Rochdale Tag Festival Roundup

There was a strong Welsh presence once again this year at the prestigious Rochdale Swarm International Mixed Tag Rugby League Festival, with the two top sides in Wales – The Celtic Barbarians and the Bridgend Blue Heifers both sending strong sides on the 450 mile round trip.

There was great camaraderie between the two sides on the first evening as they put aside their traditional rivalry to form the core of a Welsh select side to take part in an international tournament. They can be proud of their efforts as they reached the final and managed an excellent 3-3 draw against the favourites England.

The main tournament itself adopted the traditional format used in competitions such as Rugby Sevens, where finishing positions in the group phase dictated which of the knock-out competitions the teams entered.

The Heifers won two of their three league games, with their only loss coming at the hands of eventual overall winners Notting Hill. This meant the Heifers went into the second tier Plate Competition which was one step up from the third tier Bowl which they won last year in an all-welsh final against the Barbarians.

In contrast, the Barbarians were drawn in “The Group of Death” and lost all three games, placing them in the fourth tier Shield Competition.

In the knock-out phase the Heifers were unfortunate to be drawn against local side Littleborough Lightning, a “bogey side” for the Heifers as they had lost to them the year before. Littleborough repeated their performance of 12 months ago and the Heifers were knocked out of the second tier Plate at the semi-final stage.

This left the Barbarians as the last Welsh side standing, and after a tough semi-final win they found themselves in the final of the Shield competition, but with injuries has piling up and they were struggling to continue. Enter the Heifers, a number of Heifers answered the call of their Barbarian brothers and donned to Pink and Black shirts to help their old rivals over the finish line to be crowned Shield Champions 2011.

Published on the Official Wales Rugby League Website - 1st June 2011

UWIC cap fine season with awards

UWIC Coach
Paul Horrocks

It has been a fantastic season for Rugby League at the University of Wales Institute Cardiff! Coach Paul Horrocks and his team had the BUCS Wales & West title "in the bag" soon after the Christmas break, and then went on to gain promotion to the Premier South with an excellent playoff victory over Nottingham Trent.

Not content with these achievements alone, the team pushed on! 8 players were on duty at the Student Home Nations, with Simon Wright, Jon Trickey, Callum Wilkinson, Scott Amber, Paul Horrocks, Carwyn Richards, and Josh Davies representing Wales, and Tom McGarr representing Ireland.

Also, Dominic Pullen has been selected to appear for Scotland "A" this summer, and Andrew Hoggins has been selected in the senior German squad.

The season was rounded off in style with an excellent showing at the annual UWIC Sports awards where the team won "Most Improved Team" and Coach Paul Horrocks won "Best Student Administrator / Organiser"

Horrocks remarked "These awards show the University is taking an interest in the growth of Rugby League, this is a big acknowledgement of our achievements, hopefully we will be pushing for even more prestigious awards such as overall team of the year next year."

7 Student Internationals from UWIC

Season Preview: 2011 Co-operative Welsh Conference Premier

Bulls vs Cougars 2010
© PaulHartPhotography.co.uk

Five-time winners The Bridgend Blue Bulls will once again start the season as the recognised favourites. They go into the season on the back of a very narrow loss to the Valley Cougars in last year's Grand Final. The Cougars and Bulls dominated the league last season, and with the Cougars First team now moving up to the Conference National it is hoped that a new challenger will “front up” to the expected Blue Bulls dominance.

Blue Bulls Chairman Simon Green says “We were disappointed that we were missing several key players for last years' final and narrowly missed out on the title. We have retained the services of almost all the players who played last summer and have recruited a number of new guys during the closed season. We again have a great mix of youth and experience, with a 25 year age span from Huw Rosser, who starred for us as a 17 year old last season to evergreen legend Tevita Manaseitava who refuses to retire until we are crowned Welsh Champions for a sixth time.”

There will be questions over the strength in depth of the Valley Cougars this season, and whether their new second-string “A” side will be competitive in the Welsh Conference when the majority of the club's better players will be turning out in the Conference National instead. New Valley Cougars Media Officer Karl Jones remarks “We hope that the “A” team can be competitive as it will benefit on two fronts; the team aiming for a place in the Grand Final and the opportunity to retain the title, whilst players in that team will hopefully push our first 13 for places.”

The two teams most likely to challenge the Bulls/Cougars dominance are the Gwent based Tigers and Titans. Torfaen Tigers Coach Rob Davies had said “There is a real Buzz around Torfaen about the Tigers Club in 2011. Our young squad (average age 23) gained valuable experience last year in the Championship and showed glimpses of what it was capable off, and we have now recruited heavily in the off season from both codes”. Meanwhile Earl Palmer Coach at the Titans has said “With the Titans finding a new permanent home at Machen RFC, the future is looking very bright for the team, I have high hopes this season and expect us to be a lot stronger than in years past.”

Elsewhere the CPC Bears have lead the way in their Youth development structure, but the senior team failed to impress last season, and will need to improve this summer. Chairman Geraint Jones said “The CPC Bears are looking forward to the start of their second season, with a number of new players and others returning to the sport we will be looking to make steady progress over the summer, and will give a warm welcome to all teams when visiting West Wales.”

Finally, the “Dark Horses” could be the Cardiff Demons. They have always been competitive since the start of the league, but are playing down their chances this season. According to Coach Idris Evans “2011 looks set to be one of the most challenging ever for the Demons in what looks to be a rebuilding year. Several key experienced players retiring last year has left huge holes that will be filled by young blood.”

The 2011 season starts on May 14^th and looks set to be a great competition. Fixture information and match reports are available from http://www.walesrugbyleague.co.uk/

Swansea University last team standing.

Swansea's Steffan Jon Walters
© PaulHartPhotography

Despite the dominance of UWIC in the league phase of the BUCS Wales & West League, it was Swansea who lasted the longest in the knockout competitions that followed.

UWIC’s reward for being the runaway winners of the league phase was a place in the BUCS Trophy competition alongside teams from the higher Premier and Super 8 leagues. Swansea, Glamorgan, and Aberystwyth went into the 3rd tier BUCS Shield.

Glamorgan and Aberystwyth’s appearances in the knockout phase were to be short-lived. Both teams fell to their heaviest defeats of the season at the initial “Last 32” stage. Glamorgan were given an 86-6 thumping at the hands of Oxford University who were undefeated in their last 3 games, and Aberystwyth made it 8 games without a win when they lost 48-22 at home to Chester. Swansea however managed an excellent 28-8 victory at home to Premier South strugglers Birmingham. UWIC had no game this first week as there were just 16 teams in the Trophy Competition.

Swansea progressed to the second week of competition full of confidence after “claiming the scalp” of their higher ranked opponents in the previous round. Here they were drawn against the University of Warwick, a team from the Midlands Division with a similar playing record to themselves. With home advantage and on the back of four wins Swansea fancied their chances, but nobody expected the emphatic manner of their victory. They destroyed Warwick 56-6 to set-up a Quarter Final trip to Oxford Brookes a team who’d had two very close games with Warwick earlier in the season, with a narrow win at home and narrow loss away.

It was during this second week of competition that UWIC were due to enter the fray and continue their excellent season. They had been drawn away to Northampton University, a team ranked higher than them in the current league structure, but of whom they had managed to get the better of in their meetings over recent years. Northampton’s form in the Premier South had been “patchy” at best, they had managed four victories, but also suffered several defeats including a 78-0 whitewash at Exeter University. UWIC were confident of going to Northampton and getting a result, their form this season had been outstanding and player moral and numbers were extremely high. However, after Northampton were unable to fulfil the fixture on two occasions, UWIC were not awarded the “walkover” but were instead forced out of the competition via the “toss of a coin”. Hardly a fitting end to what had promised to be a very fruitful season.

This left Swansea University as the sole flag bearer for Welsh Rugby League going into the Quarter Final stage, and although they lost a very close match away to Oxford Brookes by 18 points to 10, they can be very proud of their efforts in being the last Welsh University side left standing in the knockout competitions.

Swansea University Club Captain Deri Galvin has remarked "Rugby League in Swansea has reached new heights this season, our cup run has contributed to that and there is a great feeling in the camp despite our eventual loss. I'd like to congratulate the boys on becoming the most successful Rugby League side the University has seen to date. With most of the squad staying on next season things are looking promising, just a shame we couldn't carry the banner further for wales in the knockouts!"

Next up for the best of the student players are the Home Nations Internationals which will be held in Glasgow between the 18^th and 22^nd of April, and then many of the students that stay in South Wales over the summer will be encouraged to participate in the 2011 Welsh Conference which begins with the annual Scott McRorie 9s in mid-may.

Swansea University Rugby League 2010/2011
(Photograph by Andrew Grahame)

Published in full on the Official Wales Rugby League website 07/03/11

Tylon Targets World Cup

Popular Bridgend Rugby League player Tylon Mafi has recently signed for the South Wales Scorpions and is already setting his sights on playing at the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

Tylon is in a fortunate position that very few players find themselves in, he is eligible to play for 2 different countries, in his case that’s Tonga and Wales.

He has already represented Tonga at Under 24 level in the union game, and has played league for the amateur side the Wales Dragonhearts. Neither of these appearances have bound him to either country, so his options are very much open on the lead-up to the 2013 World Cup in Wales/England.

Tylon himself has said “I would be very proud to play at the World Cup for either Wales or Tonga, my initial priority is to establish myself in the South Wales Scorpions side in what could be the most important season of my career to date”

Wales have shown in recent games that they are willing to pick players from outside the top-tier “Superleague” as Tylon’s former Bridgend Blue Bulls teammate Christiaan Roets can testify, “Roetsey” has been an ever-present in the Wales team for the last few seasons, he is the 457^th player to put on the famous red jersey and has already picked up 6 caps. Christiaan has said “I enjoyed playing with Tylon at the Bridgend Blue Bulls, and it would be great to team up with him again for Wales”.

Tylon’s other option is to play for Tonga and follow in the footsteps of his Uncle Mateaki Mafi, who after representing Tonga in the 200m at the ’92 Olympics, was selected for the ’95 Rugby League World Cup, and later became a teammate of current Wales coach Iestyn Harris at Warrington.

If things had panned out differently Tylon could already be an experienced International player. He was a hot prospect when he played for the Celtic Crusaders in their very first game in 2006, but injury sadly halted his progress at that point. However Tylon refused to let that stop him playing the game he loved, and spent 4 Seasons at the heart of the Bridgend Blue Bulls and at various union clubs.

He is now getting a 2^nd chance at the “big time” and everyone at the Bulls wishes him well. Chairman Simon Green says, "Tylon Mafi has been a big part of the Bridgend Blue Bulls team since he made his debut against Aberavon Fighting Irish in 2006 and has played every season since, he has played wing, centre and everywhere in the forwards. He has always been one of our most committed players, a strong runner and good tackler. He plays with pride and passion and it was great to see him selected for the Dragonhearts last year. With the World Cup looming he could now play for Wales or Tonga, whichever he chooses we wish him well and hope he has a very successful career"

Tylon Mafi with Wales Dragonhearts Cap at Bridgend RFC

Adapted for the Official South Wales Scorpions website 28/02/11,
and then published in the South Wales Evening Post on 01/03/11
and the South Wales Echo on 02/03/11.

99 DAYS TO GO - Why I love Summer Rugby League in the Welsh Conference.

It takes a special type of player who, after Eight months of punishing his body and mind with the rigours of playing Rugby Union, decides to spend his summer playing Rugby League!

But that's exactly what over 100 players throughout South Wales intend to do this summer! When the Union season is over, and their teammates are looking for the nearest bar or cheap holiday, this "band of brothers" is looking to "Switch Codes" in order to keep playing the sport they love.

In many cases these are not Union players looking for something to do to keep fit over the summer, but rather born and bred Welshmen who love Rugby League and are desperate for Summer to arrive so they can play the game they love.

The atmosphere in the Welsh Summer Conference is very special indeed, and it's the players that make it that way. There is such a rich mix of all different types of players, who despite their varying standings in the Union game share a deep mutual respect for each other when it comes to Rugby League. Former professional Rugby Union players will think nothing of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with players from the local Youth side, and every "lad" will be given a fair go.



Local Legend Tevita Manaseitava (43) looks on as Huw Rosser (17) makes his League debut.

 There is a real "barbarians" feel to the teams as players from different local Union sides put aside their differences, and spend the summer in the sun playing the game they love.

And for some this becomes an "endless summer" as success in the Summer Conference is already leading to greater things for some players as they progress on through the WRL development pathway to the Valley Cougars, South Wales Scorpions, and ultimately the Crusaders in the Super League.

Jamie Murphy who has risen from the Welsh Conference to the Superleague in just two seasons

There are currently Summer Rugby League sides all over South Wales, from the CPC Bears based in Carmarthen in the West to the Titans based in Newport in the East. Visit http://www.walesrugbyleague.co.uk/ for details of how you can get involved.

Undefeated UWIC crowned Champions!

The University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC) have long been known for the success of their Rugby Union side, but this season it’s the Rugby League side who are making a name for themselves. They have just returned from a trip “over the border” where they destroyed Gloucester University 2nds by 40 points to nil. This scoreline is made all the greater as Gloucester are 2^nd in UWIC’s League - BUCS Wales & West - and are seen as their nearest rivals, this result therefore serves as an indication of just how dominant UWIC have been this season.

Scott Newton scored twice in win at Gloucester.

Their record is 8 wins from 8 games with an average winning margin of 37 points. In total the season has 10 games, they play a re-arranged game at Swansea this Wednesday (Feb 2^nd) and also hope that Aberystwyth can rouse 13 lads brave enough to make the trip south so that UWIC can claim their “Perfect 10” for the season.

Speaking after the win in Gloucester, Head Coach Paul Horrocks said “I am really happy with the win, and to zero the opposition, we didn’t play the best rugby after 2 months without a game, but we were dogged and fought hard. We’ve still got a long way to go with Swansea next week and the knockouts thereafter, but this is a good start to the second term!”

Once the league phase of the competition is wrapped up the knockout phase begins, all 4 Welsh University sides will feature in the knockout phase of the competition. UWIC will enter the BUCS Trophy where they will be up against teams from the Premier North and Premier South as well as the teams finishing 5^th to 8^th in the new Super 8 League. Swansea have achieved a place in the BUCS shield, and Aberystwyth and Glamorgan hope to join them there, or else take up a place in the lesser SRL Plate.

A good performance against Premier Division opposition will further strengthen UWIC’s case for promotion to the Premier South, which will then give them the opportunity to enter a 2nds team in the Wales and West League. It goes a long way to show how the sport is developing in Wales that UWIC have enough players to field 2 strong teams, and shows the growing enthusiasm for the game at grass roots level. There are a lot of talented players at University level in Wales, and many hope to be included in the Wales Student Squad that is due to be announced in the coming weeks.

Much emphasis recently has been placed on the excellent new “Development Pathway” from the Valley Cougars to the South Wales Scorprions and then onto the Crusaders, and there has quite rightly been a lot of effort put into the “top end” of the game in Wales which should be applauded. But grassroots is the key to sustainable success. Many of the stars of the future won’t start off at the Cougars or Scorpions but rather in the Universities and Welsh Conference, investment and effort needs to be put into all levels of the game in order to achieve long term sustained success, and provide a conveyor belt of quality home-grown Welsh talent.

Published on the Offical Wales Rugby League website 27/01/11