13-36 home defeat for young 'Gogs' in the Colwyn Bay sunshine
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The RGC 1404 Under 18s started the second half of this seasons regional age-grade competition in disappointing fashion as they were comprehensively beaten by a very physical and well-organised Dragons side. The Dragons had taken an early lead through an Ethan Davies penalty and although they had the better overall of the early exchanges it was the home side who scored the first try of the game when, after a strong break from Jason Blackmore,full-back Dion Davies dived over under the posts. It seemed as if they would take this lead into the interval until with the last play of the half Dragons full-back Hallam Amos finished off a flowing counter-attacking backs move to score to the left of the posts. Davies added the extras to give the visitors a half-time 10-7 lead.
They were to extend this further when within 10 minutes of the re-start they scored 2 more tries and although Lewis Barker pulled back a penalty, from then on the home side were very much playing catch-up and as they did so they increasingly made errors. Errors that eventually were to lead to further scores for the Dragons from firstly Scott Matthews and then with the final play of the game,Dom Franchi.
The RGC 1404 side will look to re-group swiftly with their next fixture coming in only seven days time away at the Ospreys.
The WRU Performance Development Manager in North Wales Marc Roberts said "Today was a great test for these young talented players, the Dragons fully deserve the win and we wish them the best in the rest of the competition.
Ultimately the Regional Age Grade program is about development and this result will act as a catalyst to this U18s team who have shown time and time again that they have the ability to learn, improve and continue to move forward."
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A good-sized crowd was treated to an entertaining afternoon's rugby at Colwyn Bay.
In the early exchanges, both sides enjoyed a share of possession and territory as they sounded each other out. It was the 12th minute before the first real chance to score came after an offside infringement by a home defender allowed the Dragon's number 10, Ethan Davies, to slot over a penalty for a 0-3 lead.
The visitors could have gone further ahead five minutes later with another penalty, this time Davies narrowly failing to add another three points.
A wave of attacks by the North Walians followed but some resolute defending by the Dragons kept the home side out. However, after twenty minutes of play in the visitor's half the breakthrough finally came when Dion Jones powered over for a try which put RGC in to the lead at 5-3. Number ten, Lewis Barker, converted to give the hosts a 7-3 lead.
The Dragons, stung by this score, came back in to the game and got their reward after an excellent move, with passing from one side of the pitch to the other, allowed full back, Hallan Amos, to cross in the corner after 37 minutes of the half. Ethan Davies converted, giving a half-time score of 7-10.
The second half started as the first had finished, with the double act of Amos and Davies scoring and converting after four minutes, to increase the lead to 7-17.
RGC, living off scraps at this time, were awarded a penalty after ten minutes when Lewis Barker was late tackled. After recovering, Barker successfully put the ball between the posts to bring the score to 10-17.
It took just two minutes for the Dragons to reassert their stranglehold on the game when again, some slick passing amongst forwards and backs, sent winger George Davies over in the corner, Davies continuing his good kicking with the conversion to make it 10-24.
Never giving up, RGC fought back again and from the re-start an error by the visitors allowed fly-half Barker to score another penalty, making it 13-24.
In the next ten minutes of play the Dragons had three kickable penalty awards, one of which they kicked to touch, one they elected to have a scrum instead and the third hit the post and came out which meant that, despite their vice-like hold on the game, the score remained at 13-24.
There was little the RGC defence could do after 25 minutes of the half when they ran out of defenders as the visitors passed across the line looking for the space which inevitably came to allow number seven Scott Matthews to score out wide, converted by Davies, making it a mountain for RGC to climb to get back in to the game at 13-31.
To the credit of both sides, the final fifteen minutes was played at the same high-tempo as the the first 65 minutes. The Dragons had the last word however, with Don Franchie scoring out wide to cap an excellent away win for the visitors and give a final scoreline of 13-36.
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