Fixture

This was a very emotional affair as both immediate family and close friends of Damian Atkins were included on the team sheet. Damian was a highly respected former 2^nd team player and Captain of Taff’s Well youth who this week finally succumbed to illness at the young age of 22, his dignity and continued brave fight against cancer as he continued to play rugby will long be remembered and a dignified minute’s silence was observed before the kick-off. It’s difficult to put a result like this in context in light of the circumstances but I guess in many ways, it was a fitting testimony to the memory of a such a remarkable young man so let’s get to the match.

The 2^nd XV remain unbeaten in the league, no doubt thanks to the luxury of such a large squad which is going to be such an increasingly important factor as the season unfolds and had to give up home advantage to accommodate the 1st XV's progress in the WRU Bowl. Competition is tight for a starting place especially with the influx of 3-4 University of Wales students who have decided to make Taff’s RFC their rugby home for the next three years. The match kicked off with Taff’s Well showing their intent by running the ball at every opportunity which was to reap immediate dividends as Man-of-the-Match fullback Ashley Jones ran in for the first of his four tries during the afternoon from the kick-off.

Although Sully View never gave in, the Taff’s Well eight were ruling the set-pieces with Lewys Jones doing his impression of a poacher at the lineouts which presented the backs with a feast of possession to live off and live off it profitably they did. With Neil Moon at scrum-half pulling the strings, the backline contributed another six tries along the way through centres Alex Drury & Ryan Smith, Moon and the indomitable Ashley Jones at fullback – the consistent Conor Barrett at flanker proving the forwards knew exactly where the whitewash and if that wasn’t proof enough, he managed to knock-off the odd six conversions to add to his tally. Despite Sully gaining a deserved try, Taff’s Well were comfortable winners at 52 – 5 to give Manager Barry Morgan and the coaching staff plenty of selection headaches for the coming matches.

The Verdict

On a sad day, a fired up Taff’s Well side provided a fitting tribute to an ex-teammate as they provided a great advert for rugby at this level and there’s an obvious team ethic running through the spine of the side. With the forwards developing into a tight unit and dominating the scrums in particular, the backs are living off quality possession which enables them to score some quality tries. Many of the players who started off on the second team squad have represented the 1^st XV this season and have stepped in with impressive ease which shows the quality of the playing strength at Taff’s Well. Due to the Autumn Internationals, the next league game will be against Barry on the 17^th of December but there will be a Mallett Cup game against Cardiff Quins on Thu 3^rd Nov at home -7.00pm KO.

Dave Beese    davecbwales@gmail.com

Match report: Taff's Well 1st XV 66 - 7 Cardiff Medicals 1st XV

Match report: Dinas Powys Youth XV 12 v 34 Taff's Well Youth XV