Scarlets U18 in WRU Age Grade Championship Final
29 December 2009, 4:49 pm
By Editor
After a season during which the Blues and Scarlets have dominated age grade rugby in Wales, the two regions will bid for the ultimate prize on Wednesday afternoon when they come face to face in the Under 18 WRU Age Grade Championship final at the Talbot Athletic Ground (2pm).
Although the recent inclement weather has forced the postponement of half a dozen games in recent weeks, the two regions had already booked their respective places in the final - losing only one game between them since the championship kicked off in August.
The Scarlets, who went down 18-6 to the Blues back in September, finished their group games with six win from sevens games. Impressive wins against Gogledd Cymru, home and away, preceded arguably their most complete performance of the season when they beat the Ospreys 22-16 at Llandarcy.
The Blues, who kicked off their campaign in winning fashion against today's opponents, are the only unbeaten side in the competition. Guided by their outstanding outside half Joseff Griffin, they won six matches on the bounce including a 57-0 home win against Gogledd Cymru and a 65-0 success away in North Wales.
On top of notable friendly wins in Ireland and England, the capital region might fancy their chances of recording a seventh successive win at the end of what has been another outstanding season of age grade rugby in Wales.
However, the Scarlets, who have won the toss for the home dressing room, will be keen to follow on from their recent wins against the Dragons and Ospreys.
Scarlets team manager Rob Evans said; "I think we saw by the competitive nature of the game between the sides earlier in the season that we are in for a decent final.
"Obviously the recent poor weather has meant the postponement of one or two games, but I am sure that both sides will be ready for what promises to be another great day for the competition."
Players to watch for the Scarlets include Luke Hamilton, Luke Williams, Aled Davies, Curtis Morris and Tomos Ellis Williams, all of whom have crossed the try line this season. For the Blues, key players include Owen Sheppeard, Sam Campbell, Harry Robinson and leading scorer Griffin.