AN unbeaten season beckoned, but it was not to be for Ysgol Calon Cymru as they suffered heartbreak at the Principality Stadium on Thursday, beaten in the final of the Welsh Schools Rugby Union Vase.
It was a bittersweet day for the Ysgol Calon Cymru lads, who went down 46-12 to a rampant display from Swansea’s Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr.
On a seven-game winning streak, the combined Builth Wells and Llandrindod Wells squad couldn’t quite follow in the footsteps of the Builth youth team that trod the very same turf almost a year ago when they brushed aside Bridgend Athletic 44-17 in the final of the Welsh Youth Cup.
Winger Ciaran Price picked Bridgend apart that day with a mesmeric man-of-the-match display, scoring four tries, including a first-half hat-trick, in a dominant victory.
Gyfun Gwyr had their own mercurial magician on Thursday as Cai Gealy scored four of his side’s seven tries in a ruthless display.
They will have left the home of Welsh rugby reflecting on what might have been, but the players and coaches should still be immensely proud of themselves.
“A great occasion and honour for Calon Cymru, playing for the first time at the Principality Stadium,” read a post on the Ysgol Calon Cymru Facebook page.
“The 1st XV played with pride and passion from start to finish. Against a physical and well-drilled opposition, the boys acquitted themselves well.
“Despite conceding 2 early tries the Calon Cymru team finished the first half strongest, with sustained pressure in the opposition 22 for a good length of time. Simple errors, however, squandered the chance of adding more than just the try by Tom Evans.
“The second half proved tough but Calon Cymru battled hard and did create a few chances, but could only score a try through Iwan Holder and a conversion by Ciaran Price.
“The boys can be proud of themselves and, coupled with playing at the home of Welsh rugby, can take away memories to cherish for life.”
Two tries for livewire scrum-half Gealy put the Swansea school into an early 14-0 lead, but Calon Cymru hit back; a sustained period of pressure near the opponent’s line leading to prop Evans powering over to reduce the arrears, though Price – playing at full-back for his school – could not convert from the touchline.
Joseff Walters scored to give Gyfun Gwyr a 19-5 interval lead and even though the try kept the Mid Wales side within reach, a blistering opening 20 minutes of the second half put the South Wales side out of sight.
Osian Fitzgerald-Davies stretched the lead and the writing was on the wall for Calon Cymru when Elliot Owen was sin-binned for a high tackle. Jonny Atkins struck a penalty before Gealy grabbed his hat-trick following a blistering run through fading Calon Cymru tacklers, and then capped it with his fourth.
Calon Cymru did briefly rally when outside centre Iwan Holder capitalised on a loose ball to score a fine solo try that Price converted, but Lewis Edwards made it a magnificent seven for the Swansea-based side.
Still, the lads can reflect on a fine season with pride. Calon Cymru defeated Ysgol Garth Olwg, from Church Village, Pontypridd, 19-12 in Llandrindod in November to reach the final in Cardiff.
Coached by James Reynolds and Wayne Morris, the boys defeated Powys rivals Crickhowell 43-5 in the opening knockout round, before a 55-26 quarter-final triumph over Caerphilly’s St Cenydd.
Their impressive cup run has followed on from an unbeaten East Wales North League campaign, where the school beat Ysgol Bryncelynnog 19-0, Crickhowell 43-12, Rhydywaun 12-5 and Garth Olwg 22-5 to finish with a 100 per cent record.
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