BY WAYNE EVANS...
Following their comprehensive victory against close neighbours Beddau, the Pink Rhinos played their second fixture against a vastly more experienced Nanymoel team and came out of the contest with a very creditable draw.

On a dismally wet afternoon both teams looked to impose themselves but with the wind and slope in their favour it was Nantymoel who had the upper hand territorially during the first quarter. Their attempts to turn pressure into points was however thwarted by a committed Llantwit defence. The larger Nantymoel pack got little change from their Llantwit counterparts and when the ball was given width they found the Llantwit three-quarter line in equally uncompromising mood. As they grew into the game the Pink Rhinos began to look more threatening but with defences on top clear try scoring opportunities were few and far between. In tricky conditions the large crowd were lifted by some big hits from Sian Hamilton that Dale Mcintosh in his prime would have been proud of. The contest was now a much more even affair with the Rhinos half backs of Hazel Boyd and Genna George putting the team on the front foot. Each member of the pack worked hard to gain valuable yards and the backs showed fine handling skills to stretch the Nantmoel behind. As the half drew to a close however the experienced Nantymoel team again used conditions to pin the Rhinos down close to their line. Eventually their resistance was broken on the stroke of half time when Nantymoel crossed wide out for an unconverted try.

With the elements now at their backs the Rhinos began the second half in determined fashion. With outside half George kicking astutely to pin Nantymoel into their own twenty two. The forwards, with Hamilton, Lynsey Caudle, Rebecca Outing, Helen Davies and Helena Michel prominent, battled hard for possession and the backs continued to show handling skills that belied the awful conditions. Nantymoel were struggling to cope with the pressure being exerted and when they were caught offside the Rhinos opted to run the resultant penalty and their adventure was rewarded when left wing Issy Strinati came in on the angle to scythe through the Nantymoel defence for a score under the posts. George's conversion gave the Rhinos a slender two point lead. Stung by this reversal Nanymoel went on the offensive but the Rhinos to a woman tackled as if their lives (or after match shots) depended on it. Having repelled a series of Nantymoel attacks Llantwit again forced their way downfield. further indiscipline presented George with a penalty opportunity to extend the Rhinos lead. She duly slotted the kick to extend the lead to five points as the game entered its closing stages. Stung by this further score Nanymoel showed their greater experience by again finding a foothold in the Rhinos twenty two. They hit the Rhinos with wave after wave of attacks and eventually found the space to score a second try wide out. The conversion failed leaving the scores tied at ten apiece. The Rhinos were now living of scraps of possession but when they did get the ball looked to run their bigger opponents around the field. Wing Claire Thomas, showing handling skills other members of her family could only dream of, broke down field and was only denied by desperate Nantymoel cover defence. It was now end to end stuff and with time almost up the Nanymoel pack drove close to the Rhinos line but could not find a way through and when the ball was lost the referee blew for full time.

This was a big step up for Llantwit but they showed commitment and skill to live with their experienced opponents. They will learn a great deal from this encounter. The Nantymoel team also deserve a great deal of credit. The Rhinos thank them for agreeing to the fixture and wish them well for the future.