46 Players join relaunched Blue Bulls.

The County Borough of Bridgend covers an area that is approximately 13 miles wide and extends a similar distance inland. In 2013 the Borough was an exclusively Rugby Union territory with 20 Senior clubs packed into it's borders.

Now in the Spring of 2014 with the South Wales Scorpions moving to Maesteg and the Bridgend  Blue Bulls relaunching in Pyle, we can at least say that even-though we are still very much in a minority, we are at least on the scoreboard, albeit 20-2 behind.

Currently there are actually more Senior Rugby Union Clubs in Bridgend County than there are Senior Rugby League Clubs in the whole of Wales. Against these kind of figures, do will give up or do we grow? I for one say we grow!

The very fact there are so many Rugby Union Clubs in the County should be seen as a positive thing, as having 20 active senior clubs with many running two sides there is something in the region of 600 players actively playing Rugby Union in the borough, therefore should it really be a surprise that within a few days of relaunching the club 46 of them have agreed to join the Blue Bulls in the Rugby Union off-season?

It is a testament to the growth of Rugby League in the County that for many players the long period of September to April when they are forced to return to Rugby Union is seen to them as the "off season" as they long to return to the code when endless collapsed scrums and aerial ping-pong are nowhere to be seen.

Out of the 46 players now on the books of the Bulls, 30 have played for the Club before, meaning 16 are new to the club, some of whom will be playing League for the very first time.

Although "The Invisibles" side that won the first five Welsh Titles and fielded famous names such as Bateman, Devereux and Ellis is now only a fading memory, regular fans will still recognise plenty of familiar faces from our 2011 title-winning side amongst the 30 who have re-signed, with popular players such as Craig Fox, Gareth Howells, and Nathan Trowbridge turning out once again.

In Cross Keys winger Nathan Trowbridge we have arguably the best player in the League as demonstrated in 2011 when he scored five tries in the Grand Final and followed it up a week later with three for Wales Dragonhearts against England Lionhearts.

Amongst the first 16 new signings are two players at opposite ends of their careers. As one of a number of former age-grade Internationals at the Club, young hooker Xavier Manaseitva will be looking to make a big impression in his first season of senior rugby league and seek to emulate the success of his Father - club legend Tevita Manaseitava. Conversely at the age of 39, former Wales International Paul Morgan has joined the Club and will be looking to "roll back the years" and show some of the skills that once made him a Celtic Crusaders regular.

The possible icing on this already substantial cake is the possibility of the club fielding Wales Sevens player Efan Ellis at half-back. Efan is much in demand on the summer 7s circuit, but it is testament to the good standing of our club that he has shown a desire to play for us if the timing of fixtures allows.

Our squad is by no means full, we are still recruiting as many players as possible due to fluctuating player availability through the summer meaning a large squad is essential in this competition.

Please get in contact with us via Facebook, Twitter, and www.BlueBulls.co.uk if you fancy playing rugby league for Wales' most successful Community Club this summer.

USW look to go out in a blaze of glory!

USW have reached their third consecutive BUCS Final and a win would undoubtably be one of their greatest ever achievements.

At the start of the season I boldly predicted that they were destined for a league and cup double, and despite a minor slip-up against Exeter, that was still very much on the cards as they swept away all before them.

However, around a month ago it looked like their great success had come to a shuddering halt. New South Wales Scorpions Coach Mike Grady had seen many of the players on Wales Student duty and at the Scorpions trials and promptly signed up several of the top players in the side for his new-look all-welsh side.

While this was a great pat on the back for the work of Coaches Steve Parry and Harrison Elliot, it left the USW Students' season in limbo as Grady decided that with a small and close-knit squad at the Scorpions this season he couldn't afford to be without players due to injuries picked up playing University Rugby League.

Without their Scorpions the USW management found they didn't have sufficient players left in their squad to be competitive and reluctantly took the decision to withdraw from the league.

But all was not lost, Grady recognised that being on the verge of a semi-final match was a great achievement for the side and something of significance for Rugby League in South Wales, he generously allowed the players to return for the remainder of the cup run.

The semi-final was a tight affair away to Nottingham, from which the USW Sharks came away with a 23-22 win to take them to their third consecutive final, a tie with Leeds Met 2nds.

Unsurprisingly to anyone with knowledge of Rugby League, Leeds Met are one of the top sides in the country, so much so that their 2nd side could comfortably beat most of the student sides in the BUCS leagues.

For many of the USW squad this will be their final match of rugby league at this level, they will be giving everything they have as they look to go out in a blaze of glory! 

The Challenge Cup - Welsh Adventures.

The date is February 1st 2014 and one of the most famous rugby tournaments in the world is about to get underway.

The famous rugby league challenge cup sits upon its freshly erected plinth as the teams file out of the changing rooms, but this isn't a club such as Leeds, Hull, or Wigan in rugby league's northern heartlands, this is Chiswick on the banks of the River Thames in London.

The hosts are South West London Chargers and the visitors Torfaen Tigers in a first round tie that pitches the best amateur side in London against the best amateur side in Wales. There is barely a Northern accent to be heard during the warmups as shouts of "oh butt" and "yes Dai" from the Welsh camp intertwine with the more exotic Australian accents from many of the London Players. 

Such is the importance of the tie to the RFL as they seek to expand "The greatest game on earth" to all parts of the UK, that as well as the famous old trophy they have also sent a Media Team to cover the match. The Media guys are very friendly and open as I spend much of the buildup to the match chatting with them and Chargers Chairman Cameron Paul.

The cameraman's car is full of all kinds of goodies that catch the eye of Cameron and myself as we revel in the buzz of the big day, and while the expensive camera equipment is very impressive, it's the two Official Tetley's Challenge Cup branded match balls that we are both instantly drawn to! I'm sure at a higher level of the game few people would bat an eyelid at something so basic and simple as a ball, but for us they are something special, they make us feel part of something bigger and symbolise that we have stepped up a level from our regular "any ball will do" matches. The Media guys see our excitement and the their credit agree to look the other way at the end of the match so we could each keep one as a precious souvenir.

A buzz is in the air as the kick-off approaches, the fans have filed past the famous old trophy and their Camera Phones have been passed around as they each seek to be the envy of friends and family with a new Facebook profile picture. 

Now it's down to business. I set myself up behind the posts that Torfaen are attacking and much like an Emperor at a Roman Colosseum I sit back to observe and cast a critical over the battle played out before me, knowing full well I myself would be struck down in the opening moments of such a brutal conflict.

I see little of my 13 Champions in the first half as they bravely stage a backs-to-the-wall defensive effort on their own line for what feels like forever. I contemplate moving camp to the other end of the field, but the prospect of missing a possible length-of-the-field breakaway try by my favourite player Tylon Mafi causes me to stay put and hope for the best.

For all the London side's pressure in the first half, the one thing that shines though is that neither team has played for five months and rustiness is all too evident in basic handling errors from both sides. The Tigers' defensive effort meant they were just 4-0 down and could push on for the win if they could get some good play going in the second half.

Alas the second half went much the way of the first and it was safe to say that this my 213th match would not be a classic. The Chargers scored a converted try and penalty edging the score to 12-0 before the Tigers walked in a simple try in the final minute, by which time the result was decided and the Chargers celebrated knowing the conversion would be the last kick of the game and they were safely in the hat for round two.

Ultimately this was a great occasion for the sport in non-heartland areas if not a great game. The Chargers progress to the next round with my best wishes, while the Tigers are left to reflect on what might have been.

The Tigers will be attempting to qualify for next year's competition by defending their Welsh Premier Title in a highly competitive league this summer starting with the annual Scott McRorie 9s on May 11th. Check in with www.WalesRugbyLeague.co.uk for all the latest information.

Paul Hart has been a Photographer and Media Officer at the grass roots of Welsh Rugby League for six years. Over 300 of his best photographs are featured in his excellent hardback book "The Heart and The Art of my Rugby Photography" which is available for just £10 at www.PaulHartPhotography.co.uk as well as via Amazon and eBay plus at Celtic Cameras in Bridgend Market.

Published in the March 2014 Edition of the Official South Wales Rugby League Magazine.

 

KELLY'S THE HERO AS USW PROGRESS TO BUCS SEMI-FINAL

The University of South Wales continued to show why they are considered to be the top student side in Wales with a 14-10 victory over Bath in the Quarter-Final of the BUCS Trophy.

Bath would have been buoyed by their previous visit to USW when they finished the stronger side and could well have caused an upset if that match was 85 minutes long rather than 80. USW held on for a 24-20 win on that occasion.

USW have averaged 32 points per match in BUCS League 1A West this season, but it was clear from the outset that this would be a much tighter affair.

In a tight first half there was little to separate the sides with USW having the edge in the physical battle in the middle, and Bath looking more dangerous out wide.

A single converted try to each side tied the scores at 6-6 at half-time, and USW had to face the next 40 minutes without powerful Scorpions forward Osian Phillips who left the field during the first half with a painful looking hand injury.

With time ticking on it was a case of "Cometh the hour, cometh the man" as half-back James Kelly first kicked a penalty and then chipped ahead to score a classy try. He then converted his own try to make the score 14-6 and take his personal tally to 10.

Bath struck back with a try of their own to make the score 14-10 and set up a tight finish.

USW seemed incapable or unwilling to simply see the game out with safety sets and continued to try unnecessary offloads in search of further points. 

In the final few minutes USW Captain Harrison Elliott felt he had pushed his way over for a nerve-settling try, but the tiring referee was not in a position to award the try.

To their relief the final whistle came preventing a Bath comeback and USW progress to the Semi-Final to play Nottingham University.