Longlevens RFC began their pre-season campaign with a hard-fought 21–10 victory over Welsh visitors Aberavon Green Stars, in a contest that took time to come to life before the young Griffins found their rhythm.
The opening 20 minutes were evenly matched, both sides testing each other’s defensive lines without finding much fluency. It was Aberavon who struck first, driving over from close range for an unconverted try. With a raft of changes made by Longlevens soon after, the game slipped back into stalemate, neither side able to build sustained pressure. Aberavon, however, managed to double their lead before half-time with another short-range effort to head into the break 10–0 up.
After the interval, and with further fresh legs introduced, the Griffins began to click. The physical battle at the collision was being won, and the home side finally started stringing meaningful phases together. Half-backs James Butler and Kev Van-der-Leest marshalled the play superbly, bringing tempo and direction that opened up opportunities for the younger players to shine.
The breakthrough came when Jack Gardner cut a sharp line to score under the posts, reducing the deficit to 7–10. Almost immediately after, winger Alfie Turner showed his pace out wide to race clear for a fine finish, putting Longlevens in front for the first time at 14–10. The momentum was firmly with the hosts, and a well-executed line-out catch and drive provided the platform for Matt Fatica to crash over for the decisive score. With the conversion added, Longlevens sealed a deserved 21–10 comeback win.
A total of 25 players were used in this first hit-out, with plenty still to sharpen up before the season begins in earnest. However, it was hugely encouraging to see so many of last year’s colts making the step up and impressing at senior level. Credit goes to Tom Hayes, Jack Gardner, Mikey Hosken, Sam Reynolds, Ed Glanville, Ty, Grant, Alfie Turner, Elliot Parsons, and Harrison Walsh, among others, who all contributed strongly.
Plenty to work on, as expected in the opening pre-season fixture, but the signs are promising. With young talent pushing through and experienced heads guiding them, the future looks very bright for Longlevens Rugby.
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