#RTP24 has already seen a number of schools finals and Llandeilo prop Llyr James will be aiming to pick up a third title of the season when he packs down in the Cup final against Tonmawr. James has already helped his school make a piece of history by becoming the first school team to win the WSC Rugby U18 final with their victory over Ysgol Glantaf earlier in the season.
He was also part of the Scarlets U18 squad that then went on to record an unbeaten season in the RAG U18 tournament. Next on his agenda is to maintain Llandeilo’s unbeaten run this season by winning the Clubs U18 title.
Llandeilo come into the third game of Day 7 of #RTP24 with an immaculate record of 17 wins in 17 games to date. They beat Aberystwyth, Blackwood, Cambrian Welfare, Lampeter and Penlan/Dunvant to reach the final.
Cpatained by hooker Toby Trickett, they boast five players who were in the victorious Scarlets U18 squad in James, Osian Rees, Ollie Harris, Ioan Thomas and Sion Jones. Scrum half Jake Lewis played for Ammanford in the Clubs U18 Plate final last year
Gruff Jones, Iwan Blakeman, Ifan Davies and Lloyd Thompson all played for Ysgol Bro Dinefwr in the schools U18 Vase final last week, when they lost by a point.
Tonmawr have a team based around nine Neath Port Talbot College players who feature in the WSC Rugby competition. They beat Gorseinon 13-0 in semi-final having previously beaten South Gower, Treorchy and Merthyr on their way to the final.
Morgan Francis, Adam Baker, Millen Charles and Charlie Thomas have all played for Ospreys U18, while back row man Oliver Jones is in the senior Ospreys academy.
Captain Elliot Tandy is the son of head coach Kevin Tandy, while Kai and Kallum Llewelyn are brothers in the back division. Locks Jay Morris and Max Brennan are both apprentices at Tata Steel.
U18 Cup Final – LLANDEILO V TONMAWR (5.30pm)
Llandeilo: Sion Jones; Ioan Thomas, Ollie Harris, Twm Davies, Thomas James; Tomos Lloyd Evans, Jake Lewis; Llyr James, Toby Trickett (captain), Osian Rees, Gruff Jones, Oliver Rice, Dylan Walters, Rhodri Jenkins, Ryan Davies
Reps: Lloyd Thomas, Michael McDonagh, Ashley Chappell, Ryan Sargeant, Iwan BlakemanTonmawr: Charlie Thomas; Ethan Piles, Kai Llewelyn, Callum Griffiths, Corin Richards; Kallum Llewelyn, Morgan Francis; Harry Beer, Elliot Tandy (captain), Adam Baker, Jay Morris, Max Brennan, Carson Lewis, Oliver Jones
Reps: Rhys Smith, Ieuan Evans, Will Hebron, Millen Charles, Jai Hooper
U18 Plate Final – CARMARTHEN ATHLETIC V BARGOED (3.00pm)
Carmarthen Athletic: Harry Conick; Macallum Logan, Lewys Thomas (captain), Benjamin Thomas, Oliver John; Thomas Williams, Ethan Price; Jacob Squires, Dafydd Ebbsworth, Charlie Blount, Jay Cummings, Osian Williams, Harri Bennett, Sion Fraser-Jones, Jac Bennett
Reps: Dafydd Wyn Jones, Ryan Lewis, Sean Davies, Cody Davies, Sam AshtonBargoed: Kyle Whitefoot-James; Brandon McCarthy, Cai Barnard, Logan Yendle, Owain Rose; Charlie Williams, Harvey Jones; Rhys Davies, Joey Hall, Brooklyn Davies, Ben Palmer, Ashton Roberts, Josh Mayne, Cody Rees, Taylor Meades (captain)
Reps: Sonny Pritchard, Tommy Shut, Reo Davies, Morgan Bell, Joel Jones, Harry Williams, Tyler Morgan, Brayden George
Carmarthen Athletic savoured a 24-17 local derby win over Carmarthen Quins in the semi-finals to earn their ticket to Principality Stadium and now have the chance to shoot for a title.
They reached the National Youth Cup Final in 2012, losing 25-19 to Tondu, before winning the title the following year. The 43-12 win against Gorseinon remains the Youth section’s greatest achievement, along with 6-0 triumph over Merthyr in the 1993 final at the old National Ground.
Can they make it a hat-trick of wins? They may be missing Sam Williams, who is on Wales U18 duty in Italy, but they have four more forwards who were in the triumphant Scarlets U18 RAG title winning team in Jac Bennett, Daf Ebsworth, Osian Williams and Lewys Thomas. Osian Williams played in the U18 Development game against Scotland.
Ebsworth and Harri Bennett have already been on a winning team in #RTP24, Ebsworth with Llandovery College in the WSC Rugby final and Bennett with Maes y Gwendraeth in the Schools U18 Cup final. Thomas Williams was in the victorious Bro Myrddin side in the Schools U18 Vase final.
Bargoed have club legend Leigh Meades as team manager and his son, Taylor, captains the side from No 8. Meades junior has represented the Dragons at U16 and U18 levels and is joined by three other regional forwards in Joey Hall, Ben Plamer and Cody Rees.
Centre Logan Yendle is another Dragons U18 player, while full back Kyle Whitefoot-James is the grandson of former Cardiff, Wales and British & Irish Lions prop Jeff Whitefoot.
Route to Final
Carmarthen Athletic
R1: Bye; R2: Llanharan 12 – 43 Carmarthen Athletic; R3: W/O v St Alban’s; QF: Carmarthen Athletic 28 – 0 Ruthin; SF: Carmarthen Athletic 24 – 17 Carmarthen Quins
Bargoed
R1: Bye; R2: Abercwmboi 3 – 34 Bargoed; R3: Aberdare 24 – 36 Bargoed; QF: Bargoed 32 – 16 Ebbw Vale; SF: Llandaff 27 – 41 Bargoed
U18 Bowl Final – GOWERTON v CARDIFF QUINS (1.00pm)
Gowerton: Cameron Bevan; Garan Jenkins, Jack Wilcox, John Mann (captain), Dan Dennis; Iwan Pearce Morgan, Ben Hughes; Aled Malpas, James Tucker, Jayden Maybank, Finn Lewis, Alfie Davies, Elis Graham, Ivor Lewis, James Wells
Reps: Ryan Blyth, Conor Green, Josh Anderson, Ollie Lewis, Joseph Jones, Ioan Richards, Noah Carmichael, Jake DaviesCardiff Quins: Gethin Marshall; Ryan Watts, Kobey Tatham, Lloyd Lucas, Tom Drinkwater-Evans; Tom Payne, Joe Gill; Regan Guerin, Taylor Coles, Sion Hill, Ellis Dawkins, Gabe Williams, Tyler Dean, James Harding, Tom Cadman
Reps: Louie Ions, Owen Williams, Rhys Witchell, Will Adams, Ioan Penry
Cardiff Quins have already seen two of their girls’ teams reach finals in #RTP24 and next weekend their senior side will meet Blaina in the Division 3 Cup final.
Lloyd Lucas, Gabe Williams, Tom Cadman were all in the Ysgol Glantaf team that lost to Llandovery College in the WSC Rugby final earlier in the season.
Gowerton survived a tough time at Pencoed to win by a point in Round 3 and then squeezed past Cwmbran 24-20 in the semi-final. John Mann leads a side than is packed with players who have graduated through the mini and junior ranks at the club from age six.
Centre Jack Wilcox has experienced of playing and winning at Principality Stadium before having captained Swansea Schoolboys to a 24-22 Dewar Shield triumph over Pontypridd Schools last year.
Route to the Final
Gowerton: R1: Bye; R2: COBRA 14 – 17 Gowerton; R3: Pencoed 29 – 30 Gowerton; QF: Gowerton 24 – 10 Abercynon; SF: Gowerton 24 – 20 Cwmbran
Cardiff Quins: R1:Bye; R2: Nelson 19 – 55 Cardiff Quins; R2: Cardiff Quins 29 – 12 St Clears; QF: Rhyl 14 – 31Cardiff Quins; SF: Cardiff Quins 15 – 5 Abertysswg
