After two frustrating seasons of finishing second behind Hafodyrynys, and not gaining promotion from Division 6 South-East, they left no margin for error this term as they ended as the top try and points scorers in Welsh rugby.
Having sealed their title triumph with an emphatic 96-11 home win over Whiteheads at home they carried off the SWALEC Division 6 East title by seven points from Markham as they became the only team in Wales to top 1,000 league point in their 22 games.
Not only that, they scored a massive 157 tries over the course of the campaign. That made it one try every 11 minutes in their matches and an average of almost 48 points per game.
The only team to beat them was Rogerstone, who completed the double with a 29-22 win at Caerleon and a 25-18 victory at home. They finished fourth overall, 15 points behind the champions.
“It’s awesome to win the league – we’ve been trying for the last three seasons and come close. Two years ago we were second, but there was no promotion, and we were runners-up again last year, but once again no teams went up,” said team manager Nigel Puddy.
“The club has been going for 41 years and this is probably the biggest achievement in our history. What made it all the better was that on the same day we were presented with the SWALEC title, our 2nd XV won the Newport & District League to make it a double celebration.
“We’ve been playing a great brand of rugby that everyone enjoys. Nigel Smith and Steve Shuttleworth have done a great job as coaches and the brand of rugby they play is attracting players to the club.
“To top 1,000 points in 22 games is quite a feat and all the players have responded magnificently to what has been asked of them. Peter Loader at hooker has been terrific; No 8 Dave Duly and second row Dave Morris have been outstanding and centre Dave Burgess has been the star behind the scrum.
Clubs like us always go through good and bad times, but we are solvent, run a vibrant youth section and have a wonderful team of volunteers. We are a good village club and that’s what you need in times like these. We had a big crowd to watch us on Saturday and winning the title is a big deal for everyone in the village.”
The biggest moment in the club’s history prior to last weekend was when they won the Welsh Brewers Cup back in 1981, although they were runners-up in 1999. But it has been a great season all round, with the Youth XV also reaching the Plate final of the Newport & District Youth Cup.
“We got to the quarter-finals of the SWALEC Bowl competition this year and we beat two teams from Division 5. We also smashed Barry at their place and they are in Division 4 South East,” said Puddy.
“There is no fear for us going up a division. We are looking forward to it and we are quite confident that, if we can keep the same squad of players together, we can keep on rising.”
