Barry RFC were hit by a double blow in their 28-0 friendly win over Canton - with two key players suffering serious injuries.
Saturday’s game at the Reservoir Field was brought to a halt after 60 minutes when first team captain Aled Rees went down with a damaged hamstring, requiring lengthy treatment on the pitch before he could be moved to hospital.
The first half had also been brought to a premature end with hooker Rhys Powell needing treatment on the pitch before being carried off with suspected knee ligament damage and then being taken to hospital.
“They are two tough characters,” said head coach Mike Morgan, “who don’t go down easily, but both were obviously in a lot of pain. With Rhys, we hope it’s a recovery thing rather than an operation, but we will have to wait for the diagnosis on both.”
Both players returned home after treatment and full assessment of the injuries has yet to be made, but Morgan is optimistic that neither is season-ending.
The injuries certainly overshadowed other events on the field but Morgan could be generally pleased with the performance against a team two divisions lower than the Bombers in the Admiral League.
Despite several players being unavailable, the scrum proved dominant. “The things we’ve changed really worked for us. The driving lineout worked a treat. It was quick and accurate, and we got a lot of ground from it. We were doing the right things in the right areas."
“The things we promoted with the backs they pulled off, and scored some good tries, and it was nice to see former youth boys in the back line.”
Several youth players have done well in recent seasons on their move up to senior rugby which, Morgan believes, is important in inspiring the Under-15 and Under-16 players at the club.
The match also saw brothers Evan and Morgan Prosser playing together for the first time, both scoring a try with the latter having moved up from Youth rugby. Other tries came from Dan Hobson and Will Humphries, with all four converted by Owen Rees.
Barry’s final pre-season match is home to Nantyffyllon on August 30th, before the Division One East Central campaign starts with a visit to Llanharan on September 6th.
Penarth visit the Reservoir Field for the first Vale derby on September 13th - a fixture switched from September 27th because of a cup clash.
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