The Warriors made their 1st visit for a full fixture for Glynneath in a game that turned out to be a game of two halves.

With 8 backline players unavailable it was a strange looking backline for the Warriors with back row stalwarts Gwilym Lewis and Adam Fussell filling in at 10 and 12 respectively, Cain Rodway moved to full back whilst up front Jordan Jones came in for his 1st appearance of the season.
The wild weather of the previous couple of days had given way to bright sunshine but left a large puddle in one in goal area.

From the start it was apparent that both sides were prioritising expansive and enjoyable rugby, over worrying about the result too much. The Bees started most brightly and early pressure brought an early try – 5 points up in 3 minutes.
The Warriors matched this with their 1st opportunity and centre Nathan Baker zipped through a gap and beat the cover to the try line, Cain Rodway improving the score to give the Warriors a narrow advantage.
This seemed to be the signal for the home team to step up and play. They dominated the half with some sweeping moves, 9 had a very busy match and from him the team put together some fine moves.
They had the Warriors under pressure for the entire time but three quick tries in 5 minutes at the end of the 1st quarter dealt a devastating blow. The Warriors did have their moments, Lewis executed a lovley chip and chase whilst Anthony Higgins on the wing made the most of a lovely cross kick as one example of his fine display. It was all from deep though and the home team ran in another two tries before the break brought some relief.
36-7 Half time
With such a big lead it was no surprise that the home team eased off, the Warriors, meanwhile have never let a score line inhibit them and continued to play with confidence.
Jordan Jones added some energy to the team and Owain Williams put himself about which helped them change momentum. Jones got over after good work from the forwards with Keith Marshall prominent. Influential No 8 Tomos Hall followed that when he burst through the 1st line of defence and then managed to trundle nearly 30 meters to splash down. Cain Rodway got a well deserved score having shifted from full back to the wing which brought the score back to within 10 points.

Both sides were obviously enjoying themselves, the Warriors looked dangerous from deep but tended to cover complicate the last pass on a few occasions. Simon Allen, Jac Lewis, Simon Day and Tom Ashour all showed some nice touches. However there was a collective lack of concentration in defence and the Bees forwards were given too much leeway at times. The Warriors were further disrupted when Llyr Jones had to go off, necessitating further adjustment in the back line.

The game was finally thrown back in the balance when Hall muscled over for his 2nd, suddenly the lead was just 5 points.

The Glynneath response was immediate, with the clock on their side, they redoubled efforts and put the Warriors under pressure.
The Warriors showed that when concentrating, their defence was staunch, and they even forced a turnover from a tapped penalty. However, without the luxury of time to work their way down field, the Warriors had to try and run from their own line. Glynneath were not about to let this one go and a forced pass resulted in a turnover and the decisive score.

A sudden end to an enjoyable contest, and whilst the Warriors couldn’t complain about the result, they would have been encouraged by several aspects of the performance. The maul is developing into a weapon and several players enhanced their reputations, some out of position.

The on field time was rounded off by a mass splash about in the in goal deep end and praise from the watching Max Boyce. Thanks to Dylan and all at Glynneath, the referee and all who came out to support.

Warriors Seren y Gem: Regan Phillips
DotD: Tomos Hall

LLANELLI WARRIORS RFC

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