Gogledd Cymru U18’s had their first match against the Scarlets at Colwyn Bay on Sunday 19th October 2008.The date is a landmark for the region and the team.
For the region, this was the first time that the household South Wales regional teams have come up this far north. There was much expected from them. They did not disappoint.
For the Gogledd team this was their first outing for the season. 4 weeks ago there was no squad. Over the last three weeks girls from 3 clubs – Bangor, Pwllheli and Colwyn Bay - have stepped forward to take up the challenge and carry forward the flag and the fortunes of the new region of Gogledd Cymru. They have had just two training sessions and many organisational issues to contend with. They have dealt with this very well. They have come together as a squad and are ready to face up to the more organised, experienced regions of the south.
The Scarlets were the better organised team. They had the apparel and the appearance of an organised, well structured outfit. Their rugby reflected the appearance. They played well and to an effective game plan. There is much that we can learn from this first encounter.
The first quarter and the first half saw a hard fought game. In this period of play the Gogledd girls dealt with the power and the skills of the Scarlets well. They tackled well in defence preventing the larger, more powerful Scarlets from dominating them. It was well into the first half that the Scarlets relentless pressure finally broke through the Gogledd defence. This was followed by another long period of hard physical rugby before the Scarlets were able to score again. With gale force winds in their faces, it was a creditable performance by Gogledd to keep the Scarlets to just two tries at half time.
The second half saw the Scarlets dominate the game and begin to pull away. Gogledd were unable to use the conditions to their advantage. The pressure of a limited squad size became visible when injuries carried away the players from the field at crucial periods. The loss of two second rows Jade Mills and Kumari Tilakawardane in quick succession and the absence of sufficient forward substitutes on the bench caused the scrums to creak. Despite this, fast efficient hooking by Sarah Johnston for Gogledd gave them enough possession from the scrums. However, they were unable to make use of this, partly due to the good defence of the Scarlets but mostly due to handling errors. They lost scrum half Charlotte Pirie to an eye injury and for most part of the second half there were just 14 Gogledd girls on the field. This caused them to leak three tries despite the valiant effort by the remaining girls.
However, they ended on a high, attacking the Scarlets try line in the final five minutes. This came from a break by Jane Owen playing at 13 on one of the rare occasions that the ball moved down the line. Gogledd played their best attacking rugby in this period, putting together three to four phases of play. However, the Scarlets put up a determined defence to stop Ellen Jones and Joely Benton trying to barge over. Eventually it was time that prevented Gogledd from scoring despite being parked on the try line with repeated attacks on the right hand corner.
The final score was Gogledd Cymru - 0 Scarlets 34
Gogledd come away from this fixture with a mixed bag of fortunes. The positives are the valour of the girls who put up a creditable performance on their first outing. The team has had its first taste of regional rugby. They have come together quite creditably in the little time they have been given. They have weathered the initial pressure that was heaped on them by the delay in getting management structures, training and pitches organised. In parts they showed what the team could do. Their defence was determined with few missed tackles; they were effective clearing out at the rucks and contested the ball well at the breakdown; the few times that the backs got hold of the ball they did venture into the opposition half. However, they lacked the skills to finish the moves off and the experience to make use of conditions and play for position. With time the girls should be able to do better.
The problems they have to contend with are that most of the other matches this year will be played away, in the south. This will cause further pressures on the limited resources they have been given, squad size and the inevitable geographical spread of the region. After this one match, they already have three forwards out of a possible10 nursing long term injuries which will possibly prevent them playing the full match on the 2 November away at Swansea. Injuries to others will also erode the time they will be able to train together as a squad.
How could they be helped?
The clubs in the region could help by scouting and encouraging the players that are in their area to come forward for training. The management are aware of the difficulties for them to travel to training locations and have in place flexible and innovative ideas in overcoming this obstacle. The squad size is small. This has to be improved. There are more girls who could play than are being put forward by the clubs to play for the region. They could be encouraged to enjoy playing the game and the social life around it.
They need to be given the experience of playing 15 a side rugby more often. There should be positive moves towards playing 15 a side rugby at club level. Too often club loyalties have prevented girls from joining forces to play 15 a side rugby at club level. This causes the experience gap that is being seen at regional level.
The away matches to come are going to arduous and a test for the team. As a region, support, both in spectator numbers and with finances, is essential. Ideally, it would be nice to have time for rest from travel and training before the matches. For a squad that has limited time together this may be the crucial factor helping them to perform better.
Above all the girls need your support. The travelling support for the Scarlets far outnumbered the local support at Colwyn Bay. The girls are doing their best and will do better knowing and seeing the support of North Wales around them.
At then end, the momentous day was decided by differences between organisation and experience of the two teams. The Scarlets got the result. We hope Gogledd benefited by the experience.
For Gogledd Emma Beaumont shone with a display belying her late calling to the No 7 Jersey. The Scarlets too recognised her efforts nominating her as the Player of the Match for Gogledd. Ffion Evans stood out among several players for the Scarlets and was nominated by the Gogledd girls as their Player of the Match. The drinking contest at the end of the day between these two ended with another Scarlet win!
The day ended in great spirits and the enjoyment of all present within the warmth of Colwyn Bay club house. All went away agreeing to continue the enjoyment at a future date.
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