The wisdom of Llandovery College playing in the top division of the Welsh Colleges Elite League has been seriously questioned in the light of their latest results writes Huw S Thomas.

The Lilywhites went down to the heaviest defeat in their long rugby history when they were overran 74-8 by Coleg Y Cymoedd and then lost 46-6 to Cowbridge CS.

The margin of two defeats – both at home on Tredegar Close - against bigger, stronger, quicker and more skilful players has provoked the expected controversy.

Earlier this season, Llandovery had qualified for the Welsh Colleges top tier only through beating a poor Pembs Schools side but on reflection they might well have opted out of the top league given their relative weakness this year.

Coleg Y Cymoedd’s domination of the contact area and their speed, slickness and directness proved all too much for the outclassed Lilywhites.

Coleg Y Cymoedd have the choice of a vast number of players amongst the 20,000 sixth form students spread over five campuses in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Caerphilly and are startlingly well coached by ex-Pontypridd scrum half Clive Jones.

A small independent school like Llandovery with no more than 40 boys to choose a senior XV from has survived in the past by the introduction of sixth form sports scholars.

This year there are many fewer rugby scholars to bolster the ranks, a situation not helped by the loss to Hartpury College of last year’s star 17 year old international scrum half Harry Randall.

Opinion is sharply divided between continuing in the Welsh Colleges Elite structure with all its risks of morale sapping heavy defeats or going back to a more traditional all schools fixture list as pursued in Wales’s other top rugby playing public schools Christ College, Rydal-Penrhos and Monmouth School.

On the evidence of the last two games when the side leaked 17 tries and could only score two, the latter option may well be the wiser one to adopt.

Llandovery’s one score against Cymoedd was an interception try by centre Corey Baldwin, converted by fly half Ewan Starling and Baldwin was again the sole try scorer in the defeat at home to Cowbridge.