The 45-year-old second row stalwart had enjoyed a couple of promotions in the past, but never got his hands on a National League winners’ medal before last weekend’s crucial 37-3 home win over Pontllanfraith.
“John has been an incredible servant to the club and has been in the 1st XV for 25 years. He has now threatened to hang-up his boots on a high, but we’ll wait to see what happens at the start of next season,” said club secretary Andrew Davies.
“He has played as well as ever this season and played for the first hour against Pontllanfraith. When he was replaced he got a well deserved standing ovation. John is one of a number of ‘old heads’ in the side, although we have blooded a lot of youngsters over the course of the season and that has brought the average age down dramatically.
“You have to go a long way back in the club’s history to find a championship winning team, back to the old Monmouthshire League days, and this is the first time we’ve won a SWALEC title. It has taken a huge effort and it has been thoroughly enjoyable.”
Davies confesses to be one of the ‘old pros’ in the side as a ‘late thirties’ centre. He has no intentions of quitting, although admits the prospect of pre-season training does get more daunting as the years roll by.
Winning the title in his first season as secretary of a club that was founded in 1873, and boasts a double Wales Grand Slam winning captain as its Patron in John Gwilliam, has left Davies with a tough act to follow next season, but he is confident about the future of the club.
“Matt Ricketts has led the team well all season and another one of our veterans, loose had prop Paul Stockley, has also been superb. But it has been great to see so many youngsters, many home grown, coming into the senior side,” said Davies.
“Rhys Ricketts has been phenomenal at outside half for us all season and scored a club record 398 points. He is only 21 and represents the future of this club.”
Yet even though the club had only lost once and drawn once over the course of the season, they still came into their final game knowing they had to win to overtake Hafodyrynys RFC to take the title. Their nearest rivals were the only team that had beaten them, 18-8 on 3 March, with the only other blemish being a 16-16 draw at Brynithel.
“There were certainly a few nerves coming into the final few weeks of the season and we knew we had to win the last game to overtake Hafodyrynys. But we were confident we could do it and, after a few early jitters, we settled down and won handsomely,” said Davies.
That 37-3 home win over Pontllanfriath took Monmouth to 116 points – two more than Hafodyrynys after 26 rounds – and will send them up another level next season.
SWALEC are the national community partner of the Welsh Rugby Union, having signed a deal that saw the company become national sponsor of both the SWALEC Leagues and SWALEC Cup, Plate and Bowl competition in 2008. In 2011 they signed a four-year extension.
SWALEC NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 2011 / 12
EAST
Division 1: Ebbw Vale
Division 2: Ystrad Rhondda
Division 3: Garndiffaith
Division 5: Monmouth
Division 6: Caerleon
WEST
Division 1: TATA Steel
Division 2: Glynneath
Division 3: Haverfordwest
Division 4: Llanelli Wanderers
Division 5: Fishguard & Goodwick
Division 6: Pontrhydyfen
NORTH
Division 1: Caernarfon
Division 2: Dolgellau
Division 3: Shotton Steel
CENTRAL
Division 6: Glyncoch
SOUTH EAST
Division 3: Llanishen
Division 4: Porth Harlequins
Division 5: Old Illtydians
SOUTH CENTRAL
Division 5: Bryncethin
SOUTH WEST
Division 3: Maesteg Harlequins
Division 4: Maesteg Celtic
