Badgers made to work hard for their victory LLANHARAN RFC
DIVISION 2 EAST CENTRAL
AS John F Kennedy once said: “Victory has a thousand fathers, defeat is an orphan”!
The doom and gloom that surrounded “Badgerland”, following the home defeat by Aberdare the previous week, was quickly dispersed following this hard-earned victory over a tough Barry side. The Badgers were boosted by the return of Gavin Pascoe, Luke Rose and Dan McTaggert to their back division and Simon Pilkington and captain Jack Theaker to the pack. Pontyclun started well and took an early lead via the boot of Nicky Theaker with a well struck penalty before Barry levelled matters with a kick from Kyle Barros on 25 minutes. The visitors then took control of matters for virtually the remainder of the opening half and their persistent pressure was rewarded with a penalty try after 30 minutes and Barros slotted a simple conversion to make it 3-10.
On a rare incursion into Barry territory, Theaker reduced the deficit to 6-10 from the tee and Ponty were relieved to hear the half-time whistle, trailing by a narrow margin.
Coaches Lewis and Dobbs must have slipped something into the halftime refreshments as it was a transformed home team that took to the field following the break. They were at it from the off and after Theaker struck a post from a penalty, he converted his next attempt to bring the Badgers within a point, from a penalty award, which saw Barry’s Ashley Adams sin-binned for deliberately preventing a possible score. Just as Adams returned to the fold, Pontyclun took the lead following sustained pressure close to the Barry line and it was scum half Nicky Theaker who blazed his way over and he himself stretched the lead further, via the conversion.
Pontyclun introduced Jordan Christopher in place of Ryan Williams and Mathew Bartlett was forced to leave the field with a recurrence of a shoulder injury. Barry then received their second yellow card when Alun Evans was asked to take a 10-minute break and Pontyclun took full advantage of the extra man when skipper Jack Theaker muscled his way over the whitewash from close range. Nicky Theaker was unlucky to see the conversion strike the bar but the lead was now 21-10 with 10 minutes remaining. Barry now required two tries with at least one converted to steal victory, but they made it a very uncomfortable finish for Pontyclun when they were awarded their second penalty try with five minutes of normal time remaining. Ponty’s Gavin Ashcroft was yellow-carded for the offence and immediately Ponty brought on former captain Lloyd Rose to add some experience in order to see out the last few minutes. The visitors battered away at the Ponty line and the referee added 10 extra minutes of overtime, despite there being no apparent stoppages during normal time. The victory looked to have been won when Pontyclun turned over Barry possession with the referee having declared it the “last play” but Barry were awarded a penalty when skipper Theaker appeared to deliberately throw the ball into touch, resulting in a Barry penalty. A kick was not enough and they went for touch. To the relief of the home players and supporters alike, possession was once again turned over and this time the ball was booted out of play and the referee brought a finish to a pulsating match, which thoroughly entertained those watching.
The atmosphere in the clubhouse following the game was a polarised one to that which was prevalent a week before and there was talk by some of a “promotion battle” ahead instead of a “relegation dog-fight”!
In reality, this was just what the players, coaches and supporters needed as there are tough times looming on the horizon. Away games against fellow strugglers Abercynon (January 21) and Clwb Rygbi Caerdydd (January 28) give the team a fantastic opportunity to capitalise on a great performance.
125 ANNIVERSARY DINNER
THE next major event in Llanharan RFC’s 125-year celebrations will be on Saturday, January 28.
A grand black tie dinner dance will take place at the clubhouse (7pm).
Chairman Wayne Merry said: “This is a huge event for this great club and tickets are going well – anyone who hasn’t got one should do so without delay.”
Coal-laden trams from the Meiros mine trundled across the wooden viaduct on the Square, at the opposite end local farmers queued at the blacksmith’s to have their horses shod, school was only compulsory for five to 10-year-olds (who had to pay), the first motor car had just been invented, migrants from the West Country were arriving daily as local industry grew – this was the background against which a group of men decided to start organised rugby in the village, and Llanharan RFC was born.
The year was 1891, though there is evidence of the game being played here before that date.
It has been a century and a quarter of many ups and downs, but overall a success story that has made us a respected force in the game.
The pinnacle was arguably the rise to the Premiership in 2004/05 after seeing off the Maesteg challenge for the First Division championship. Plucky they were, but, sadly, a small squad could not match the power of the game’s big boys and it was just a one-year tenure.
But perhaps the greatest era was the one which saw local success crowned by advent to the first national league in 1990. Formerly Llanharan had established a deserved reputation as great cup fighters, running the leading clubs of the time such as Pontypool, Cardiff and Pontypridd close, and losing once to Pontypridd on a penalty shoot-out. They claimed the scalps of Glamorgan Wanderers, Tredegar, Penarth and Abertillery, who were then all part of the so called “first class” elite of Welsh rugby. Twice quarter-finals were reached, losing gallantly to Aberavon (1988) and Cardiff (1989), a remarkable achievement for a village club. It was a great period, which saw the club earn the Whitbread and Rugby World Junior Club of the Year in 1989 after being runner-up in 1988. It merely reflected sustained success on the domestic front – East District title holders eight times from 1977 to 1989, Usher Cup winners in 1982 and 1983, and Silver Ball finalists in 1977 and 1979.
Ambitions were matched off the field too. Current facilities are in stark contrast to bygone years where once players changed above the High Corner stables (on the pub’s current car park) and washed in hot water transported from the milk factory in churns on a trolley kindly made available by the railway station master.
Major milestones along the way have been WRU membership 1919, changing rooms on the Welfare 1948, first clubhouse 1962, move to and development of the Dairyfield 1990, taking over the defunct Legion club for current clubhouse in 2002.
Llanharan has been a launching ground for several who have gone on to earn international honours – Glyn Llewellyn (1990), Gareth Llewellyn (1989), Richard Donovan (1983), Garfield Owen (1955) and Danny Pascoe (1923). It is of note too that Fatika Mollitika (Tonga 2004/05) and James Morris (Malta 2013/14) were capped while playing for the club. Many age group caps were also produced.
It has been a happy club with an indomitable spirit, though many still remember the awful days following the Llandow air disaster in 1950 in which eight members perished, only Mel Thomas surviving.
However, by and large vibrancy has been the key word, with players from six years upwards enjoying rugby in our many teams, and they have even boasted their very own RFC Songsters who entertained far and wide for over four decades.