Sunday saw a three way fixture for the Under 12s with both Bishop's Castle and Whitchurch visiting the Old Showground.  First match was between Newport and Whitchurch with both fielding strong sides.  The defences dominated and both teams found it difficult to create space with 26 players on less than half a pitch !  

 

 

 

Newport's scrum struggled in the set piece with players taking time to adjust to new positions (both experienced tight-heads from Under 11 having left the club) against a strong Whitchurch pack who also rucked very well from the outset.  However, away from the breakdown Newport's back line gave the visitors no space in which to play, moving up as a unit to exert excellent pressure.

 

 

In the first half there were a number of breaks by Newport which saw them close to the Whitchurch try line but they failed to turn this advantage in to a try.  The same was true in the second period with a number of mauls & rucks close to the try line.  In one passage of play Newport created an excellent platform 5 metres out and would surely have scored had the ball been spun left or right - however, the forwards now had "white-line fever", kept the ball tight but failed to ground it to the referee's satisfaction.

 

 

 

Overall Newport had the better of a very tight match but, either through poor decision making, or the inability to get the ball away quickly from either the set piece or the breakdown, they failed to turn this superiority in to points and the match finish nil-nil.

 

With very little space at Under 12 level speed of both play and decision making will be important through the season.

 

The second match saw Newport play Bishop's Castle.  The visitor's were short of players and their team was bolstered by Whitchurch volunteers.  Newport took the opportunity to change things about from the first match and introduced 8 fresh players including debuts for a couple of this season's new recruits.  The first half was mostly dominated by strong Newport running with a number of breaks resulting in two tries for the home side, both of which were converted.

 

More Newport substitutions at half time changed the pattern of the game and saw some prolonged pressure from Bishop's Castle which saw them draw level with little time left on the clock.  However, Newport rallied and scored a winning try in the final moments of the match. 

 

There was some good rugby played by both sides and it was pleasing to see Newport's less experienced players given a chance to practice their skills in a competitive match.

 

The third match saw our visitors play each other, this time with some Newport volunteers making up the Bishop's Castle numbers.  Another closely contested game which saw Whitchurch run out as victors but again included some pleasing rugby from both sides with notable contributions from the Newport volunteers making decisive tackles and winning turnover ball for Bishop's Castle.