News

Llanhilleth welcomed unbeaten Division 3A Leaders Abergavenny RFC for the 5th round of the WRU Bowl for what was sure to be our toughest test of the season to date, with both sides looking to progress to the last eight with a trip to the millennium stadium in sight.

Llan came out of the blocks well and took the game to Abergavenny and appeared to surprise the visitors with their intensity in the opening quarter of the game, in this period Llan took an 8-0 lead through a penalty from outside half Kyle Sterry and a well taken try scored out wide by No8 Iestyn James.

To their credit Abergavenny soon got a foothold in the game and were next to score through their loose head Prop which was converted by their Fullback to take the score into halftime of Llanhilleth 8-7 Abergavenny with all still to play for in the second half.

The opening exchanges of the second half saw Llan extend their lead to 11-7 with a second penalty for Kyle Sterry, Abergavenny started using their bench and this added a new impetus to their game and their replacement full back kicked two penalty goals for them to edge into the lead for the first time in the game at 11-13, their second try followed again scored out wide by their No8 for a 11-18 lead.

Llan weren’t to be deterred and responded well with a try by Fullback Luke Morgan converted by Kyle Sterry to bring the score level at 18-18 on the hour. With the game now in the balance and everything to play going into the final quarter Llan suffered a yellow card and this turned out to be the difference in this fiercely contested encounter as Abergavenny took full advantage of their extra man and stepped up another gear to add a further penalty by their replacement Fullback and try through their scrum half converted again by their replacement Fullback for a final score of 18-28, maybe slightly flattering after such a closely fought contest but well deserved in the end.

Not a single player can be singled out because all of Llanhilleth’s starting fifteen and replacements played their part in what was an excellent advert for grassroots rugby played in a tremendous spirit by both sides, this was by no small part down to the very experienced referee on the day Mr Neil Perkins of Pontypridd who let the game flow and gave and in return had the respect of all concerned on the day.

All at Llanhilleth wish Abergavenny all the best in the quarter finals and for the remainder of the season and we look forward to a return fixture in the future, we enjoyed your company on and off the field and we are sure their are a few aching bodies and sore heads this morning.

The coaches will now concentrate on getting the squad ready in training this week, as we look forward to returning to league action this Saturday away to unbeaten league Leaders Aberbargoed RFC, for what is sure to be another stern test but one we look forward to the challenge of.