The east Cardiff club secured promotion from Division 1 East Central and also won the Mallett Cup, while the seconds lifted the Ninian Stuart Cup.
Things are looking healthy off the field as well, on the back of development work at their Riverside Park home.
Andrew Wilcock has been team manager for ten years now and has seen ups and downs over that time, but significant progress overall: “When I first joined, we were ok, we were solid as a first team, we were sort of mid-table,” he said.
“Then we took a bit of a dip. We didn’t have the strength in depth at the club. If people in the firsts were getting injured, we couldn’t really field a second side.
But the Youth were really strong in those years. They won the league and the cup. In the same season they won everything, we had to go to Glamorgan Wanderers and win to stay in Division 1.
“I remember saying to the players ‘We have got one aim today and that’s to stay in the league because you look at what is coming behind now.
We stayed up and the following season the youngsters came in. They have toughened over time. That is one thing our side has developed, that never-say-die attitude and mental toughness.
“Don’t forget, we don’t pay players, we give them a couple of pints. We are going to stick to that principle. We are so tight. About 90 per cent of our squad have come through the age grade at the club.
“The players will go to war together for each other and I know it’s not about money, it’s about that bond they have and the friendship. They want to be there, they want to wear the badge.”
Former Pontypridd and Cardiff flanker Matthew Lloyd is head coach while Llŷr Davies takes charge of the backs. Together, they guided the club to a second place finish in Division 1 East Central, just one point behind St Peters.
“It’s been a really good season,” said Wilcock. “We have seen a lot of players develop to give us a bit more strength in depth.
As well as the firsts getting promoted, there has been progress for our second team who won the Ninian Stuart and we fielded a lot of youth in that side.
“The aim at the start of the season was to get promotion, absolutely. It was very much the target. We targeted promotion and getting to cup finals and we have done all of that. That’s a sign of success.
“We felt this was the year. We have been close a few times in the past, but we also felt we didn’t have the strength in depth to cope if we went up.
We feel we have got that now. This will be our first time in the Championship, so let’s go and see what we are about.”
Turning to the off-field situation, Wilcock said: “It is a real social hub. There’s a nursery that runs out of the club which supports the community.
We have also looked at our facilities. Rather than having to drive past the clubhouse and the changing rooms to park, we’ve now closed off the road and built a bridge for access to the car park which has been re-surfaced and marked out.
“We have extended the area at the front of the clubhouse out and made it all patioed, so it’s a lot more user friendly and we’ve noticed we get a lot more footfall.”
Wilcock concluded: “The club is in the healthiest position it’s been for a decade or so, 100 per cent. There’s a lot more support. The mini and junior section are growing and thriving. We are looking to run a third team next season because we have had 55 players turning up for training.
“When I first came here, we had a first team and a bit of a muffled second team. The club needed investment, it needed support.
“Now I look at it, we have just been promoted to the Championship, the seconds have won a cup for the first time in years and we are 95 per cent certain we are going to run a third team.
“So it’s a really promising place. The vibe and the atmosphere down the club is great.”
