Joining Ysgol Dyffryn Aman for this season’s competition will be fellow newcomers Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera and Christ College, Brecon, two more of Welsh rugby’s great nurseries.
They take the number of licenced teams taking part in the elite tournament to 16, which this season will be split across two conferences based on an aggregate of results and points scored over the last 5 years of the National Schools and Colleges League, with all new licence holders first joining Conference B.
The WRU has awarded a total of 16 Rugby Programmes in Education (RPE) Licences to schools and colleges, with them forming part of the new look player pathway. Following an extensive consultation period across the game, the new RPE Licence scheme will replace the old A Licences and aims to drive the standards of development provided for talented male players in education aged 16 to 18.
New elements of the new RPE Licence scheme include an explicit focus on education, holistic development, and a more robust approach to staffing, and medical support, and is a prerequisite to compete in the new WSC Rugby National Conference.
The RPE scheme is also designed to forge closer links between the regions, their academies and the schools and colleges. With Regional Academies also concurrently working with players at this age and stage how they work together with the RPE Licence holders will be critical.
Celebration time for Saul Hurley and his CAVC team last season
CONFERENCE A
Cardiff & Vale College (2022-23 Champions)
Coleg Y Cymoedd
Cole Gwent
Coleg Llandrillo
Coleg Sir Gar
Llandovery College
Whitchurch High School Y
Ysgol Glantaf
CONFERENCE B
Bridgend College
Christ College, Brecon *
Coleg Sir Benfro
Gower College
Neath Port Talbot College
Newport High School
Ysgol Dyffyn Aman *
Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera *
* New Teams
Current Ospreys and Wales international outside half Owen Williams is a recent product of Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera, while two more of their former pupils, Dan Edwards, and Morgan Morse, were in the Wales U20 team that played in the World Rugby U20 Championships in South Africa this summer.
Rugby has been played at Christ College since the 1870s and their first game against arch-rivals, Llandovery College, came two years before the Welsh Rugby Union was formed in 1881. There were four Old Breconians in the Welsh team that beat New Zealand 3-0 in 1905 – Willie Llewellyn, Arthur Harding, John F Williams, and Teddy Morgan – and six on the 1908 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia.
Arthur Harding was the captain and he had old school mates Jack Williams, Jack Jones, James Jones, John Dyke, and William Morgan with him on that trip. In 2022, they reached the Welsh Schools U18 Cup final, going down 36-26 to Ystalyfera in the final at Principality Stadium.
“The RPE Licence scheme and subsequent expanded WRU Schools & Colleges Rugby National Conference is a key part of the union’s revised ‘Player Development Strategy’. It sits in the middle of our new approach to building a world leading rugby development system in Wales,” said John Alder, head of player development at the WRU.
“We have devised a long-term plan around a 10-year player journey to excellence, focused on improving and enhancing the offering to the players and providing high quality age and stage specific development for players aged 14 – 24. The educational sector, through schools, colleges, and universities plays an integral role in supporting a critical mass of players to fulfil their potential, on and off the pitch, and wherever they progress on to play.
“Since the original A Licence Programme for the National Schools & Colleges League was put in place in 2015, it has played a vital role in the development of our top male talent. No less than 54% of the new capped players in the senior Wales team of the past seven years have come through the NS&C’s Licenced establishments.
Coleg Sir Gar’s World Cup stars – Josh Adams, Gareth Davies, Gareth Thomas, Jac Morgan and Ryan Elias.
“Of those players who have represented Wales at U18 and U20 level in that same period, 65% have played in the old NS&C competition. Current Wales World Cup stars Jac Morgan turned out for Coleg Sir Gar in the competition, while Christ Tshiunza played for Whitchurch High School.
“The Scarlets centre Joe Roberts, who was capped in the World Cup warm-up matches, is another Sir Gar product, as are Gareth Davies, Josh Adams, Gareth Thomas, and Ryan Elias.
“In the last seven years, Sir Gar has produced 29% of Wales new senior caps and Coleg Y Cymoed 13%. At the WRU we recognise and fully acknowledge the role played by these committed and supportive schools and colleges to the development of future Welsh professional and international players.
“This is the chance to build on the success that has already been achieved and to improve the player journey to help them transition from junior age grade rugby into the senior adult game at both professional and community levels.
“We are grateful to all 16 establishments who have recognised their importance and shown a real commitment to player development and progression. We look forward to working with them closely as they support the next generation of talent, on and off the field.
“It is important to recognise the vital role the schools and colleges play in promoting educational attainment and career advancement at this stage.
“We understand that only a small number of players will reach their goal of having professional careers and even fewer go on to play for Wales. That’s why at the heart of our mission is the desire to provide players with great experiences, and a launchpad for a life-long connection with Welsh rugby.”
“Our mission is to develop ‘more and better players for the professional game, the community game, and for Wales through life enriching experiences’. This will enable Welsh rugby to thrive.”
HOW THE WSC RUGBY NATIONAL CONFERENCE WILL WORK
The WSC Rugby National Conference will be played in the Autumn Term, with the same schools and college playing in the Development Conference in the Spring Term, replacing the National Schools and Colleges League.
As part of an aligned, coherent annual calendar for players aged 16 to 18, the ambition is for WSC Rugby to fit in a way that ensures a balanced playing load – providing high quality games, specific weeks for physical profiling, positively integrate with Regional Academy programmes, while allowing for players to play club youth rugby or if selected the Academy U18 championships in the spring.
The WSC Rugby National Conference format will remain unchanged for four years and will have eight teams playing in two Conferences – A and B.
All teams will play a total of nine games – seven regular season rounds, where everyone plays everyone either home or away, and then two post season rounds of play offs followed by a Grand Final to determine the National Conference winner, and play offs to decide promotion from Conference B and relegation from Conference A.
ROUND 1 FIXTURES – 27 SEPTEMBER
CONFERENCE A
Cardiff & Vale College v Coleg Llandrillo
Coleg Sir Gar v Whitchurch HS
Coleg Y Cymoedd v Llandovery College B
Ysgol Gymraeg Glantaf v Coleg Gwent
CONFERENCE B
Newport HS v Ysgol Dyffryn Aman
Gower College v Christ College, Brecon
Bridgend College v Ysgol Ystalyfera
Coleg Sir Benfro v Neath Port Talbot College
HEAD COACHES AT THE SCHOOLS & COLLEGES
Former Welsh internationals Rob Sidoli, Matthew Jones, Geraint Lewis, and Steve Jones and among the cast of coaches at the teams taking part in the two Conferences. Euros Evans led Llandovery to the Indigo Premiership title last season and Steve Williams is a former Wales U21 coach.
Matt Jess is a former professional player at the Dragons and Exeter Chiefs, while Andrew Williams is a stalwart of RGC 1404. Craig Warlow played for Llanelli, Bridgend, and the Dragons before going on to coach Newport in the Premiership, while Richard Whiffen is a former academy manager at Gloucester who went on to be the attack coach at Scarlets, Wales Women, and the Highlanders.
Llywarch ap Myrddin has vast Premiership experience having played at RGC, Cardiff, Newport, and Pontypridd.
HEAD COACHES
Bridgend College – Craig Warlow
Cardiff & Vale College – Rich Whiffin
Christ College, Brecon – Dan Parry
Coleg Gwent – Matthew Jones
Coleg Llandrillo – Andrew Williams
Coleg Sir Benfro – Matt Jess
Coleg Sir Gar – Euros Evans
Coleg Y Cymoedd – Geraint Lewis
Gower College – Steve Jones
Llandovery College – Sam Williams
Newport HS – Rob Sidoli
Neath Port Talbot College – Paul Williams
Whitchurch HS – Steve Williams
Ysgol Dyffryn Aman – Tom Hancock
Ysgol Glantaf – Llywarch ap Myrddin
Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera – Ryan Evans
