The young Neath side were determined to put on a good show for the home crowd, both teams displayed a solid defence hence no tries were scored throughout the game. A penalty was awarded against Neath in the last quarter of the first half; Paula Mullen gained a 3 point lead for Llandaff.
The second half started with as much gusto as the first, rain made ball handling difficult, but both teams battled it out to the end. Heavy pitch conditions sapped players’ energy: five of the Neath girls had trained all day on Saturday with the Welsh U20 squad and they had to dig deep into their reserves to find the energy to continue.
During the final quarter of the second half another penalty was awarded against Neath for a high tackle, and again the boot of Mullen earned Llandaff another 3 points.
This was a game where the Neath youngsters, with an average age of 17 years, came of age as they showed guts and determination beyond their years. Both teams were evenly matched.
Both teams selected players of the match for each other, Paula Mullen and Jess Bain for Llandaff, with Amy Lawrence and captain Bethan Preece for Neath. The Neath girls wished Llandaff all the best for the next cup round, Neath eagerly await their fate in the plate.
