By Ian Golden, Date: 28/6/14
Papua New Guinea won the tournament, a nines event open only to under 19s, beating favourites Australia 22-8 in the Final.
Wales took Bronze in the first ever Rugby League Commonwealth Championship in Glasgow on Saturday after beating Canada 20-8. All of Wales’ players came from the South Wales Scorpions club.
Below are reports of Wales’ two games from today…
BRONZE MEDAL MATCH
WALES 20 CANADA 8
Wales put in a dominating second half performance to beat the plucky Canadians to the Bronze Medal in the first ever Rugby League Commonwealth Championship.
Canada had already won plaudits by beating England 24-4 on day one, consigning the English to sixth place in the competition, and they almost overcame Wales as well.
Canada lost the ball from the first set after kick-off and Wales didn’t waste the opportunity. Curtis Davies laid off to James Taylor who scored in the corner. Paul Edwards missed the kick.
After repeat sets and a scrum, Canada struck back as the ball was played the ball over to the wing for Matt Gallagher to score.
Then a 50 metre clean break from Cole Keffer put Canada in the ascendancy giving them an 8-4 half-time lead.
However the second half, although still hard fought, belonged to the Welsh.
Marcus Webb struck first with a 40-metre run down the wing. Ben Jones converted to make the score 10-8.
Then came one of the tries of the tournament. James Taylor picked the ball up on his own 10 metre line and the former Ospreys academy player went on a 90 metre run going past the whole Canada side and avoiding a number of tackles from the chasing Canadians to score. Jones converted again.
Finally, Alex King chased a chip kick and outran the exhausted Canada side to seal the win.
WALES SQUAD
1. Ben Jones
2. James Taylor
3. Marcus Webb
4. Paul Edwards
5. Dan Maiden
6. Curtis Davies
7. Alex King
8. Harry Cartwright
9. Zak Williams
10. Jordan Thomas
11. Morgan Jeffries
12. Joe Festa
13. Connor Davies
14. Rhys Davies
15. Harry Boots
CANADA
1. Cole Keffer
2. Gino Paolella
3. Nick Allen
4. Phil Berna
5. Robert Welch
6. Nick Collett
7. Matt Galagher
8. Nick Wright
9. Tim Stephens
10. Calixto Martinez
11. Drew Coles
12. Christian Haldane
13. Jason Hignell
14. Lukas Silver
15. James Iodice
COMMONWEALTH CHAMPIONSHIP NINES SEMI-FINAL
PAPUA NEW GUINEA 12 WALES 6
By Ian Golden at Broadwood Stadium, Glasgow
Despite going down to eight men early in the second half, Papua New Guinea overcame a resilient Wales side muscling their way to a 12-6 win in front of an electric atmosphere in Glasgow.
The sides went into half-time scoreless but it wasn’t for lack of effort.
Papua New Guinea had an early try chalked off after Bill Paul was a few metres offside from Warren Glare’s chip.
Wales’ James Taylor made a fantastic 40 metre run but lost the ball in the tackle as he was 20 metres from the line.
It was end to end action as one would expect from Nines Rugby League but chances were continually being blown by each side.
Glare missed an opportunity to give PNG the lead just before half-time as he just failed to leap onto his own grubber kick.
Wales looked to have been given the advantage after Ereman Elias Ken was sent off for a punch on Harry Cartwright. However the Kumuls were given a penalty as it was a Wales infringement that was being punished and Andreson Benford ran over to give them a 4-0 lead.
They soon made it 8-0 through a Gahuna Silas try but a Ben Jones try and conversion straight after that gave Wales hope.
But just after that, Stanton Albert made the game safe after scoring a controversial third Kumul try, that looked by some to have been knocked on, which again went unconverted.
WALES SQUAD
16. Ben Jones
17. James Taylor
18. Marcus Webb
19. Paul Edwards
20. Dan Maiden
21. Curtis Davies
22. Alex King
23. Harry Cartwright
24. Zak Williams
25. Jordan Davies
26. Morgan Jeffries
27. Joe Festa
28. Connor Davies
29. Rhys Davies
30. Harry Boots
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
1. John Ragi
2. Dickson Amea
3. Andreson Benford
4. Warren Glare
5. Josaiah Mano Jimmy
6. Eliakim Lukara
7. Joel Kapia Kee
8. Ereman Elias Ken
9. Lavax Ketauwo
10. Bali Las
11. Solomon Thomas Nandepe
12. Bill Paul
13. Stanton Albert
14. Gahuna Silas
15. Nickson Borana Ugaia
