Wales Clubs XV suffer second defeat

Welsh Clubs XV 17 – France Amateurs 28

Having gone down 25-7 to Spain’s shadow Rugby World Cup side in their first game on Wednesday, the Welsh side, drawn from players under 25 in ASDA League One clubs down, there were hopes of an historic first win over a French side drawn solely from the Languedoc region.

But a stream of penalties and four yellow cards, which at one stage saw the men in red reduced to 13 men, wrecked those hopes and Head Coach Gerry Roberts will have to wait until his side’s debut Test against the full French Amateur XV on November 4th for that first triumph.

The French took all their chances via the boot of their outside half, who kicked seven penalties and converted their first half try. They led 16-14 at the break and extended their lead with four further second half penalties.

Trimsaran wing Tom Burnell grabbed the Welsh try in the first half and Whitland outside half Aled Davies added three penalties. Davies’s replacement, Bargoed’s Jamie Howells, completed the scoring with a second half penalty.

“We showed a vast improvement from our first game and there is little doubt this team can develop so much more through time spent together,” said Roberts.

“We fell foul of the referee, who issued six yellow cards in all, throughout the game and there are lessons to be learned from that. We gave away so many penalties that we virtually gifted the game to the French.

“But we had to start somewhere with this new venture and these two games in Belgium have been a brilliant beginning for us. The players will go back into the ASDA Leagues knowing there are Welsh caps up for grabs and I’m sure we will have an even bigger pool of talent to select from next time.”

Welsh Clubs XV:
Nathan Gittins (Merthyr)
Tom Burnell (Trimsaran)
Darren Humphries (Bargoed)
Peter Smriglia (Loughor)
Gavin Close (Rhydyfelin)
Aled Davies (Whitland)
Gavin Hooper (Seven Sisters)
Owen Cotton (Ynysybwl)
Peter Harrison (Caerphilly)
Anthony Lott (Bargoed, Captain)
Chris James (Narberth)
Gareth Gore (Carmarthen Quins)
Celt Thomas (Whitland)
Paul Rees (Felinfoel)
Rob Downes (Beddau)

Replacements:
Ross Jones (Bargoed) for Cotton
Mark Jones (Pontyberem) for Harrison
James Bannister (Llanelli Wanderers) for Lott
Steve Roberts (Bethesda) for Celt Thomas
Lee Edwards (Pontypool) for Rees
Jamie Howells (Bargoed) for Aled Davies
Matthew Jacobs (Llangennech) for Close