A Coleg Gwent rugby team showed their mettle against the best teams in Wales, England and Ireland when they scooped a coveted shield in the Topflight Home Nations Tournament at Hartpury recently.
The Crosskeys Campus team played competitive pool games in the tournament, losing out to Christian Brothers College Cork 10-3, but beating St Mary’s College Dublin by 20 points to 16.
In a close contest against Hartpury College, Crosskeys Campus were just beaten to the top of the group with two disallowed tries, and a length of the field interception try for Hartpury resulting in a final score of 12-7.
Undeterred by the disappointment of the previous game, the team went on to win the fourth place trophy shield comfortably beating Dalraida School, Ireland 26-0.
Sports Lecturer Steven Llewellyn said: “Although we were disappointed to be beaten to the top of the group, it was a close contest and the team played really well. We were delighted to come away with the shield, and playing against the very top teams in the competition was a great experience.”
It’s been a great season for Crosskeys Campus rugby so far and students have wasted no time building on their success. Spurred on by their achievement in the tournament, the team scored a record number of points against Pembroke College last week beating them 74-0 and taking them to second place in the WRU Welsh Colleges League. On the same day, the under 19 team played in the Welsh Colleges Tens U19 Tournament in Colwyn Bay.
Mr Llewellyn added: “Despite being a young team, the U19 students acquitted themselves very well.
“Both matches were played on the same day and we were delighted to able to field 37 students to represent Coleg Gwent Crosskeys Campus rugby for the first time.”