The Goats suffered only one league defeat all season as they swept aside their rivals in League 1 North to claim their first title. Their only other loss came in the WRU National Plate at the last 16 stage when Nelson came north and snatched a 20-10 triumph over the then unbeaten Llandudno side.
The league title celebrations are still fresh in the memory with the new season still two months away, but backs coach Ian Kyffin already has one eye on righting the wrongs of their Plate campaign to secure a debut appearance at the home of Welsh rugby.
He said: “We would have liked to have done better in the knockout competitions. We lost at home to Nelson in the Plate, we were pretty cheesed off with that result because we lost only two games all season.
“There was that one and then we lost to Bala in the league. To have only two defeats all season is still pretty good, but going in to the new campaign, we would love to get to Principality Stadium, that’s a major target for this rugby club.
“We have been through disappointment at Llandudno in the past but we now have strong first and second teams, who train on different nights.
“We will also have a youth team this season and our first team is a very young side. Last year we had two to three 18-year-olds in the team and the average age was in the early 20s, hopefully that bodes well for future success.”
RGC 1404 have blazed a trail for North Wales rugby in recent seasons, with the team most notably taking the WRU National Cup to North Wales for the first time in 2017. But it is not just the Indigo Group Premiership side who are reaping the rewards of a rugby revival in the region.
Llandudno are aiming to defend their crown when their season gets underway at Bro Ffestiniog on Saturday 7 September, but the Goats know they will have a target on their backs with the likes of Nant Conwy and Pwllheli determined to knock them off their perch.
“North Wales rugby has usually been dominated by Nant Conwy and Pwllheli and we’re used to being third or fourth,” added Kyffin. “We broke that stranglehold last season which was a huge achievement given the strength of the other clubs. One of the main reasons for our success is Kelvin Davies who is our player/coach and main first-team coach.
“On the whole, the standard of North Wales rugby has improved a great deal, it’s definitely the case for us season that we will be a target for other teams.
“We will be the hunted, rather than the hunter and I know the boys have already started preseason early to make sure they are ready.”
