Y DAN 10 YN DRINGO MYNYDD

Llawer o ddiolch i Glwb Rygbi'r Barri am achub rygbi'r dydd. Roedd croeso da gan Gareth a Pete sy'n amlwg yn gwneud jobyn arbennig gyda'u tim Dan 10. Mi wnaethon ni gynhesu lan gydag 8 chwaraewr yn unig cyn i Caleb a Gruff Davies yn gwneud ni'n 10...just.

Roedd gan Y Barri 25-30 o blant gan gynnwys ambell i gwlffyn. Her anodd oedd hon am fod cyn hyd yn oed crybwyll y llethr ar y cae! Mi yrrodd Y Barri lawr y tyle o'r cychwyn gan edrych yn fygythiol iawn a sgori cais cynnar cyn dwyn y bêl o'r ail-ddechrau. Roedd hwn yn addo bod yn ddiwrnod hir i'r Dan 10. Yna fe benderfynodd Cai Llywelyn fel arall. Mae llawer i wedd ar arweinyddiaeth, ond does dim llawer i guro arwain drwy esiampl, a thrwy wrthod cael ei darro drosodd mi gododd ysbryd y tîm. Dechreuodd Clwb herio'r gwrthwynebwyr gan chwarae i'n cryfderau ac mi roedd hi'n gyfartal wrth droi. Gyda'r llethr o'n plaid yn yr ail hanner, mi gymerodd Clwb rheolaeth o'r gêm gan ennill y dydd (er gwaetha' anwybyddu 2,3 neu 4 dyn rhydd ar y tu fas!)

Yn yr ail gêm roedd yr hanner cyntaf unwaith eto'n fynydd llythrennol i'w ddringo. Mi wnaeth tîm newydd Y Barri y mwyaf o'u mantais gan gyrraedd yr egwyl â mantais gyfforddus. Hyd yn oed pan oedd Y Barri yn cael y gorau o bethau roedd eu hyfforddwyr yn barod iawn i ganmol ein gêm basio dalodd ar ei chanfed yn yr ail hanner wrth i ni sgori 5 cais heb ymateb i'w gwneud hi'n gyfartal gydag eiliadau i fynd. Rhaid llongyfarch y gwrthwynebwyr am gipio sgôr hwyr i fynd â hi ond mi wnaeth y Dan 10 unwaith eto greu argraff ar yr hyfforddwyr (cartre ac oddi cartre) gan ddangos llwyth o benderfyniad.

Gruff Daf ac Ifan gafodd eu henwi'n Sêr y Gêm am eu gwaith corfforol o'r dechrau i'r diwedd, ond mi roedd 'na berfformiadau i ddal y llygaid gan lawer. Roedd Louis yn eofn yn erbyn chwaraewyr dwywaith ei faint, fe gafon ni gyfuniad o daclo cryf a rhedeg twyllodrus gan Daniel, ac mi roedd pas 'drws-cefn' Henry yn haeddu cais.

Wrth edrych lan y rhiw ar dîm llawer mwy ar ddechrau'r bore, roedd gen i fy amheuon. Serch hynny, mae sgiliau ac ymdrech yn gwneud yn iawn am ein diffyg maint. Ond y gyfrinach fwyaf? Cyrff llai, calonnau mwy.

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Many thanks go out to Barry RFC for rescuing today's fixture. Gareth and Pete were fantastic hosts and are obviously doing a great job with their D10 team. We warmed up with only 8 but Caleb and Gruff Davies saved the day by taking us up to a full compliment…..just.

Barry had 25-30 kids including some big ‘uns, so we knew it would be tough, and then there was the gradient of the pitch! Barry rumbled downhill towards us from the kick-off looking pretty menacing, got an early try and turned us over from the next kick off. It was looking like a long day for the Dan 10. That was until Cai Llywelyn decided he was not going to stand for it. Leadership comes in many forms but leading by example takes some beating and in refusing to be bowled over, the mood of the team was lifted. We started to take them on and impose our gameplan and as a result, we drew level by the break. With the slope on our side for the second half, we seized control of the game and came away with the spoils (despite our ability to butcher a 3, 4 or 5 man overlap!)

In the second match, the first half was again, literally, an uphill struggle. This new Barry team made the most of their advantage and went into the half with a healthy lead. Even when Barry was on top, their coaches were quick to comment on the quality of our passing game and in the second half it told as D10 scored 5 unanswered tries to bring it level with seconds to go. Credit to Barry, they were able to snatch a score at the death but once again D10 had impressed the coaches (home and away) and showed a lot of determination.

Seren y Gem was earned by Gruff Daf and Ifan for some strong contact work throughout but eye-catching performances came from many. Louis was fearless in the face of players twice his size, Daniel combined his ability to beat a man with strong tackles and Henry’s backdoor pop-pass deserved a try.

As we lined up for the first game, looking uphill at a physically bigger team, I had my doubts but what we may lack in size we make up for in many ways, skill and effort are key but our real secret? smaller bodies, bigger hearts.

Ymlaen Clwb!