A pre-season friendly for Barry RFC's youth squad was abandoned when one of their players was badly injured.
Jay Forsyth suffered a fractured and dislocated ankle in Saturday’s game against Risca and he's expected to miss most of the coming season. The injury is due to be operated on once the swelling has subsided.
Jay, who turns 18 next week, was playing in what was expected to be his penultimate match for the Youth team, and he suffered the injury in a tackle shortly before half-time.
Barry were leading 19-7 when the game was abandoned.
Physios from both clubs supported him as he lay on the pitch prior to a paramedic arriving, followed soon afterwards by an ambulance. Jay was taken to hospital in Cardiff, but released the following day, and is staying at home until his operation.
Barry Youth head coach John Dimond praised the physios and medical teams who attended, and has sent a note of thanks to Risca for their help.
“They kept him warm. They couldn’t move him not knowing what damage had been done.”
Dimond said Jay would almost certainly be in a cast for six weeks, followed by six weeks of wearing a boot. “He will probably be able to start working on the ankle again around February, but really he is almost certainly ruled out for the season.”
Jay automatically moves into adult rugby at 18 and was given special dispensation by the WRU to play in two pre-season matches for Barry Youth - the second being at Pontyclun on Thursday.
After five weeks of pre-season training, integrating the players who have moved up from the club’s under-16s, Dimond saw his charges start slowly, but settle down. “Our scrum was dominant, and Risca were beginning to look tired once we started playing at a high tempo.”
But then came the injury, and the game was stopped. “Jay’s health is far more important than a game of rugby,” said Dimond.
Barry scorers:
Tries – Jack Huggins, Morgan Prosser, Caelan Hurley
Conversions – Morgan Prosser (2)
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