FORGESIDE under 9s entertained Machen for the first time on Sunday and they put in a lacklustre first half performance which cost them dearly in the end. The Forgeside cause was not helped by the late withdrawal of several players, however they still had an excellent start as Ieuan Rowlands scored a super solo try straight from kick-off.

But it all went wrong from there on as the youngsters leaked four quick tries in succession as they struggled defensively for the first half of the game. Things did improve in the second half as Ieuan Rowlands ran in two more tries as well as tackling himself to a standstill with a double figure tackle count once again which earned him the player of the match award. Captain for the day Callum Kenvin put in some good tackles as well as scoring himself a try. Kai Teale earned himself the most improved player award as he scored two good tries and also put in some excellent tackles. Not far behind him was Riley Coslett who also put in some good tackles in the second half of the game. Harrison Reed’s tackle count also went into double figures as he defended well and ran hard at the heart of opposition in the second period of the game. Dione Kenvin, Will Marshall and Demi Jenkins supported well. Final score Forgeside six tries Machen eight tries. Next week Forgeside will be fully tested as they entertain RTB Ebbw Vale.

Forgeside U8’s welcomed Machen on Sunday meanwhile on a sunny November morning. Right from the first whistle Machen showed they were eager to tag and put the hosts under pressure which resulted in a full set of tags and turnovers for the visitors. Forgeside were slow moving forward as they defended at the beginning, however handling errors by the visitors allowed the ball to be turned over and a couple of tries were run in by Logan Harris Redman and Rory Jenkins. The second half saw Forgeside up their game and good pressure and tagging by captain for the day Cian Pearce alongside Evyn Harper, Lacey Probert and Alfie McCann resulted in a lot more tuirn overs for Forgeside. With the ball in hand the hosts continued to show big improvements that they continue to make every week as a team and some great running and offloading led to tries for Erin and Manon Higgins, Shay Farthing, Evyn Harper and Cian Pearce. Final score Forgeside 11 tries Machen five tries. Next week Forgeside will be fully tested as they entertain RTB Ebbw Vale.