ABERAVON FIGHTING IRISH 44 SOUTH WALES JETS 14
Ian Golden at The Lextan Gnoll, Neath
Aberavon Fighting Irish put in a dominant performance to complete a one hundred percent record in the league this year, to win back-to-back JES Group Rugby League Conference titles.
It was a big needle match between the two finalists. South Wales Jets won the 2023 final with a one hundred percent record, whilst Aberavon won last year’s, plus they are the only side to have ever beaten the Jets in the Welsh competition.
And for the Fighting Irish, it was their fourth win in a row against their opponents, with former Ospreys rugby union winger Jay Baker, the stars of the game as he showed his class as a former professional player, as he became the first player to score four tries in a match in the league this season.
Errors dominated the first quarter of the encounter, as both sides tried to settle in and create the first chance.
That was until Aberavon took the lead on 20 minutes. Adam Pope had the first chance but was stopped in his tracks, and from the next play, Jay Baker went over in the corner. Ryan Pugh couldn’t land the conversion.
Alex Langworthy was close to a try back for Jets as he tried to leap onto a grubber, but he was a second too late in diving and the ball went into touch.
Aberavon worked their way upfield and scored from the length of the field set. Pugh running through the gap and converting his own try.
From their next set, they scored their third as Baker crossed for his second try which Pugh again improved.
Again from kick-off, Baker brushed off all his markers to ease through for the fourth try of the game and complete his hat-trick. Pugh converted to give his side a 22-0 half-time lead.
Jets got on the board six minutes into the second half with a well-worked try that was finished off by David Hooper. Shane Lee couldn’t land the kick.
But Aberavon restored the balance quickly afterwards, when Morgan Meaclem battled over for his side’s fifth try.
Cody Rees scored their next try, jinking through the Jets line, with Pugh converting.
And the tries still continued. Jake Price added Aberavon’s seventh with Pugh again adding the goal.
Baker soon added his fourth of the game, as he created his own space, running unchallenged to place the ball under the sticks.
At that point, it was a joint record highest margin for a Grand Final win, but Jets weren’t going to let that record happen as they finished with a floury.
First, Ieuan Sims went in under the sticks for a consolation try with Lee converting. Then Alex Langworthy brilliantly leapt on his own kick just before it went over the deadball line for an acrobatic try.
FIGHTING IRISH
1 Isaac Morgan
23 Lewis Francis
3 Iestyn Williams-Jones
4 Morgan Meaclem
5 Jay Baker
6 Ryan Pugh
7 Ioan Evans
8 Alan Pope
9 Cody Rees
10 Dylan Mclachlan
11 Morgan Hines
12 Ben Jackson (c)
13 Conor O’Callaghan
Subs:
14 Sean Waldeck
15 Rhodri Roberts
16 Jake Price
17 Rhys Evans
18 Mike Burgess
19 Rhys Curtis
20 James McCarthy
Tries: Baker (20, 34, 37, 71), Pugh (29), Meaclem (52), Rees (64), Price (67)
Goals: Pugh 6/8
JETS
1 Marcus Webb
2 Alex Langworthy
3 David Hooper
4 Ben Pinnock
5 Lewis Howells
6 Matthew Morgan
7 Ben Jones
8 Lewis Webb
9 Dean Higgs (c)
10 Jack Hodder
11 Matthew Jacobs
12 Craig Lewis
13 Shane Lee
Subs:
14 George Groves
15 Scott Kear
16 Connor Lloyd
17 Blaine Smith
19 Ieuan Sims
22 Aaron Lloyd
25 Johnathan Reid
Tries: Hooper (46), Sims (76), Langworthy (78)
Goals: Lee 1/3
Half-time: 22-0
Referee: Craig Davies
Attendance: 739
U18 GRAND FINAL
BRIDGEND BLUE BULLS 20 SOUTH WALES JETS 16
Bridgend Blue Bulls won a dramatic U18s final, with the result in doubt right up to the end.
Juris Kesans, a winner with Bridgend U12s back in 2019, dived over from dummy half to get Bridgend a second minute lead in this final. He converted his own try.
Jets hit back on 16 minutes with a Thomas Underwood try that was converted by Caine White.
There could have been a second Jets try before the half-hour when Madoc Lane ran over 50 metres dodging through the opposition with remarkable pace, but Fin Jones, another winner from 2019, did an equally outstanding full-back’s job to stop him scoring.
It was the Bulls who went into half-time 12-6 up. From a set following a penalty, Lewis Evans dived over and Kesans converted as the whistle blew.
Jets hit back early in the second half when Ellis Muller dived over from short range but the kick was missed so Bulls still had a two-point lead.
Bridgend soon extended their lead to 20-10 thanks to unconverted tries from Sam Elias and Kyson Rees.
With three minutes to go, Jets hit back again with an Ollie Bellavia-Walker try that White converted, but Bridgend had the remaining possession and held on for the win.
Referee: Kristoff Young. Half-time: 12-6.
U16 GRAND FINAL
ABER VALLEY WOLVES 18 BRIDGEND BLUE BULLS 12
Aber Valley Wolves scored two tries in the last ten minutes to complete a 100 percent winning season by beating Bridgend in the U16s final.
Alfie Davies stormed over 50 metres for their opening try on 14 minutes, that was converted by Ryan Williams.
The Bulls hit back straight away. William Dawkins scored under the sticks and Ceirion Emment-Jones converted.
They went into the lead just before half-time. Theo Tooze went over in the same place with the goal again kicked by Emment-Jones.
The second half was a tight affair, with defences ruling. It took until ten minutes before the end for Jake Leighton to break through for the Wolves, scoring under the sticks, with Ryan Williams converting to level the scores.
And then five minutes later, Alfie Davies ran through for the winning try for the Wolves. Williams converted.
Referee: Ben Truchard. Half-time 6-12.
