Pembroke Panthers 48  - Tondu 10

 
Pembroke Panthers played their final league game of the season recently at Tondu, a match that was due to played at Crickmarren but unfortunately the opponents couldn’t get a team to travel so Pembroke agreed to forfeit home advantage in their final league game.
 
With league victory still possible the Panthers rallied and hit the road. A win would see the Panthers top of the table and waiting to see if those just beneath them, West Swansea Hawks, could play any of their remaining fixtures before the league deadline of the first weekend in May.
 
The Panthers went in to the game on level points with the Hawks and knew that they needed to get a bonus point win to put them in the best possible position so the game was all to play for and as a result and afternoon of excitement awaited on the hottest day of the year yet.
 
Pembroke asserted control from the outset, with Fi Griffiths on a trademark run touching down early on. No sooner had the restart happened, than Charlotte Kinsella, from full back, cut through the defence to score Pembroke’s second.  Pembroke retained some good possession, dominating in the scrum and line out early on, building a platform for Leah Phillips to score a brace before half time. Two conversions slotted over by captain Chloë Jones meant that at half time it meant The Panthers were 24 points ahead and with a bonus point assured.
 
Tondu returned to the second half renewed, and some changes in their pack saw them securing better possession of the ball and that pressure turned to points with two early tries from Allana-May Wells and Amie Stevens.





 
Pembroke were determined, however, to ensure that the game did not become controlled by the opposition and quickly reaffirmed their lead with another brace from vice captain Leah Phillips, one of which was converted by Sophie James.
 
Speedster  James then cut through the now-tiring Tondu defensive line to dot down for the visitors, duly converted by skipper Jones.  Sitting at 43-10 to Pembroke the coaching staff decided to put in place some changes to the structure of the squad with centre James switching in at 10.
 
Having been told by the coaching staff to not kick the ball away and play ball in hand, James duly put in a cross field kick from within Tondu’s half which saw Carys Slack gather and score for a final time for the visitors.
 
The completion of the game saw Pembroke having played every game of the season for the first time in their history and having not used permits at any stage. The coaches, Dale Humphrey and Nigel Cole, were proud of the team work the entire squad has shown for the whole of the season.
 
What the future holds remains to be seen for the Panthers, as fate will decide if they will end up as league champions or not. One thing is however certain, the 24/25 season has shown that the Panthers are here to stay and a force to be reckoned with.