Senior teams around Wales are set to play their first pool match in either the South Wales or North Wales Cup, or the South Wales Plate – almost 18 months since their last competitive match.
WRU Community Director Geraint John is thrilled to see the return of female community rugby.
“It’s so good to see the excitement of teams and their rugby families at the return of competitive matches. I’m really looking forward to watching a Round 1 South Wales Cup game on Sunday and I know the other WRU community team members will be watching the action at games around Wales too.
“It’s been a difficult time for everyone but the commitment shown by players, coaches and volunteers of these teams to help each other through the lockdown periods will hopefully pay dividends as we start to come out the other side and they can enjoy doing what they love again.”
In one of the most anticipated clashes of Round 1, Llandaff North take on Pontyclun at Hailey Park (Sunday 3.30pm).
Llandaff North coach Tom Rogers says games like this are huge for his players.
“Pontyclun are certainly the best team around at present so it’s going to be a tough challenge but that is what our players want. The appetite is there for competitive matches now, we’ve trained well with good numbers so we are looking forward to testing ourselves on the park now.”
Rogers says there is a good mix within the team. “Some of our players have played internationally, such as Becky Newton at No 8 while others such as Phoebe Owen will be playing her first game. She came along with a friend about six months ago and I guess the non-competitive phase has provided a good way to find her feet.
“Everyone is welcome, and we also have a good relationship with the universities and other Cardiff clubs in that we encourage girls to come along to any of our training sessions and find the right level for them. Some prefer a more social team while, some want to be more competitive and maybe go to the next level.”
In the South Wales Plate, the Porthcawl ‘She-gulls’ will play only their second competitive fixture after being entered into the National Leagues at the start of 2020. They travel to Morriston (Sunday 2.30) and player and team manager Rachael Thomas believes Sunday can’t come quick enough.
“Having only recently graduated from being a development side when lockdown hit, we felt it was important to keep the momentum going so we organised plenty of quizzes and webinars in the lockdown periods, then when we were allowed, we encouraged everyone to come to training even if it was just for the mental health benefits of seeing each other.
“I’m so proud of the girls and the commitment they’ve shown. They’ve trained really well and deserve to get some results. I think our pool is fairly well-balanced, the main thing is we are thrilled to be playing a match again after such a long time.”
Thomas says the team has been fully embraced by the Porthcawl club.
“We’ve always been made to feel very welcome and we struck upon the name She-gulls to really fit in with the rest of the club! It’s stuck – it’s great to hear it being chanted from other members of the Gulls rugby family.”
In the North Wales Cup, COBRA host Shotton Steel at Cae COBRA (Sunday 2.30). The rural club has managed to retain and recruit players despite the lockdown periods.
Team manager and scrum half Ffion Williams said, “It hasn’t all been easy sailing but I think the team has helped us all get through the last 18 months. In some ways it has given new players the chance to get a good year of training under their belt before playing games. We have a core group of local players but due to our geography, many players drive between 40 and 60 minutes to train but they are very committed which is fantastic.
“The Rebels Female Hub is based at the club and we have the first graduate of the Hub playing on Sunday – Daisy Lloyd Evans who started at the Rebels at U15. A huge amount of credit must go to our coach Rhodri Davies who has been with us since the start of our journey around six years ago. It’s been great to add Rob Rudge to the coaching team this season to give Rhodri a hand. We are looking forward to welcome Shotton, they are a great set-up who have developed a lot in recent years.”
Players involved in these cup competitions will be able to put themselves forward for a senior Talent ID day on September 18 (USW) or October 9 (Bangor Uni), sign-up details to follow.
CLICK HERE for full fixtures (2.30 kick-offs unless otherwise stated) and check club social media channels for full match details
