LLANDOVERY SHINE FOR YOGI

“It is important to remember why we are here” said Llandovery chairman Handel Davies, in his post-match speech at the Plas Coch, Bala on Saturday after his team had delivered a reality check to the fledgling North Wales regional rugby team.

In front of a rain swept crowd, the Drovers ran in tries in abundance with a skilful display of open rugby which must have heartened new coach Rob Appleyard. The final score was 62-0. Gogledd Cymru had a chance to put points on the board with penalties in front of the posts but this would have been a meaningless gesture.

The purpose of the game was to support Bryan Yogi Davies and Llandovery showed great generosity in offering a fixture which supported Yogi and the development of the regional side.

Gogledd Cymru relied on 3 last minute replacements to field a side, with 12 back-line players unavailable for selection, but this was not a day for excuses. On Saturday, Llandovery demonstrated the gap between Division 1 (North) rugby and the Premiership with some wonderful running rugby and tries that demonstrated a combination of individual flair and practiced moves. At its simplest, players were faster, fitter and stronger but at team level the superior core skills, shape and tactical awareness that come from training together four times a week were evident. For Gogledd Cymru, there can be no illusion as to the task ahead.

Developing a Premiership rugby team was always going to be a process and yesterday was a rallying call to everyone associated with rugby in North Wales.

IT'S CALLED WINNING
It was a measure of how far Gogledd Cymru have come that there was no celebration last night as they recorded their first win since they began their march towards the Premiership.
They beat Liverpool St Helens 10-5, in a four quartered, rolling subsitute, friendly. It could have been 30-5 . Gogledd Cymru created try scoring chances in abundance but a series of dropped or mis-timed passes frustrated both players and spectators.
Will Bown was inspirational as captain and Sean McDonagh and Harri Morgan ran in excellent tries. Llion Trefor continued to impress and the raw talents of young Dewi James and Andrew Williams in the backrow provide a platform for development. Mathew Parry and Rhodri Carlton-Jones were wizard like in attack but too many times the Gogs squandered possession and failed to preserve space.
At 10pm on a warm August evening, when the team boarded the bus in St Helens for far flung destinations in Caernarfon and Anglesey, there was no doubt in any of the players minds of the mission ahead. In defeat, the phrase "it is not about winning" seemed an excuse. Success reiterated this. It is about performance, skill, decision making and flair. Triumph and Disaster are mere imposters in the progress of this team towards rugby excellence.