THE WALES YOUTH ORIGIN series at Under 16 and Under 14 are both level at 1-1 after the sides defeated in the November openers gained revenge victories on Saturday.
Honours were also shared in the Development fixtures.
Ian Golden reports from Merthyr Tidfil:
UNDER 16
EAST WALES 42 WEST WALES 14
EAST, who avenged their 26-20 defeat to West, took less than a minute to take the lead, Dontae Malcolm scoring and Rhys Wood converting.
West quickly levelled through Henry Davies – Jack Field goaling – but East dominated the rest of the half with five unanswered tries.
Frazer Redman, Alfie Davies, Wood, Malcolm and Rhys Phillips all popped over, Wood improving each effort to help establish a 36-6 interval lead.
Field and Davies hit back for West in the second period to peg East back to 36-14 but a last-minute try by Max Phillips, with Wood booting his seventh goal, sealed Easts’ success.
EAST: Alfie Davies (Aber Valley Wolves), Dontae Malcolm (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Miles Plummer (Aber Valley Wolves), Max Phillips (Torfaen Tigers), Cameron George (Aber Valley Wolves), Kelyn Jude-Hobbs (Torfaen Tigers), Morgan Jones (Torfaen Tigers), Dewi Savage (Torfaen Tigers), Frazer Redman (Torfaen Tigers), Ollie Mitchell (Torfaen Tigers), Danny Jones (Torfaen Tigers, capt), Evan Jenkins (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Rhys Wood (Aber Valley Wolves). Subs: Mason Plummer (Aber Valley Wolves), Jac Thomas (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Emrys Watkins (Torfaen Tigers), Jack Tennant (Torfaen Tigers), Luca Kilday (Torfaen Tigers), Dylan Little (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Connor Hawkey (Cardiff Blue Dragons)
WEST: Jacob Maund (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Nico Miguel (Swansea Rams), Ellis McGregor (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Owen Prince (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Cole Evans (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Jack Field (Cynon Valley Cavaliers), Will Mordecai (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Charlie Noakes (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Henry Davies (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Cadan Templar (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Joseff Keating (Cynon Valley Cavaliers), Kobe Crowley (Bridgend Blue Bulls, capt), Louis Johnson (Aberavon Fighting Irish). Subs: Kitson Smithers Jones (Aberavon Fighting Irish), Nye Hopkins (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Luis Towell (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Ben Hogan (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Llyr Richards (West Wales Jets)
Referee: Craig Davies
UNDER 14
EAST WALES 10 WEST WALES 12
WEST, thanks largely to a converted try early in the second period, exacted retribution for the 28-10 reverse late last year.
Easts’ Jaxon Jones and Wests’ Callum Brown traded tries on 17 and 21 minutes respectively, with Logan Caviel converting the second score to give West a 6-4 lead at the break.
Mason Lloyd popped over for East two minutes after the restart, Lewis Watkins adding the extras to forge a 10-6 advantage.
But West were not to be denied, Jacob Lloyd-Williams dotting down and man-of-the-match Caviel kicking what turned out to be the match-winning conversion – although East came close to snatching victory when Lewis Shroll was stopped short of the line as the final whistle blew.
EAST: William Viant (Aber Valley Wolves), Roman Richards (Aber Valley Wolves), Caiden Allen-Ridge (Torfaen Tigers), Theo Williams (Aber Valley Wolves), Hedd Simons (Torfaen Tigers), Lewis Watkins (South Wales Jets), Joe Underwood (Torfaen Tigers), Zachary Weston (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Mason Jude Lloyd (South Wales Jets, capt), Charles Dix (South Wales Jets), George Pronger (South Wales Jets), Hywel Evans (Aber Valley Wolves), Jaxon Jones (Aber Valley Wolves). Subs: Giuseppe Smith (South Wales Jets), Benjamin Zdzieblo (Aber Valley Wolves), Archie Watkins (Torfaen Tigers), Syd James (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Joshua Lewis (South Wales Jets), Travis Carpenter (Torfaen Tigers), Louis Shroll (Torfaen Tigers)
WEST: Logan Caviel (Cynon Valley Cavaliers), Devan Edwards (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Hefin Jones (West Wales Jets), Jacob Lloyd-Williams (Swansea Rams), Cai Canton (West Wales Jets), Callum Brown (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Dylan O’Kelly (Swansea Rams), Parker Morris (Cynon Valley Cavaliers), Ollie Bayliss (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Reggie Lynch (Swansea Rams), Osian Morgan (Swansea Rams), Harry Davies (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Carter Jenkins (Swansea Rams). Subs: Taffy Chickohora (Swansea Rams), Seth Beynon (Swansea Rams), Finley Miller (Swansea Rams), Eden Wong (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Joey Cox (Swansea Rams), Carter Jones (Swansea Rams), William Pincott-Davies (Swansea Rams)
Referee: Misa Vakdranu
DEVELOPMENT GAMES
UNDER 16
EAST WALES 32 WEST WALES 14
EAST bounced back from an early Brandon Lee try which Ruben Main converted to close as comfortable winners.
Mason Partridge and, straight from the restart, Riley Williams crossed by way of reply, player of the match Jac Thomas converting the second to give East a 10-6 lead.
That was stretched to 20-6 at the interval through further tries by Partridge and Jack Tennant, plus another Thomas goal.
Danny Thomas got West back into the game, pouncing on a loose ball to score, but East were not minded to concede and settled matters with Thomas’ conversions of tries from Tristan White and Myles Plummer. And Lee’s second score for West was nothing more than a consolation effort.
EAST: Clayton Hendrickson (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Emrys Watkins (Torfaen Tigers), Toby Miller (South Wales Jets), Luca Kilday (Torfaen Tigers), Riley Williams (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Jac Thomas (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Jacob Stiles (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Alfie Bailey (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Alex Harkin (Cardiff Blue Dragons, capt), Jack Tennant (Torfaen Tigers), Tristan White (Aber Valley Wolves), Mason Partridge (South Wales Jets), Dylan Little (Cardiff Blue Dragons). Subs: Seb Byers (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Myles Plummer (Aber Valley Wolves)
WEST: Jaxon Robbins (Aberavon Fighting Irish), Brandon Lee (Rhondda Outlaws), Ashton Davies (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Danny Thomas (Swansea Rams), Iestyn Elcock (West Wales Jets), Ruben Main (Rhondda Outlaws), Samuel Evans (Rhondda Outlaws), Riley Evans (West Wales Jets), Matthew Anderson (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Oliver Butcher (West Wales Jets), Ashton Fitzgerald (Swansea Rams), Carter Luke (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Callum Woolfe (West Wales Jets, capt). Subs: Osian Rees (West Wales Jets), Samuel Llewellyn (Aberavon Fighting Irish), Michael Hueane (Bridgend Blue Bulls)
Referee: Malcolm Holmes
UNDER 14
EAST WALES 8 WEST WALES 56
WEST, who were 34-0 ahead at half-time, dominated exchanges in an eleven-try special.
East posted the first touchdown of the second period, through Luca Evans, and claimed their second – by Solomon Bowditch – by which stage their opponents had breached the half-century.
Rampant West closed with two tries apiece by Zac Wilcox, Jack Parker and Logan Evans, with Osian Griffiths, Elliot John-Coomber, Harrison Law, Macauley Phillips and Isaac Davies also dotting down. Law, Alex Davies and TJ Millington kicked two goals each.
EAST: Efan Betts (South Wales Jets), Aiden Williams (Torfaen Tigers), Parker-Jai Jones-Murphy (South Wales Jets), Danny Bennett (Torfaen Tigers), Elliott Haynes (Torfaen Tigers), Syd James (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Caiden Allen-Ridge (Torfaen Tigers), Caden Ash (Torfaen Tigers) Lochlan Blakemoor (South Wales Jets), Jay Invins-Actie (South Wales Jets), Tomas Duggan (Torfaen Tigers), Ioan Watcyns (Torfaen Tigers), Louis Shroll (Torfaen Tigers, capt). Subs: Luca Evans (Torfaen Tigers), Solomon Bowditch (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Max Gay (Torfaen Tigers), Riley Evans (South Wales Saints), Iestyn Outing (Aber Valley Wolves, Jake Harding (Aber Valley Wolves), Jacob Edwards (Aber Valley Wolves)
WEST: Caden Ray Phillips-Evans (Swansea Rams), Dafydd Williams (Swansea Rams), Macauley Phillips (Swansea Rams), Aaron Fry (Rhondda Outlaws), Brody Thomas (West Wales Jets), TJ Millington (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Alex Davies (Swansea Rams), Osian Griffiths (West Wales Jets), Harrison Law (Cynon Valley Cavaliers), Jack Parker (Swansea Rams), Zac Wilcox (Swansea Rams), Nye Hamer (Rhondda Outlaws), Alfie Carter (Bridgend Blue Bulls). Subs: Alfie David (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Ollie Midwinter (Swansea Rams), George Royal (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Elliot John-Coomber (Rhondda Outlaws), Jayden Summerfield (Swansea Rams), Isaac Davies (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Logan Evans (Swansea Rams)
Referee: Craig Davies