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Munster dispatch Ospreys 38-22 to strengthen their position at the top of Conference B.

Munster Number 8 Gavin Coombes scored a hat-trick as they extended their lead at the top of Conference B with a comfortable win against the Ospreys at Thomond Park.

The away side started the game strongly, taking the lead after Matt Protheroe spotted a gap in the Munster defence before passing to Luke Morgan who scored his first league try of the season.

The Irish province replied quickly after numerous phases on the front foot, Coombes crossed to score his first try of the match.

5 minutes later Full back Mike Haley picked up a loose pass before beating a number of Ospreys defenders to cross the line. Replacement Fly Half Ben Healy slotted a penalty a few minutes afterwards to extend their lead to 17-7.

Stephen Myler’s penalty had brought the Welsh side to within one score. However, Scrum Half Shaun Venter had a kick charged down before Luke Morgan was penalised for a deliberate knock on and was sent to the sin bin.

Munster took advantage of the extra man before half time when Hooker Kevin O’Byrne crossed the try line.

While still down to 14 men the Ospreys conceded an early second half try, Coombes powering over for his second. He completed his hat trick a few minutes later after taking a quick penalty 5 metres out.

The Ospreys improved in the final quarter after being wasteful for the majority of the game. They were rewarded for their hard work when Dewi Lake scored his first senior try. They were also awarded a penalty try in the closing stages while Munster had Jack O’Donoghue in the sin bin.

They can take heart from the performances of Matt Protheroe and Luke Morgan on the ball, as well as Captain Dan Lydiate who made 23 tackles.

Munster travel to Glasgow next Monday while the Ospreys will host Benetton on Sunday.

Football legend Sir Bobby Charlton diagnosed with dementia.

Sir Bobby Charlton, part of England’s 1966 World cup winning team has been diagnosed with dementia.

The England and Manchester United icon who the Ballon d’Or in 1966 played over 600 games for Manchester United. He won three league titles, a European Cup and an FA Cup during his time at Old Trafford. Sir Bobby was a survivor of the 1958 Munich air crash, in which 23 people died. He also won the BBC Sports Personality lifetime achievement award in 2008.

Manchester United released a statement ‘Everyone at Manchester United is saddened that this terrible disease has afflicted Sir Bobby Charlton and we continue to offer our love and support to Sir Bobby and his family.’

Charlton’s Brother Jack passed away in July of this year after suffering with lymphoma and dementia. Also, fellow World Cup Winner Nobby Styles who passed away earlier this week, was also diagnosed with dementia.

Sir Bobby’s wife Lady Norma Charlton made the news public in order to help others with dementia, reported by the Telegraph.

Dementia is a term for a range of progressive conditions that affect the brain, with the most common type of dementia being Alzheimer’s disease.

A study by Glasgow University in 2019 found that former professional footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than people of the same age in the general population.

Consultant Neuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart who’s a professor at the university of Glasgow said, “This is the largest study to date looking in this detail at the incidence of neurodegenerative disease in any sport, not just professional footballers.”

In February the FA released an updated heading guidance for youth training sessions, which restricts the amount that young players can head the ball. The new guidelines include:

• Heading guidance in training for all age groups between under-six and under-18
• No heading in training in the foundation phase (primary school children)
• Graduated approach to heading training for children in the development phase between under-12 to under-16
• Required ball sizes for training and matches for each age group
• No changes to heading in matches, taking into consideration the limited number of headers in youth games 

Serena Williams on racist comments and being a role model.

Tennis star Serena Williams recently opened up in a Ted talk with Gayle King about racist comments she received about at the time her unborn child.  Former Romanian World number one Ilie Năstase made comments in the media about the skin colour of Williams’ baby.

Serena Williams in action. Photo – AP News

Williams is a black woman and her partner and father of the child is a white man, Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian. Williams also called Năstase out for making sexist comments about other players on the tour.

In a statement released by Williams she said, “It disappoints me to know we live in a society where people like Ilie Năstase can make such racist comments towards myself and an unborn child, and sexist comments against my peers.”

During the Ted talk Williams really concentrated on the comments about her peers saying, “It’s really important to hold women up. I want to be a good leader and a good example for them.”

Williams made it clear how she felt about her and her fellow female players to stand up for each other. Serena described how younger players would come into the locker room and want to take photos with her, but she wanted to make sure she was there for them and standing up for them.

Serna also talked about coming back to tennis after having her baby. Saying she’s “always trying to defy the odds” and she’s “really inspired by my sister Venus.” Serena spoke about how her older sister Venus is still playing at a high level and that Men’s great Roger Federer is still winning stuff at the age of 39.

She has now won her first singles title since her comeback from having her daughter at the 2020 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.

Freddie Flintoff – Living with Bulimia

In September 2020 the BBC released a documentary about how former England Cricketer Freddie Flintoff deals with Bulimia. The documentary is hard hitting and a tough watch for some, but it is great journalism.

What is good journalism?

Good journalism is about telling the truth and being engaging, using relevant facts. It’s also being able to engage with your audience, throughout the piece. In this case, it really informs viewers of what’s gone on and gives them everything they’re looking for.

Bulimia is something Flintoff has never opened up about before. It required being cautious and sensitive in how you approach this story, however it was done excellently. Bulimia is a severe eating disorder in which a lot of men struggle with. From the outside I would never have thought that Flintoff had gone through a struggle like this throughout most of his career. The documentary is informative and is a real eye opener into what is bulimia.

The most significant question asked in the documentary was why do men who suffer with bulimia not seek any professional help? Flintoff was honest throughout with his responses. It gave a really deep insight into how tough living with the disorder can be and how people are scared to talk about it. Also, other male sufferers of the disorder were similar to Flintoff and didn’t want to go to anyone for help. Flintoff stated that he kept the disorder away from any of his teammates and went through his whole career without mentioning it.

I was quite surprised at some of the access the production team got during making the documentary. The number of people who they spoke to that were in the same position of Flintoff and were willing to speak about it was surprising for me. The way the one family opened up to Flintoff about how their son died after suffering badly from bulimia was tough to watch. However, the family were honest in speaking to Flintoff and would’ve wanted to speak to him to raise awareness about the disorder. The interviewees were also willing to speak about their own struggles knowing that millions of people will be watching the documentary, this obviously takes a lot of courage to open up about something so big.

For me personally I don’t think there were any unanswered questions in the documentary.

Developing Brand

Now I’ve started studying the second year of my Sport Journalism degree at the University of South Wales, I want to develop my own brand even further.

This year has been like no other, firstly not going into the Atrium building every day to attend lectures, no meeting any mates outside of your bubble and not seeing family for months on end. However, I won’t let these tough and unnatural times affect me and my pathway. I am passionate about Sport, I know I’ve got to work hard to achieve my dreams.

I want to be a successful Sports Journalist, in order to do this, I need to develop key skills even further. I will work on areas where I’m not as competent such as manging my time to be able to complete every bit of work effectively. I also want to develop my use of Social Media, especially Twitter. In the last year I have used my Social Media accounts to show my work and give my opinions on Sport. Twitter is used by nearly every Sports Journalist nowadays so this will be vital in my quest to succeed in the industry. I want people to look at me for their news and opinions on the sport that goes on around us.

One would thing that I want to develop even more is Podcasting. Last year I started a Podcast called the ‘Welsh Premiership Podcast’ with two course mates. We have over 900 followers on Twitter and were working hard to get more. This covers the top flight of Welsh domestic Rugby. After listening to Jon Doel of Wales Online at the start of the term, it made me realise how important podcasts are in Journalism now.  I want my podcast to be talked about throughout Welsh rugby in a positive light. I have to be confident in my own ability, I will talk to someone in order to get a story and I will keep asking questions until I know I’ve got what I need.

I will make the most of this year, taking any opportunities that come my way and work hard to achieve my goals.

Top Broadcasting experts share experiences on breaking into the TV Broadcasting industry

A panel of Broadcasting names, Isa Guha, Jacqui Oatley, Matt Murray, Mark Cole and Barbara Slater shared their experiences on working in the TV Broadcasting industry. The panel also gave tips to aspiring Sports Journalists to break into the industry.

Oatley, who was the first female commentator on BBC Match of the Day, shared her experiences of working for free to gain experience to get into the industry. She mentioned her experiences of “sleeping on my friends’ floor” while trying to break through. The broadcaster who anchored ITV’s coverage of the Euros in 2016 also described how she had a lot of hate on twitter about commentating and working on football.

Ex Wolves Goalkeeper Matt Murray described how he broke into the industry in a different way. He worked on Wolves games while still under contract with the club in the middle of a bad injury which forced him to retire at the age of 29. Murray shared his experiences on how he would speak to players and coachers in the build up to games to get their thoughts on it. Murray also shared his views on how contacts are so crucial to help succeed in the industry.

Barbara Slater, ex British gymnast and the BBC’s first female director of sport encouraged aspiring journalists to “Don’t give up” and to keep putting yourself out there. Mark Cole also encouraged aspiring journalists to take opportunities and gain work experience wherever possible.

Former England Cricketer and now broadcaster Isa Guha anchored the discussion with the broadcasting experts.

Kieran Martin re-joins Bridgend Ravens

Second-Row Kieran Martin has signed for the Bridgend Ravens for the upcoming Indigo Group Welsh Premiership campaign.

Martin, who previously played for the Ravens in the 2017/18 season, has played for Cardiff RFC for the past two years. The Llanharan RFC product was a pivotal figure in the Blue and Blacks squad in 2018/19 before being limited to just seven appearances last term. He will bolster Head Coach Steve Jones’ options up front and may well be used as an option in the Back-Row, where he is also comfortable playing.

On the decision to move back to Bridgend, “I loved my time at Cardiff, but injuries and a lack of game time knocked me back a bit. When I had the opportuinity to go back to Bridgend there was no doubt in my mind.”

“I’m really looking forward to getting back into it. It’s a really exciting time to be at the Ravens, it’ll be nice to see some old and new faces.”

“The squad has so much potential along with a top-quality coaching core. With a good pre-season I’m sure we can push on and shock a lot of people.”

Ravens Coach Jeff Pick added, “At 6ft 8in it would be easy to say that as a lineout forward Kieran takes some beating. But I believe he’s much more than that, he’s an intelligent player with bags of experience at Premiership level. It’s great to have him with us and I look forward to working with him again.”

by Tobias Hunt

Cardiff Blues Full Back Matthew Morgan still has ambitions of playing for Wales again.

The 28-year-old from Bridgend has won 5 international caps, the last of which came in the 2015 World Cup.  Morgan thinks that a “lack of form a couple of years ago” is a big factor in why he hasn’t been in the setup recently. “I try and do my best for the Blues and just take each game as it comes. I definitely still have the ambition to get back in that squad.”

Twitter: @matthewmorgan23

Morgan talked about the experiences of playing for Wales at the 2015 World Cup, “It was a surreal feeling, I got picked in the training squad to go away, then suddenly I was named in the 31-man squad. It was a big shock to me, but I was chuffed to bits to have the chance to play at a World Cup. It made it even more special having some of our games at home, so a lot of my family were there to watch.”

The versatile Morgan said that lockdown “Came at a good time. I’ve been out injured since January, I’ve had all my rehab now so hopefully when the season does resume, I’ll be ready to go again. It’s been weird stuck inside because I’m normally a busy person, always out doing stuff. It’s been tough mentally, so I’ve been trying to find things to do in the house to stay busy.”

The former Bridgend Athletic player started his professional career with the Ospreys before moving to Bristol in 2014. “I moved there just to play more rugby, at the Ospreys I wasn’t playing as much as I would’ve liked. I wanted a new challenge and looking back it was the best move I could’ve made at the time.”

In his first season at Bristol Morgan won the Player of the Year award in the Greene King IPA Championship. “It was a surprise to me because I missed three months of the season, but I still did play quite a few games. It was great to help get the club back into the Premiership, I ended my time there on a big high.”

The full back who has been at the Blues since 2016 and played over 80 games for the region described winning the 2018 European Challenge Cup as one of his best moments with the region. “It was an amazing experience and the way we won it made it very special. I play with a great group of boys here and great coaches, I want to take each year as it comes now.”

Another highlight moment of his career was being a part of the Wales U20’s side who beat New Zealand 9-6 during the 2012 Junior World Championship, becoming the first ever team to beat New Zealand at U20 level. “It was a weird game, the weather was poor, and the pitch wasn’t the best. But being part of the first team to beat them at U20 level is an incredible achievement as a group and as an individual.”

Last week he was voted as the outside half in Welsh Premiership Club Bridgend Ravens’ team of the semi-pro era. Morgan spoke about his time with the Ravens, “I really enjoyed it, I first played for them when I was 18. I went back a few times when I was with the Ospreys, it was nice to get some game time and was special for me to play for my hometown. It’s a while away yet, but when my career is coming to an end I would love to go back and play a few games with them and Bridgend Athletic so I can play with some of my mates.”

by Tobias Hunt

Head Coach Matt Williams says he is ‘Really proud’ of how his swimmers have coped during lockdown.

BRIDGEND County Swim Squad Head Coach Matt Williams has praised his swimmers on how they’ve coped physically and mentally during these uncertain times. After the swimming season was cut short due to the Coronavirus pandemic, clubs around the UK have had to put most of their training on hold.

  • Bridgend Performance Swimmers before the 2019 Welsh Summer Nationals

On how the lockdown has affected his swimmers physically Williams said, “It’s the equivalent of a cyclist having no bike. We’ve seen it as a huge opportunity for the swimmers to become more athletic. Land work is a huge part of a swimmers training programme, having the time to practice and improve that has been a really good thing. The major issue is keeping them aerobically fit, so we’ve encouraged running and cycling every day.”

The swimmers have all had to deal with the mental impact of lockdown and the affect it’s had on their season. “We have a lot of disappointed swimmers, but once a routine was established, they have been amazing, the attitude they’ve shown to motivate themselves during these crazy times has amazed me. We’ve had one to one meetings with all the swimmers and the conversations I’ve had with them have been awesome. It’s given them time to grow and think what they really want from the sport, I’m really proud of them.”

Williams said he aims to build the number of sessions a week in the pool up slowly when they’re allowed back “We’ll start from three a week then build from there. I’ve already spoken to the other coaches about our plans, we’re going to spend a lot of time on technique, turns, starts and kick. Getting them fit is easy as the body doesn’t forget the hard work they have done, so it’s a case of making them better in those other areas and when were back to a full training schedule, we can really step it up.”

On how losing a few senior swimmers after this lockdown will affect the squad he said, “The loss will affect me more as my social interactions will change to working with younger swimmers. It’s my job to change my language and coaching sessions to suit the younger swimmers. We’ve lost a lot of older lads recently and our next best are all 12 and 13, but boys develop a lot later so it’s a case of keeping them focused and inspired for when they grow and mature.”

Williams has had to deal with the impact of the lockdown himself, a lot of his work is usually done coaching by the side of the pool, however he said he is “coping very well, it’s nice not having to wake up at 4:15am or stand by the boiling hot pool and the smell of chlorine. I’ve done a lot of reading and studying on the sport, as I don’t usually have the time to do this.

It’s very hard working from home while my partner works from home and we have a 4-year-old running about. I’ve missed the interaction with the athletes face to face and not being able to do that has been challenging. We’ve communicated over the likes of Zoom and WhatsApp and it’s become the new normal.”

“I’ve done a lot of self-reflection, listened to podcasts and have spoken to other coaches to gather as much information and knowledge as I can so I’m ready for when we go back. I’ve really enjoyed watching how different coaches from all over the world have been adapting. It’s been a good time to refresh and I can’t wait to go again when it’s safe to do so.”

by Tobias Hunt

Bridgend Ravens’ takeover is officially complete.

BRIDGEND Ravens’ are now officially a member run club. The Indigo Group Welsh Premiership club held an open meeting in January, where members of Clwb Rygbi Penybont ar Ogwr voted in favour to purchase Bridgend Ravens Rugby Club.

The club is steeped in history, providing talents such as J.P.R Williams, Gareth Thomas and Rhys Webb to Wales and the British & Irish Lions. They already have big ambitions going into a new era with the majority of this season’s squad committed to staying on for next season. The club have had numerous young Ospreys players with them this season, such as Morgan Strong, Brad Roderick and Travis Huntley. They will continue to work with the region as part of the development pathway system.

Now the takeover is complete, the club are looking for more members to step forward and assist with the running of the club. More information regarding roles will be made public in due course.

After the takeover was completed, club Chairman Norman Spain said, “I am delighted that the agreements have been signed and that the destiny of our club now lies in the hands of Bridgend Ravens Club Members. We have been busy behind the scenes putting in place a strong foundation which starts with next season.”

Following this, Clwb Rygbi Penybont ar Ogwr Company Director Hopkin Joseph provided an update, ”At the Open Meeting held in January, Members agreed to proceed with the purchase of Bridgend Ravens Rugby Club Ltd, but I gave an undertaking that two additional Members would join as subscribing members before any legal commitment was made. I am extremely pleased to advise that in early March, John Dalton and Peter Wood agreed to serve in these roles.”

This is an exciting time for the club who will still compete in the top tier of Welsh semi-professional Rugby after the previous season was cancelled. They hope with the new takeover the club will grow and become a very community orientated club. The future is bright for the Ravens faithful.

I’m sure everyone would join me in wishing the Ravens all the very best in this endeavour. Given the current climate and the financial strains being felt by the sport it will be interesting to see if this model will be a template for the sustainable future of semi-professional rugby in Wales.

by Tobias Hunt

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