Academy Results from Coventry

Both the U17s and U18s played at Coventry on Saturday, with a mixed bag of results.

U17s won 31-21 whilst the U18s came away with a 47-31 defeat.

Coach Afon Bagshaw can take plenty of pluses from both games -

"It was a fantastic day at Coventry for our U17s and U18s, with great weather, two competitive games and plenty of quality rugby on show.

For the U17s, we had a number of U16 players stepping up due to a few players being unavailable and a couple of injuries. This gave some of our younger players a great opportunity to test themselves at the next level, and they certainly took it. It was really pleasing to see them step up, embrace the challenge and front up physically against older opposition.

Across the board, we were really pleased with the performance and to come away with a well-deserved win. One of the biggest positives was seeing the younger players show that they are more than capable of competing at this level. Rhys Cochran, Riley Jones, Sam Edwards and Kimarni were among those who really impressed, while Eneas Parry-Fink, Morgan Roberts and Iestyn Roberts also put in some excellent performances. There were plenty of positives throughout the squad and some really encouraging signs for the future.

With the U18s, we started slower than we would have liked and found ourselves trailing by five tries to two at half-time. As a coaching group, we challenged the boys to respond, raise the intensity and show the character and quality we know is within the group.

The response in the second half was outstanding. The boys lifted the tempo, competed with far greater intensity and produced a really strong second-half performance. That reaction was probably the most pleasing aspect for us as coaches and showed plenty of character within the group.

There were some excellent individual performances and moments throughout the game. Ianto Crawley finished off a really well-worked try, while Chester White, another of our first-year players, produced a very strong performance and showed some really encouraging signs.

Overall, there are plenty of positives to take away from both games. Results are always pleasing, but at this stage of the season it is also about giving players opportunities, challenging them at the right level and continuing to develop both individually and collectively.

Seeing our younger players step up and take their opportunities, alongside the character shown by the U18s in responding so strongly in the second half, made it a very worthwhile day. There is still plenty for us to work on, but it gives us a really positive platform to continue building from as we move into the season"