BARRY’S final warm up friendly before their WRU National Youth Plate quarter-final at Cowbridge on Saturday proved a much sterner test than the game against St Albans a week earlier, which was exactly what head coach John Dimond wanted.
Dimond, in his final season as youth team coach, said the decision to go for a tougher fixture had been “a roll of the dice, but we haven’t picked up any injuries. Fairwater were physical up front, and they had us under the cosh at times.”
The match was also a chance to make a few changes from the previous week. “I saw a few other players on Saturday, and some of the fringe players were given a chance,” he said. “We want our best players out there at Cowbridge, players who can perform. A couple of players are coming back, and I’ve got the nucleus of a starting line-up in mind.”
Although he was happy with the performance of the forwards, who “put in a massive shift”, he felt some wrong decision-making meant the margin of victory was smaller than it might have been.
“We had little periods where we thought we could run into collisions, which is not really how we play. Once we started to play out wide we really opened them up in the backline. The positive is that, once they get told, they find a way out of the problems.”
The Cowbridge match, which kicks off at midday, is “cup rugby, and points don’t matter as long as we come away with more than them. Reaching the semi-final would be great for the boys, an achievement.”
Dimond, who will not be coaching at the club next season, led his youth team to a WRU National Youth Cup semi-final two years ago and hopes to go one better this time. Success at Cowbridge would leave the team one step closer to a Principality Stadium final, which would be a fitting sign off.
Barry: tries – Morgan Prosser, Morgan Beasley; conv – Morgan Prosser 2; penalty – Morgan Prosser 2.
By Ken Watkins
Photos by Judith Dutton.
.
- Pencoed tangled up by ‘Seaweeds’
- Sofia so good for Barry’s Alfie
- Pencoed RFC survive fightback for home 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
