His virtuoso performance in Llandovery College’s 72-19 win over Coleg Y Cymoedd marked him out as a star in the making.
The Wales U18 cap delivered a near faultless game as he made a try with an outrageous behind the back pass, converted five of the 10 tries scored by the reigning champions and dropped two goals. Wow . . . and he still has another year to go in this tournament!
Llandovery College – WSC U18 Rugby champions 2024
Cymoedd came into the game as the only team who had beaten the unbeaten Conference A leaders Ysgol Glantaf in their epic semi-final and looking to once again upset the odds When they opened the scoring with a smart try from lively hooker Logan Lloyd which Ben Coomer converted off the touchline, the omens looked good.
But seeking to make it back-to-back titles Llandovery maintained their composure and hit back almost immediately with try from centre Owen Rickard. Leggat-Jones added the extras and then dropped two goals in quick successions, the first from 30 metres and the second from 45.
Driving line-put scores from flanker Brayan Kamanga and hooker Owen Griffiths, both converted by the immaculate Leggatt-Jones, stretched the lead to 20 points. The first of Griffiths’ brace came after Leggatt-Jones had kicked a penalty on the half-way line with pin-point accuracy into the corner to set up a five metre line-out.
Cymoedd had been in a similar position in the semi-final and refused to give up and left wing Jack Pionteck raced onto a kick ahead by Coomer and just squeezed in at the corner. Coomer’s conversion went sailing through the posts from the touchline, but he was forced to take it again after the referee was asked by the TMO to check the touchdown.
In the end, the try was given and, cool as a cucumber, Coomer stepped up again and bisected the posts with another super kick. That cut the gap to 13 points, but that was as good as it got for the five-time champions.
Llandovery’s forward power and superior teamwork saw them dominated after the break as they changed ends with a 34-14 lead after wing Thomas Williams had sped over in the corner for another try improved by Leggatt-Jones’ boot.
Thomas Williams scored twice for Llandovery College
There had been four tries in the first half from the champions, with a fifth ruled out for a knock-on in the build-up, and six more flowed in a brilliant second half display on the biggest of all stages.
Griffiths and Williams both scored again, replacement wing Harrison Burke, No 8 Sam Gardner and lock Ollie Lewis all kept the scoreboard moving before the skipper, Watkins, intercepted a pass as Cymoedd bravely tried to run out of their 22 in the dying moments of the game to crown a first-class performance.
To their credit, Cymoedd battled to add a third try just the Watkins gimmeee when the end when they worked flanker Lincoln Hall over in the right corner, but as hard as they tried their young side were unable to match Llandovery on the night.
Kai Kinsey added two conversions after Leggatt-Jones had departed and the final tally of tries, points and the winning margin were all records for the prestigious final.
Scorers: Coleg Y Cymoedd: Tries: Logan Lloyd, Jack Pionteck, Lincoln Hall; Cons: Ben Coomer 2. Llandovery College: Tries: Owen Griffiths 2, Thomas Williams 2, Owen Rickard, Brayan Kamanga, Harrison Burke, Sam Gardner, Ollie Lewis, Gruff Watkins; Cons: Carwyn Leggatt-Jones 6, Kai Kinsey 2; DG: Carwyn Leggatt-Jones 2
Coleg Y Cymoedd: Rhys Wyatt; Cale Edwards, Ioan Leyshon, Logan Jones, Jack Piontecki; Ben Coomer, Joey Williams(captain); Dylan Barratt, Logan Lloyd, Evan Nicholls-Nyassue, Lucca Alexander-White, Caeron Davies, Lincoln Hall, Alfie John, Ioan Dacey
Reps: Brandon McCue, Wojciech Kudelka, Ethan Treharne-Ennis, Harvey Williams, Niall Evans, Taine Jones, Jack Cordy, Devon Shorney
Llandovery College: Kai Kinsey; Thomas Williams, Owen Rickard, Gryff Watkins (captain), Noa Harris; Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, Louis Cooper; Llyr James, Owen Griffiths, Josh Wrigglesworth, Felix Godet, Ollie Lewis, Brayan Kamanga, Ross Rossi, Sam Gardner
Reps: Sam Cawsey, Hudson Nevin, Cameron Stewart, Gavin Bissell, Alfie Luger, Brychan Hopkins, Harrison Burke, Alex Asprou
