Sport – Barry RFC gear up for second half of season

BARRY RFC finished a difficult first half of the Admiral National League Division One East Central season on a high with a derby victory at title challengers Penarth.

Both the performance and result should prove a welcome confidence boost as the Bombers get set for a tough series of fixtures in 2025.

The first two, Rhydyfelin (away, 4th January) and leaders St Joseph’s (home, 11th January) are against teams above Barry; the second two, Rhiwbina (away, 18th January) and bottom-of-the-table Porth (home, 25th January), against the teams immediately below them.

Barry have already beaten Rhiwbina and winless Porth this season, but head coach Mike Morgan warns against complacency. “Porth and Rhiwbina will absolutely target Barry. It’s a scrap for survival, and we can’t go into those games thinking it will be easy,” he said.

“On paper we should beat both Porth and Rhiwbina, but they will come at us. They will be tough games, scrappy games, and we have to rise to the occasion.”

Both Rhydyfelin and St Joseph’s have already beaten the Bombers, but as well as looking for revenge, Barry must also keep a close watch on league points. One weakness so far this season has been missing out on try bonus points or losing bonus points.

Barry’s four is lower than all the teams above them. Llanishen, one place higher, have eight. “It’s not just the points on the scoreboard,” said Morgan, “although you want to win, but the league points. You can get one, two, four or five points from a game, and that’s what we have to be thinking about.

“We’ve got to score four tries in each game. If you do that you’re in a position to win the game, or at the very least get something out of it.”

Before the Six Nations disrupts local rugby, Barry host Abercwmboi (1st February), looking for revenge for the last-gasp 22-21 defeat in November, a desperately frustrating result which really was one that got away.

*Barry’s Youth team also ended the first half of the season on a high, following up a 25-3 first round WRU Youth Plate victory at Whiteheads by beating Beddau 20-13 away in the second round to reach the quarter-final of the competition. The reward is another awayday, at Cowbridge on Saturday, 1st February.

Ken Watkins

Photos by Judith Dutton.

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