BARRY RFC’s season, which started so promisingly with victories in their first four Admiral National League Division One East Central fixtures, ended disappointingly with a run of defeats which saw the Bombers finish the campaign in ninth place.
Their final league fixture, at Mountain Ash, ended in a 39-5 defeat, their 10th loss on the bounce, albeit one being by concession as raising a team proved challenging as a season, originally scheduled to end in April, overran deep into May. Aled Rees scored Barry’s try.
Barry were not the only club to have availability and injury problems, as several in the division faced the same challenge, and call-offs ran into double figures as the season wound down.
Head coach Liam Scott felt the scoreline at Mountain Ash failed to reflect the competitive nature of the game. “We had two penalty tries from the scrum against us, and another one where we tried to force the play, and they intercepted and went 80 metres.
“They were the better side,” he said, “but for large periods of the game we were evenly matched. I’m proud of the boys for the shift they put in. Mountain Ash came out of the blocks swiftly and tried to force it a little bit, but credit to our boys, much of the time they shut them out.”
Looking back over a season that eventually ended in disappointment, Scott feels the turning point came during the Autumn internationals. Barry had no games between October 22 and December 3, which put paid to their initial momentum.
“We didn’t play, and the one scheduled game was postponed. Then we lost the three games going into Christmas by small margins. This year there are no Autumn internationals, so we should get a good run.”
Scott is firmly focused on next season. He has made a presentation to the club’s Rugby Action Forum and is taking stock with his coaching team “of where we are, and where we want to be. I’m very enthused by the number of youth players coming through, something we haven’t had for a few years.
“We want to be an established Division One side. We’re probably not fully established because of our inconsistencies. But we have a good springboard to take things forward.”
Barry will take part in the Old Penarthians Sevens on 10th June, and a touch tournament at Penarth RFC on 8th July. Pre-season training starts on 11th July but there will be a light session on 6th July. “The boys have had a long season,” said Scott, “and I don’t want to drag them back too soon.”
The top three teams in the division – Treorchy, Rumney and St Peter’s – are promoted to the new-look Championship, with Aberdare, Abercwmboi and Abercynon coming up into Division One Central. The future of Dinas Powys remains uncertain. Barry’s derby opponents, beaten home and away by the Bombers, conceded several of their fixtures because of availability problems, and may be relegated as a result. The matter is in the hands of league officials.
By Ken Watkins
Read next:
- Pencoed tangled up by ‘Seaweeds’
- Sofia so good for Barry’s Alfie
- Pencoed RFC survive fightback for home win
- Barry RFC are on song against Pentyrch
- Penarth are stunned by visitors’ 5-0 win
⭐ All of our social media in one handy place – here
Pencoed tangled up by ‘Seaweeds’
Primary school’s former deputy head is banned from teaching
I make no apologies for calling Plaid Cymru ‘separatists’
‘The importance of participation and continued learning’
Opposition leaders clash with First Minister over independence rally
How Kevin saved a stranger’s life
