pleased to announce the Rougemont School, which has been a long time supporter of our half term inter school tournaments, have agreed to be our major sponsor of a new team kit.

This will see a return to the more traditional black and amber colours.

Total Teamwear also joined  as one of our short sponsors...a big thank you to them both.

Rougemont are holding a whole school open morning this Saturday , 10-12.30, and are promising a warm welcome to any Newport school children.

Unfortunately we are due to be playing Bridgend which may mean few can attend.

 

Sunday October 6th

Newport A v Swansea

Our first ever district games at Chepstow RFC proved a great success even if the results were  mixed.

We received a very warm reception from the club and hope to be able to return again in the near future.

Newport A v Swansea A

The powerful Swansea team proved just that in the A game as a mistake at the kick off led to a scrum back on half way followed by an early visiting score. A mix up up at the restart led to a second score and a dropped pass deep in the Swansea half saw them punish us with a 3rd swiftly followed by a 4th.

Things were looking bleak yet again but a thunderous run from near his own line  saw George leave defenders sprawled everywhere as he scored a brilliant individual try to open our account and themn a fine brace from Ethan which unbelievably meant we trailing by only 5 points at half time.

That was as good as it got however as Swansea continued to dominate the contact area and our usual mixture of handling errors and passive/poor  defence led to them scoring 6 more tries to ease into an unassailable lead.

To the team's credit they did have the last say following a rare accurate combined passage of play which saw Fletcher show his pace to cross in the corner.

The A's were followed by the B's who were still smarting after losing their first game of the season last weekend.

Again facing a bigger Swansea team they made a great start when Mostyn powered through several tackles to open our account.

Further tries came at regular intervals through Joe, Jack H and Callum before the visitors crossed to reduce the deficit to 20-5 at the break.

Swansea started the second  period in much more determined fashion and put us under much greater pressure but a long kick from them was returned with interest as Elliot turned their defence inside out before crossing for a fine individual try.

The visitors did reduce the deficit with their second try before Jack H scored his second and though Swansea managed to score a 3rd the B team held on for another fine win.

So a mixed bag in terms of results but again several B players made a good case for an A place and may get the chance against Bridgend next weekend.

Defence is still a great cause of concern despite the concentration on it in training, with players continuing to be drawn towards the ruck area instead of holding their place in the line.

Body positions and aggression in the contact area is also poor...though this is something we intend to work on too.

However with only just over an hours training a week available we would ask that boys and girls work on other areas such as handling( giving and taking a pass) kicking out of hand, scrum half feed into the scrum and pass from scrum, lineout and ruck in their own time too.

Unfortunately in our section of fixtures easy games are a rarity and unless we improve in these areas we are going to continue to struggle against the calibre of opposition we will face.

#####

Thursday October 10th

Great turnout and good session tonight in poor conditions....could boys come dressed for the likely weather in future.

Two fixtures v Swansea at Chepstow RFC....please meet at the club by 9.30am

Food will be provided after the games so can all players please make sure they attend.

Can boys also bring a towel to shower after the match.

A pair of Newport shorts were left in the changing rooms last weekend, unfortunately there was no name on the tag.

Can everyone please make sure their name IS on their shorts....unfortunately if anyone loses them they will have to pay for a replacement.

Please check site and Facebook for updates.

See you there

#####

Fixture Update

Saturday 12th October

Bridgend (Home)

Saturday 9th November

South Powys (Away - DC Thomas Cup)

Saturday 16th November

Rhymney Valley (Away)

Saturday 23rd November 

Pontypool (Home)

Saturday 7th December

Pontypridd (Away)

Further fixtures will be added when arranged. Some possibly being played midweek. 

FACEBOOK PAGE

We have a private group set up on Facebook - Newport District Schools under 11s rugby.

Details about training etc, will also be posted on there.

 

Sunday September 29th

Cardiff v  Newport 

What a change in weather conditions to the first two weekends of games.

Despite the awful weather of the previous day and indeed overnight the pitches were in remarkably good condition.

We had spent the whole if our last training session on defence and it was thoroughly tested in both matches.

Cardiff A v Newport A

With George feeling unwell prior to the match it was decided it would be unwise to start with him so an early reshuffle saw Eddie move from the wing.

Straight from the kick off, and despite our supposed game plan, we spent the first few minutes trying to run the ball from our own line and this inevitably led to us conceding an early try.

Unbelievably we tried the same strategy again with the same result, our problems being compounded by Fletcher receiving a nasty blow to his knee which meant he played no further part in the match and yet another reshuffle.

Thankfully we began to settle down after this and enjoyed more of the game. 

Even at this early stage the speed of the home defence whenever we had possession was in stark contrast to ours which despite Thursday's work was slow and hesitant in comparison.

Under intense pressure every time we had the ball our passing was also below par and we soon conceded a third try.

On the one occasion we did give Cardiff a taste of their own medicine it paid dividends when Ethan's pressure saw the home centre lose the ball which was snaffled by Eddie to make the half time score 5 -15.

After seeing how successful quick aggressive defence could be it was hoped we would continue in the same vein in the second period.

Unfortunately it was not to be as we fell back into the passive defence which had caused us so much trouble in the first half.

Where the speed and handling skill of Pontypridd the previous week had caused us problems on the wing all Cardiff had to do was run hard and direct to cross our line.

The few occasions we did threaten the speed of the home defence ensured our handling skills were tested to the full and unfortunately often found wanting.

The second half was hard to watch as we were almost continually on the back foot and whilst some desperate defence did prevent several scores we did concede 5 more to round off a thoroughly disappointing morning.

Last season we lost even more heavily to Cardiff in one of our early games but by the end of the season they were lucky to win a much closer return match.

We always say to the team (and parents) that it is not where we are now that counts but where we are at the end of the season.

We will put in the hard work at our sessions but boys and girls also need to work on areas of their individual game that may need it in their own time too....they also need to study how senior players work when they don't have the ball.

The B team's successful start  came to an end in  much the same way yesterday...Masaki crossing for our try.

Newport B  Cardiff B 

The B team kicked off hoping to build on two successful performances in previous weeks. 

A frenetic start saw mistakes made by both sides as conditions affected handling skills.

Cardiff were soon on top, using their big, powerful forwards to good effect, spending lots of time in our half.

It wasn't long before they opened the scoring as a static Newport defence allowed one of the big runners to crash over. 

This continued to be the theme for the half, where some poor tackling and line speed allowed Cardiff to dictate matters and cross for further tries.

To the boys credit, they didn't allow their heads to drop and tried hard to play in what were testing conditions. 

Some good runs by forwards Archie and Adam were soon undone by a lack of support resulting in turnovers for Cardiff. We also didn't help ourselves with some loose kicks down the middle of the field, inviting the dangerous Cardiff full back to run back at us, often with great success.

The second half continued in the same way with us allowing Cardiff too much space to run into and them scoring some easy tries. 

We did however have the final say as Masaki showed good pace to cross in the corner.

It was certainly a wake up call which showed the ruthless nature of district rugby with mistakes punished on a regular basis. 

We are certainly a lot better than we showed yesterday - I'm sure we'll see a better performance next week.

So a lot hard work to do before we face another powerful district, Swansea, at Chepstow RFC next Saturday.

Hopefully training will be at Glebelands again in Thursday however if the weather/pitch is poor we may sitch to the 3G at Rogerstone Primary.....check nearer the day for updates.

######

Thursday September 26th

A good defensive session tonight lots of work put in...hopefully it will bear fruit on Saturday. 

Well done all.

Two tough games v Cardiff...both kicking off at 10am .

Boys should meet at the club by 9.15 am

As well as the usual squad the following year 5s should also attend 

Otis, AJ, Dan and Rhys B...can they please confirm they will attend.

Boys have been given affiliation forms to give to their school.

WSRU regulations state that only boys attending affiliated schools are allowed to play their district.

It is vital that these are returned to Owen asap.

Venue for Saturday 

Rumney RFC, Riverside Park, Hartland Rd, Lanrumney, Cardiff CF3 4JL

See you there.

 

 

Sunday September 22nd

Newport v Pontypridd 

Another beautiful morning at Pill saw us welcome the powerful Pontypridd district, who have consistently been one of the strongest sides in Wales.

Once again the A team opened proceedings but despite the concentration on defence in our last training session the visitors found it all too easy to find space on the wings and soon led by 3 tries to nil.

A powerful burst from George saw him score an outstanding individual try from deep in our half to reduce the defecit...5-15.

Once again simple handling along the line led to two further Ponty tries and though they scored another one  two of our own from George and Drew made it 20-30 at half time.

Things improved a little in the second period as despite conceding a further try early on two more tries from George, who caused Ponty trouble every time he had the ball, brought the scores to        30-35.

The visitors had the last word however and they deservedly won a thoroughly entertaining game by 40-30.

Newport B Pontypridd B 

This was another exciting game and one in which we were never behind.

The effort of every single boy could not be faulted in a game played at breakneck speed.

Tries from Mason (2), Masaki (2) Elliot and Archie S were enough to give the B their second win of the season by 35-15.

 With two boys deservedly earning A places after their performances for the B in the last game, several boys showed they could be joining them in the near future, which is the whole purpose of the B team.

It was especially pleasing to see four u10s make their debut for the district and all acquited themselves well.

So much to be applauded by both of the teams then but once again players NOT holding their position on the pitch caused us problems in defence, especially out wide, and this will again need to be addressed in our next session.

It doesn’t get any easier as we play another of the “big “ districts Cardiff in the city next Saturday.

See you on Thursday... but please check site for any possible cancellation due to weather conditions.

#######

Thursday September 19th

An excellent session lots of effort shown by every player particularly impressed with those u10s who have recently joined us, well done all.

Two very tough games v Pontypridd on Saturday at Pill RFC.

Games will be played back to back and boys should meet at the ground by 9am.

Can they bring food for after the matches....paper plates would also be appreciated.

Any problems let us know.

See you there.

Monday September 16th

Shorts

Most of the boys were given Newport shorts on Saturday, we have ordered more for those that didn't receive any.

These were to be kept as part of their issued kit, however three boys who played in the A game obviously didn't know this and left their shorts with their jerseys in the changing rooms.

They can pick them up on Thursday at training. 

Has anyone found Masaki's polo shirt?

******

Sunday September 15th

Newport v Rhymney Valley

A beautiful warm, sunny day saw us welcome Rhymney Valley to a Pill ground in superb condition and the glorious weather was reflected in two thoroughly enjoyable games of running rugby.

Newport A 25 RV 10

The A team opened proceedings and though we knew that the team possessed speed and skill, with so many players making their district debut we did not really know how they would gel.

The first half saw us create a host of chances producing some superb handling which led to an early try from Zac which was followed by three more from captain Eddie, Fletcher and Ethan.

With a good half time lead all four substitutions were made and with the visitors obviously reinvigorated by their half time pep talk they began to have much better of the game.

Nevertheless the speed in our backline was a constant threat and some excellent combined teamwork put Jacob over in the corner.

Rhymney were really stung into life by this and had the better of the remainder of the game scoring two tries of their own to make the final score 25-10.

Newport B 35 Rhymney Valley 20.

This was another exciting match and with every one of the B team making their debut we were immediately on the back foot and trailing by 10 nil after trying to play too much rugby near our line.

To the boys great credit they began to claw their way back into the game and with skill and speed in the backline not only levelled the score but went into the break leading by 20-10 after tries from Isaac, Jack H (2) and Iuean.

The end to end flow of an enjoyable match continued as the visitors enjoyed the better of the second period to level the scores at 20 all.

Once again the boys dug deep and produced some sparkling running rugby to score three more tries, again all by backs, Joe, Jack H with his third and Deri to seal a well deserved opening win.

So a thoroughly enjoyable mornings rugby and two welcome results....well done all.

Both teams showed the danger they pose with ball in hand but as was evident in both matches a lot of work still needs to be done in the contact area and especially defence.

Several B players made a strong case for A places which is exactly what we are looking for.

A big thank you to all those parents who helped on the morning and for providing so much (too much!) food.

Finally could everyone check their kit please as Masaki set what is probably a record by misplacing his polo shirt BEFORE he had chance to wear it, let us know if you have it.

Two game v Pontypridd next week...see you Thursday.

******

Thursday September 12th

Good session today but still lots to work on especially poor passing out of contact and defensive alignment.

Two games on Saturday  which will be played after each other to give selectors a good chance to watch players, first game at 9.30 am.

Hope everyone  is happy with their kit...apologies to those boys missing an item ...we will order it tomorrow.

Boys should wear their new kit to the game but have their own training top to wear during the warm up.

We are hoping to give everyone a pair of shorts on Saturday  but boys should bring their own in case we don't  have their size.

Can boys please all wear plain black socks too.

As mentioned can each boy bring some food for the after game "feast"...paper plates would also be helpful.

Everyone should meet at Pill RFC by 9 am.

See you there.

Friday September 6th

Very good first session last night, lots of good skills on show.

Hopefully everyone will begin to adapt to the pattern and style of play we are aiming for.

Still a lot of hard work ahead though and tough opening fixtures to come.

We will be holding a meeting in the clubhouse after next Thursday's training session.

During this meeting we will explain the requirements and expectations for the coming season.

We will also take payment for each player's kit and then issue it.

Once again, thanks to sponsorship, this will be subsidised and will be the same cost as last season.

This will be £80 which we appreciate is not an insignificant amount.

Therefore, if you have a  problem paying for the kit please contact us as we do not want any player to miss out due to financial reasons and will do our best to help.

 

Any such requests will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.

As you can see we use all sponsorship monies for the benefit of players and schools in Newport and are always keen to welcome new partners on board.

If you know of any individual or company possibly interested in joining us please let us know.

********

Monday September 2nd

Training

Hope you have all had a good break and are looking forward to the new season.

As stated in previous postings our next session will be this Thursday ...5th...at Glebelands at 4.45 pm, our first games will be a week Saturday..14th ...v Rhymney Valley.

Any problems let us know...see you there.

Sponsorship

We have a few spaces available on our new kit still available.

If you know of any individual or company that might be interested please let us know.

Friday July 12th @ 5pm

Our extensive trials for next year’s Newport squad have now been completed and all coaches  were informed last night of the selected players.

Obviously many boys will be disappointed not to have made the final selection but we have tried to provide as many opportunities as possible.

We have been extremely pleased by the attitude shown by every single boy and girl who should all be proud of their efforts.

We must emphasise that we never close our squad and have asked all coaches to monitor performances during the season and inform us if they feel we should offer another opportunity to any individual.

We will also use the various inter school tournaments we organise every half term to identify any players worthy of further consideration.

Our next session will be at Glebelands on Thursday September 5th at 4.45 pm with our first trial match against Rhymney Valley on the 14th.

We would ask all players to continue to work on their skills over the summer and some may also need to work on their fitness.

SPONSORSHIP

We are always looking for sponsors to help us with our substantial running costs every season....if you know of any likely sources please get in touch. 

A variety of packages are available for any interested parties.

Have a good break and see you in September.

 

Please continue to check this site for any further updates.

 

Friday July 5th @ 1 pm

Newport Trial

The final ( definitely) trial will be held next Thursday at Glebelands 4.45pm

All those boys who played for A or B team this season do NOT need to attend.

Sunday June 30th @ 9 pm

Presentation Evening

A packed Pill RFC clubhouse brought a long season to a very enjoyable conclusion as all of the squad received their well deserved awards for their efforts.

Every boy received their Newport Caps whilst there were also DC Thomas and WSRU 7s badges for those who played in those competitions.

The victorious school teams were presented with the Cups they had won.

Special awards were made to :

Theo...who finally got his tracksuit bottoms!

The coaches award for most improved player was jointly awarded to the two Olivers...Sanderson and Bellavia-Walker.

Their player of the year award was won,on a majority vote, by Captain Finn Girling.

Finally the players vote for their player of the year was also a tie with Finn and Theo McKerrow both receiving the award.

The boys were thanked for their unfailing commitment throughout a long hard season where they invariably faced much bigger opponents but never stopped trying whilst also producing some outstanding rugby.

The parents were also thanked for their part in ferrying the boys to training and matches, for their superb kit washing duties and for the support they have offered in so many ways throughout the season.

We hope that all the boys enjoyed their time with us wish them all the very best with their future rugby careers, which we will follow with great interest.

Once again we now have to look to next season, so a reminder to those boys who are still eligible next season that they will need to attend the next trial on Wednesday at the Glebelands...4.45 pm

Saturday June 29th

Boys may wear there Newport shorts tonight if they wish.

ThursdayJune 20th@ 8am

Presentation Evening

At Pill RFC Saturday June 29th

Boys should meet at the club by 7.30 for an 8pm start.

They should wear trousers and their NSRU polo shirts please....no jeans.

Can they bring a piece of paper with their choice for Player of the a Year on.

If their school won one of the following major trophies from the following tournaments can they please bring them along too:

TPS Autumn, Christmas, Spring Norse, Nanopharm, FoNR 7s

The WSRU sevens squad should also bring their individual trophies too.

Please bring food for a post presentation buffet.

Any problems/ queries please let us know....see you there.

Monday June 17th @ 6pm

Congratulations to Lennon Greggains, Dafydd Buckland and Rio Dyer .....ex  NSRUu11 players in Argentina with Wales u20s who today joined an elite club.

They joined those, very few, welshmen to play in a winning team against a New Zealand side.

Well done boys you made us very proud today.

#######

Friends of Newport Rugby 7s

Our last tournament of the season will be held next Wednesday 12th at Rougemont School...12 noon start.

Twelve schools have entered and if the weather is kind we can look forward to a great afternoon’s rugby.

Hope to see many of you next week.

Friday May 31st @ 7 pm

Updates

Hi Everyone feels strange not seeing the usual faces on Thursdays and Saturdays...hope you are enjoying the free time....and lack of travel!

Just a reminder that the Presentation Evening will be held on Saturday June 29th at Pill RFC, probably a 7.30 for 8 event.

Check nearer the date for more concrete timings.

Trials

Can those year 5s who were with this season’s squad please keep an eye on this site for news of when we will want to see them trial for next season.

Kit

Can the three boys who were at the sevens but not able to come to Wrexham please arrange for the return of their jerseys please.

 

Tuesday 21st May @ 10:30am

BRAVE EFFORT ENDS IN DEFEAT

Siroedd y Gogledd 25 Newport 15

Wrexham RFC was the venue for our DC Thomas Plate semi final. Having made the journey north on the Friday afternoon, the boys were well rested and keen to make what would have been a 2nd final in 3 years.

From the first whistle it was clear the boys were up for the game as they forced the home side into a number of early mistakes. With Issac taking scrum ball against the head and some strong carries by Theo and Finn, it appeared only a matter of time before we opened the scoring.

Unfortunately it was the hosts who scored the games first try, against the run of play, as they pounced on a handling error to cross in the corner. Despite the setback, we quickly regained composure and hit back str