Archers aim for sporting and academic excellence

His main role at Cardiff Metropolitan University is as a rugby hub officer, ensuring students leave with a level 1 or level 2 coaching qualification. “But not only that, we get them to use those qualifications within the local community,” says Roberts – something about which he is clearly passionate. “We’ve got really close ties with schools such as Cardiff High, St Teilo’s and all the schools in the Cyncoed area.”

Through a scheme called Open Campus, started by Sport Cardiff, the university invites primary and secondary schools to use the top-class facilities in Cyncoed free of charge.

“One of my job roles is also to make sure participation numbers are up for rugby,” says the 30-year-old from Maesteg. “We run eleven teams – six on a Wednesday, five on a Saturday, depending on game availability.” Luckily for Roberts, he has an eye for admin. He certainly needs it. “The hardest part is when students – mainly from England or Ireland, who are deemed ‘international students’ – need clearance forms to enable them to play in the Welsh leagues.

“So I can get 120 freshers coming through to play rugby, and I’d say around 60% need international clearance. It’s a long process!”

But the on-field business of competitive rugby isn’t far away, since Roberts is the backs coach for the university’s first XV, which is a top four side in BUCS Super Rugby. In recent years it’s produced some outstanding players such as Aaron Wainwright, Alex Dombrandt and Guy Thompson, while a significant proportion of the top Wales and England women rugby players are former Archers.

Indeed, Cardiff Met – in its various incarnations – has always played a big role across the board in Welsh rugby. Still, the university recognises the need to find a balance between rugby and education for the students. “That’s a significant aim of ours. Whether they’re playing the game socially here or in our top three teams – the performance side of the rugby club, so to speak – we still hammer the academics.

“At the start of the week our team manager, Amber, runs ‘Academic Archers’. It’s not compulsory but she puts on two- or three-hour slots in a room for any students who are struggling for that transition from school into university. She teaches them how to quote, reference – any techniques that are relevant to writing essays.”

A former Archer himself – he captained the first XV in his fourth year – Roberts finds the campus environment a refreshing one to be involved in. “Not only have we got the performance side where we play BUCS Super Rugby, but we’ve also got those 11 teams that range from very good players to players who understand they aren’t great but love the social side of the game. It’s a breath of fresh air to watch them have fun whilst being competitive at the same time.”

That appreciation of sport and academia goes back to his days at school in Llanhari in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Of equal importance to him now, he realises, is the Welsh language.

“I used to be a bit of a teacher’s pet with my PE teachers, Iolo Roberts and Mark Lloyd, and they always told me to keep the Welsh up and to get into good habits,” he reflects. “That really continued when I went to Bridgend College under Gareth Nicholas and Craig Warlow.”

It was through the Welsh language that Roberts secured his first hub officer role at Ysgol Ystalyfera in the Swansea Valley. “You don’t really realise how important it can be until you go for a job and for the English role there are 30/40 applicants, and for the Welsh one there are five at the most. It can be a massive advantage going for your first job or getting your name out there.

“For my generation, it wasn’t particularly cool to speak Welsh in the school yard, around the boys. But the older we get the more pride we take in it. It’s wonderful to see how much pride Welsh youngsters now have coming through.”

This article is translated from the Welsh-language #CymryCymraeg series.