MID DISTRICT RUGBY UNION 2017/18
SEASON PREVIEW
THE new season is getting very close and clubs in the Mid District have been busy with pre-season training and undertaking lots of work in the background as they prepare for what should be another exciting and successful season, writes Jamie Willis.
Below is a preview of the teams from the MDRU in their leagues for the new season.
PRINCIPALITY PREMIERSHIP
THE Premiership has been split this season into two zones with an East and West Division. Each league consists of eight teams. After they have played each other home and away they will take their points into a combined league of both zones where they again play clubs on a home and away basis.
Champions Merthyr will begin their title defence in the East Zone where they will take on fellow Mid District clubs Bargoed and Pontypridd.
The Ironmen have brought in Nigel Davies as chief executive and he has Dale Macintosh as head coach this season with Lee Jarvis working as his assistant. They have again recruited well during the summer and will be among the favourites to take the crown again.
They have a tricky opening period with a home fixture against Cross Keys to manoeuvre on match day one before a trip to the Arms Park seven days later.
Pontypridd will have been disappointed by their high standards on how the season ended last term and will be hoping to improve on that when they open their campaign at home to Bedwas on August 26. The Valley Commandos are now under the guidance of former Cardiff Blues, London Welsh and Rotherham head coach Justin Burnell and he will be keen to make an impact with a young Ponty outfit. Burnell has brought a lot of local talent into his squad and has also recruited quality established Premiership players like outside half Diggy Bird from Llanelli.
Bargoed had a tough first year in the Premiership but proved that they are more than capable of beating anyone on their day particularly on their Bargoed Park ground. They have added to their squad this season with former Ebbw Vale pivot Iain Smerdon, Nelson duo John Armitage and Geraint Clarke, Pontypool lock Matthew Thomas, centre Jordon Howells from Newbridge, Oakdale’s Chris Davies, Aberbargoed wing Liam Matthews, Dragons Academy full back Matthew Lewis and Cross Keys No 8 Ieuan Jones all putting pen to paper.
They will be far more prepared this term after their first year of experience in the top tier and will be going all out to start the new season with a win at home to Ebbw Vale on the opening weekend.
The big derby dates to look out for in the first part of the Premiership are: September 16 – Pontypridd v Merthyr, September 23 – Bargoed v Pontypridd, October 7 – Bargoed v Merthyr, November 18 – Merthyr v Pontypridd, November 25 – Pontypridd v Bargoed and December 23 – Merthyr v Bargoed.
WRU NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
WITH Rhydyfelin being promoted to the Championship for the first time there will be three Mid District clubs competing in the league directly under the Premiership.
The Pontypridd club will be joining Beddau and Bedlinog in a tough looking division.
Rhydyfelin had a season to remember in 2016/17 winning both the Division One East title with just one defeat and going on to win the prestigious Glamorgan County Silver Ball. They played an exciting brand of rugby and will be a great addition to this league. They couldn’t have been given a tougher start in the higher division though as champions Pontypool will be waiting for them at Pontypool Park on the opening day of the season (September 2).
Beddau, despite a tough start to last season, finished in an excellent fourth place. They put together some fine wins and will be looking to further improve this season under the guidance of former Bristol hooker Ross Johnston and the returning Tom Slater who was with Cardiff last season. They open their campaign against a decent Glynneath outfit.
Bedlinog will be another club hoping that a years’ experience in a higher league will help them in the new season. The Foxes started last season in fine fashion and spent the first half of the season in the top six. A huge list of injuries and unavailabilities cost them dear in the second part of the season as they went on a long losing run before finally getting a couple of hard fought wins to deservedly consolidate their position in this league. They are always a tough cookie to crack at their Recreation Ground where they start their league fixtures against newly promoted Trebanos.
DIVISION ONE EAST
THERE are five Mid District clubs competing in this league this season, with all clubs having enough talent and experience to push for the title.
Penallta finished runners-up in this division last season and were also crowned WRU National Plate and Mid District Cup champions in a fantastic season. They will be certainly in the mix for the title and a push for a place in the Championship that they have just missed out on in recent seasons. With Matthew Tucker stepping down as senior coach at the end of last term, the experienced Steve Richards and Greg Haines have been left with the task of plotting what could be another good year for the club. They will certainly miss skipper Ross Morgan and Lloyd Rowlands though who have both departed for Pontypridd but with a good young squad there will be no lack of enthusiasm from players to slot into their jerseys. The Pitmen will be on the road for their opening game on September 3 with Risca their hosts.
Nelson will be certainly breathing down on their near neighbours though and be hoping that they will be able to build on a very good 2016/17 season. The Unicorns finished in third place and lost just three league fixtures all season. The club has a very good coaching team for the new season lead by director of rugby Jon Coombes. Former Wales international Andrew Coombes, Scarlets scrum half Jonathan Evans, former Pontypridd full back Matthew Back and ex-Bargoed No 8 Ross Coombes are all part of an exciting back room team. They will kick off the new season with a home tie against newly promoted Pontypool United.
Ynysybwl have showed plenty of promise over the last few seasons and nobody would bet against them finally coming together this season and having a real assault on the title. Several times during the seasons they have topped the table but lost out in the final quarter run-in, but have never been anything apart from a top-four side at the finish.
Christian Hitt will once again head up the coaching at the Rec and will be hoping to get his young squad up and running for their clash with fellow Mid District club Dowlais in the opening weekend.
The Heads of the Valleys outfit really impressed last season in Division One East Central after being promoted from Division Two. They went the opening couple of months unbeaten and really upset clubs with title aspirations. They had a dip of form in mid-season due to a bad injury list but ended their campaign in a good fifth spot with just nine losses. They have been switched across to Division One East this term and are certainly a team to keep your eyes on with their hard graft up front and talented back line.
Brecon have recruited well during the summer months and are another club who have the ingredients to make a push for a place at the top of the table. They have made a headline signing in former British Lion Andy Powell who has joined the coaching team. He will no doubt bring the best out of the Mid Wales club who have also signed experienced outside half Dean Gunter from Premiership champions Merthyr. They will be hoping to start their season with an away victory at Caerleon.
DIVISION ONE EAST CENTRAL
THE new season sees five Mid District clubs compete in this league and they are joined by seven East District clubs to make a hugely competitive fixture list.
Treorchy were crowned league champions last season but were beaten to the place in the Championship by Rhydyfelin in a two-legged play-off.
They will be hoping to go one better this season and gain promotion. They made huge improvements during the season under a coaching team of former Wales second row Ian Evans, former Ospreys star Andrew Bishop and club favourite Kevin Jones. With a strong youth team underpinning the senior squad at the Oval, it looks like the club could have a promising season and fu-
ture.
The Zebras will kick off the defence of their title with a tough home game against Glamorgan Wanderers who were relegated from the Championship on the final day of last season.
Two big dates in the Rhondda rugby calendar in the new season will be November 4 and March 3 as Treorchy will face local rivals Ystrad Rhondda.
Ystrad will be finally hoping to end the jinx of being runners-up in this league for five consecutive seasons. They have just come up short several times and will want to retake the crown of the Rhondda’s leading club back off Treorchy.
Dylan Jones and Tom Heatherington will again coach their hometown club but will be without influential players like Danno Roberts, who has joined Cambrian and No 8 Nathan Hughes who has made the step up with Cross Keys. They have recruited some quality local players during the summer and that will help with those key departures.
Ystrad will kick-off their campaign with a Mid District derby with Mountain Ash at Gelligallad. The Old Firm were one of the most improved sides in the league last season. They escaped relegation in the final games of the 2015/16 season and then shot up the table to finish in fourth at the end of last term.
Former Pontypridd back row man and club favourite Mike Butts is to head up the coaching this term at Parc Dyffryn Pennar and he will be assisted by the experienced Robert Downes. The duo will have a good squad with several players now coming into senior rugby after several good seasons within the youth structure at the club.
Porth Harlequins only avoided relegation on the final game of last season but will look back on some of their performances during the season and ask how they managed to fall into a relegation battle.
With the ever-green Robert Downes still acting as player-coach along with the experienced trio of Dai Owen, James Read and Matthew Hutchings the Rhondda club have a good wealth of knowledge about the game. They will be hoping that their young squad will have learnt their lessons from their first season in Division One and challenge at the top end of the table this term.
Porth will begin their new season with a visit to their coach Owen’s former club Llantrisant. The Black Army are on a march after finishing as runners-up in both Division Two East Central and the Worthington Mid District Bowl last season. They won more games than any other team in that league but lost out on the title due to their smaller bonus point achievement.
Former Pontypridd forward Gavin Groves along with club favourite Mike Jones will take charge for their second season and will aim to consolidate their status and develop their young hardworking squad.
DIVISION TWO WEST CENTRAL
BUILTH Wells will be looking to bounce back up to Division One at the first opportunity after being relegated last season.
The Bulls put together some good performances last season but their inconsistent form saw them drop through the trap door. Nick Hancock left his position as head coach of the club at the season’s end and has been replaced by a young energetic coaching staff who have big ambitions on returning the Mid Wales outfit back up the league.
They start their season with an away date with Pencoed who finished in a good fifth place in the table last season.
DIVISION TWO EAST
TWO Mid District clubs will compete in a strong looking league for the new season and bring together a big derby that has been missing for several seasons.
Senghenydd were relegated after a tough term in Division One East, whilst Caerphilly had a hugely successful season finishing as runners-up in Division Three East A and in the WRU National Bowl.
The Saints will be another club looking to bounce back up a level at the first chance and head coach Rob Andrews will be able to call on his young and talented back room team of Dan Clement, Dewi Smith and Grant Pritchard to help them achieve that goal. There is a lot of young players from the successful youth team starting to flow into the senior set-up which certainly bides well for the Welfare Ground outfit.
Senghenydd kick off their campaign with a home tie against fellow relegated club Nantyglo again on September 2.
The Cheesemen will be keen to get their campaign started and begin where they ended up last season. There is a lot of optimism at the Constuctaquote Stadium these days and they will be hoping to climb further up the leagues and reach the heights of previous years. Former Pontypridd full back Brett Davey will take charge of the coaching for his second season and has the experience of former Doncaster and Cardiff forward Christian Bundy and Pontypridd wingman Matthew Nuttall to guide his troops once again.
Outside half Matthew Hurley had a great season last term and he will be key to what could be another promotion-chasing campaign.
The big derby dates between the clubs are on November 4 and March 3.
DIVISION TWO EAST CENTRAL
THIS division again has a mix of Mid District and East District clubs which will provide some tough and entertaining rugby.
Aberdare had a brilliant first season in Division Two after winning promotion at the end of 2015/16. They finished in a solid fifth place and upsetting the teams that finished above them in the table. They were also crowned Worthington Mid District Bowl champions after a superb victory over Llantrisant at Sardis Road at the end of the season.
The Snakes will be looking to push on from these performances and put together a push for Division One. Club stalwart Luke Thomas will once again coach the young squad and continue to develop some of the Cynon Valley’s talented kids. First up in the league for them is a trip to former merit table club Penarth.
Llantwit Fardre have all the credentials to make an instant return to Division One after being relegated at the end of last season. The Blues put on some spirited performances last season and caused teams no end of problems particularly with their forward play but just could not grind out the results perhaps they deserved.
Steve Goddard stays at the helm for the Central Park outfit and is joined by former Pontypridd scrum half Carl Thomas. They will be hoping to get a win on the opening day of the season against a Barry outfit who will be in the promotion mix.
Gilfach Goch are another club who perhaps when reading the league listings under achieved by their high standards last season. But they certainly can beat anyone on their day particularly at their Welfare Park ground.
Experienced former Wales under-21s prop Ashley Copic and longserving club outside half Gareth Walters will again combine on the coaching side this season and they could turn out to be a surprise package in the push for promotion.
Their first fixture is away in the capital against a good Llanishen outfit.
Abercynon again flirted with relegation at the end of the last season but once more pulled off an escape that must have left them wondering why they hadn’t put those performances together earlier in the season.
They have been busy off the field in the summer months bringing a new coaching structure which is going to be headed up by former Wales under19s, Bridgend and Ebbw Vale coach Gareth Nicholas. Club favourite Sam Campbell will continue as an assistant to Nicholas and captain the club.
Their squad will be tested on the opening day of the season by newly promoted Cambrian Welfare at Y Parc.
Cambrian too have had a summer of change despite winning Division Three and losing just one league fixture all season. They will look forward to the challenge of pushing for two consecutive promotions under new coach Danno Roberts. The former Ystrad Rhondda skipper has a vast amount of experience of Rhondda rugby and will be keen to start his coaching career with a successful stint. He has inherited a very talented squad and has been busy preparing them for their opening game in the Cynon Valley.
Cilfynydd were the only team to defeat Cambrian last year and finished runners-up to them and therefore gained promotion. They played some good rugby last season which was built upon thanks to a hard-working pack of forwards.
Former Wales winger Craig Morgan is head coach with the Bumbles and former Merthyr second row Sam Prosser has taken charge of the impressive forwards.
If the Pontypridd-based club can keep the nucleus of their promotion-winning squad together then they will certainly prove to be a stern test for anyone. CR Cymry Caerdydd are the first club they face this season, on September 2, at the Welfare ground.
DERI will be looking to keep the feelgood factor going at the club after they won promotion to Division Three East B as champions of Division Three East C.
The Rhymney Valley club were outstanding, particularly in the second half of the season and will start the new season with a tricky away fixture with Brynithel.
The Broncos are another club who can win consecutive promotions and they will certainly make a good fist of doing it.
DIVISION THREE EAST CENTRAL A
FIVE Mid District clubs will compete in this league this season and each one of them will aspire to move up another level in the WRU league structure.
Abercwmboi will certainly start the season as one of the favourites after just losing three league fixtures last season and finishing in third place just outside the promotion spots by only four bonus points.
Their talented squad will be hoping to get things off to a flying start when they entertain newly promoted Cefn Coed on the opening Saturday.
The Wolves from the Merthyr Valley were promoted from Division Three East Central B after a fantastic season which saw them just lose two league encounters. They went the first half of the season unbeaten and picked up many plaudits for their performances throughout the season.
They will certainly be a team to watch out for during the season and will cause teams problems particularly on their Black Patch turf.
Penygraig were the champions of Division Three East Central B and their young squad under the guidance of the experienced Meirion Daniels are certainly capable of pushing for more silverware this season.
The club is underpinned by a good youth squad from last season which all sounds good for the future as they look to climb up the ladder and continue to take the good times back to Graig Park.
The Rhondda club start their season with an all-Mid District club tie at Treharris.
The Phoenix boys really impressed last season and pulled off some quality wins. They finished in a good fourth spot with just six defeats all term.
They are another club blessed with a lot of young talent rising through the ranks and are certainly among one of the teams who could be promoted come the end of April.
Their week one clash at Penygraig could be one of the standout games on the opening day of the season.
Gwernyfed had a very difficult time both on and off the field last season. The loss of one of their greatest stalwarts Brian “Titch” Jones back in November really hit the club hard but in typical fashion the Cockerels bounced back from almost certain relegation material to mid-table safety.
Former Wales A forward Chay Billen will again head up the coaching at the Mid Wales outfit and will look to get them ready for the off this term when they play host to relegated Old Illtydians.
DIVISION THREE EAST CENTRAL B
SEVEN Mid District clubs, including five from the Rhondda Valleys, make up what should be a tough yet open league this season.
Treherbert were relegated at the end of last season but nobody would bet against them repeating their successful 2014/15 season when they were crowned champions of this league.
The Devils’ Tynewydd RM Park is always a tough place to visit and coaches Matthew Dyer and Lee Stone will be hoping to ensure that continues this season starting on the opening day when Caerau Ely visit.
Ynysowen also dropped down a league after a tough 2016/17 campaign. The Merthyr-based club have a reputation for being an extremely difficult outfit to break down and will want to show that steel once again this season as they embark on trying to make their stay in this division temporary.
They kick off their new season with an all-Mid District club affair at home to Tylorstown.
The Tigers are amongst the favourites this year after having a good couple of seasons in this league. Their young squad finished last term in a solid fifth spot and they will be keen to kick on further this time around.
September is going to be a busy month for them as they face two consecutive derby fixtures against Wattstown and then Penygraig (WRU Bowl).
Wattstown have had a big pre-season and have been busy recruiting and strengthening their squad. Former Pontypridd back row man Brendon Lyons has re-joined the Valleys club along with Nigel Jones, Ryan Williams and Brendon Ward.
They will start their season with a home fixture against a Cowbridge outfit who lost just six times last season and finished in third spot.
Tonyrefail saw a big turnaround in fortunes last season. After just avoiding relegation at the end of 2015/16 the Valleys club managed to get eight good wins under their belt last term including victories against teams higher up the ladder. Head coach Steve Cook will be looking to build on that this season and will want to get off to a flier on the opening Saturday at Canton.
Ferndale had the best league record of all clubs in the Welsh National leagues last season. The Rhondda club remarkably won all their 15 games with a try bonus point in every game. That record will for sure take some beating and will give them huge confidence as they step up to a higher level this season where they are expected to do well again.
The first test of their remarkable unbeaten league record will be a home tie against Hirwaun who finished as runnersup to them in Division Three East Central C last season.
The Cynon Valley club also had an outstanding season and lost just four of their 16 games and they too accumulated no fewer than 12 bonus points in the process.
They will be keen to keep the momentum moving this season and return the Brocks up the league pyramid to the high standards the club have attained in past years.
DIVISION THREE EAST CENTRAL C
IT looked as if Glyncoch had sadly played their last game of rugby over 15 months ago, as the team sadly folded due to the lack of playing numbers. But thanks to the hard work of a group of individuals lead by team manager and club secretary Jamie Langmead the club has remerged and seems far stronger than ever to face the challenges of Welsh rugby.
The club have welcomed back experienced players like Gareth Way and Lee Goddard to the club and they will be hoping that they play a key role in getting them into the promotion mix.
They begin their return to league rugby on September 2 with a home fixture against relegated St Albans.