Club News

Shane's Grand Slam XV v Justin Marshall's World XV & Konica Minolta Cup

Shane Williams will gather his Grand Slam winning team-mates for a clash-of-the-titans meeting with All Black legend Justin Marshall's invitation world XV at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday 17th May (KO at 1.15pm) to cap off his 'greatest year in rugby'.

Warren Gatland will coach Shane's all-conquering team in a final match-up on home soil before they depart to take on the World Champion Springboks in South Africa for a twotest tour in June and he will pit his wits against a Marshall side which will be littered with the names of living legends wherever you look.

'Shane's Game' is just one of the highlights of a festival day for Welsh sport at the Millennium Stadium which starts with the DC Thomas Cup Final at 12 noon, followed by Shane meeting Justin at 1.15pm, before the 2008 Konica Minolta Cup Final kicks off at 6pm.

Two teams from Aberavon, Pontypridd, Neath and Glamorgan Wanderers will meet in the Konica Minolta Cup Final, with the Welsh All Blacks facing Wanderers this Sunday and Aberavon up against Pontypridd on Saturday in semi-final clashes.

Click here for an application form for the above fixtures to be held at the Millennium Stadium.

Andrew James,
Ticketing Event Manager (Sport), Millennium Stadium PLC.

Junior World Championships Tickets on Sale

Tickets on sale, click here for details.

Bryan Davies

Most people associated with North Wales rugby will have heard about the tragedy that befell Bryan Davies from Bala Rugby Club recently. For those who live further afield Bryan was seriously injured in his final game for the Club, an injury which will leave him paralysed from the neck down. Read full story.

His friends from the Rugby Club have recently opened an appeal to help Bryan and the family. Click on the photo to move to a new web site which has been set up where you can make contributions.

On the 13 April 2008 Ian Roberts, Police Constable 448, successfully completed the London Marathon in 3 hours 38 minutes in aid of the appeal. Click here to see how you can donate to this appeal, or go directly to the Bryan Davies Appeal site.

Town Relegated

With the season over, Town now look forward to life in Division 5 North next season.

Whilst disappointing, this is by no means a disaster, as it gives the opportunity for our promising youngsters to gain their experience playing at a level more suited to where we are at the moment in terms of team development.

Throughout this season, we have been extremely please with the attitude and team spirit shown by everyone involved, and this has galvanised the side into a tight knit unit, which should flourish over the coming years.

We can also look forward to some local derbies again. It was a joy to be in Llanidloes before christmas, as despite some attrocious weather, a sizeable crowd witnessed a contest between two evenly matched teams playing for local pride.

We are sure that with everyones support, we will return to the top flight in North Wales in the not too distant future stronger than ever.

North Wales Roundup - Sat 3rd May

THE final weekend of the season in division four (North) saw three clubs Colwyn Bay, Nant Conwy and Mold competing for the runners-up spot after champions Caernarfon were beaten 22-0 by Nant Conwy on Friday.

And Colwyn Bay sealed the prize with a 26-0 win at Dolgellau to end the campaign four points behind the title holders. The tries came from centre Patrick Leach, wing James Thatcher, scrum half Ben Evans and outside half Ashley James who also added three conversions.

Last season’s champions Mold ended in fourth place, coming from behind to overcome Denbigh by 23-14 with tries from wing Gareth Hughes and centre Dan Edmunds who also added a conversion and two penalties for a personal tally of 18 points.

Bala ended on a winning note, defeating visitors Llandudno 28-15 with hooker Gareth Williams crossing for a brace of tries, one from flanker Arfon Rowlands and a penalty try. Outside half Ynyr Jones added all four conversions.

Llandudno points came from tries by flanker Lewis Griffiths and wing Dave Lester with outside half Rhodri Carlton-Jones kicking a conversion and penalty.

The two semi finals of the Scottish Power North Wales challenge cup take place tomorrow with Colwyn Bay at home to Nant Conwy and Ruthin from division four at home to division five champions Pwllheli.

Rhayader aim to consolidate in the Mid Wales League after struggling to raise sides for games in Welsh National League division (five) north.

Click here to view league tables

Mid Wales Cup/Shield Finals - Sat 26th April

BUILTH Wells seconds proved too hot to handle as they hoisted the Mid Wales League Cup with a convincing victory over COBRA seconds in the final at Aberystwyth.

The Spa men held the upper hand throughout before eventually running out emphatic 57-17 victors.

Fly half Rob Lloyd led the way with two tries, as well as kicking an impressive 17 points.

Llanfair Caereinion side COBRA, who could still have the consolation of taking the Mid Wales League crown, were breached eight times in all. Winger Mike Davies also crossed twice while No.8 Ben Duggan, flanker Huw Thomas, hooker Shaun Thomas and replacement centre George Jenkins also touched down.

There were also celebrations for Newtown seconds, who lifted the Mid Wales Shield with a 17-9 victory over Llanidloes seconds, also at Aberystwyth.

Left wing Richard Bowen put his side on course for the silverware with a first half try, while scrum-half and captain Pete Edwards went over for a second touchdown after the interval.

Prop Gareth Roberts clinched victory with a third try, converted by fly-half Nigel Evans.

Llanidloes stayed in touch courtesy of three penalties from fly-half Anthony Jones, but were unable to find a way back.

‘Farry’ in the London Marathon

Congratulations to last years Club Captain Neil ‘Farry’ Farrington who successfully completed the 2008 Flora London Marathon despite hitting the 'wall' at 17 miles. This is a great achievement and he has raised over £2000 for Bowel Cancer UK in memory of his Mum Gwen, who lost her battle with the disease in 2003. Well done Faz.

You can still donate by clicking here to visit his internet fundraising page and donate online. Please dig deep and give generously. Thank-you.

2007-08 Bar Rota

Click here to download bar rota for this season.

2007-08 Membership

Membership for the 2007-08 season is now due. The cost of membership remains the same as last year:

Download an application form here, or pay direct to Dai Morris. Players pay direct to Stan Davies.

WRU League Points System

A new scoring system is being introduced for League games as from 1st September.

4 points for a win
2 points for a draw
1 point for 4 or more tries
1 point for coming within 7 points in a lost game.
0 point for losing a game by 8+ points and not scoring 4+ tries.

It is hoped the new system - which has been resurrected following its use some 7/8 years ago- will encourage sides to chase tries and make the game more enjoyable for players and supporters alike.

League placings will be decided on the basis of League points gained in the season. Where teams have gained equal numbers of League points, the team with the most wins shall be given preference. If the number of wins is equal then the Club having recorded the most tries in the Season shall be given preference. If the number of tries is equal the points ‘for’ shall be divided by the points ‘against’ and the team with the highest factor shall be declared to have the better record.

Season 2007-08 Preview

This season, there will be many faces that are unfamiliar to those who make the regular trip down to the Rec to support the boys.

No fewer than 10 of last seasons 1st XV squad have, for various reasons, made themselves unavailable for selection for Newtown RFC.

The list reads:

Pete Edwards
Neil Farrington
Kenny Stewart
Gavin Randall
Eddie Maguire
John Peeters
Mark Horabin
Alun Jones
Rowan Meek
Gavin Williams

Whilst this is a blow to the aspirations of the club, the young players who have stepped into their shoes are showing tremendous commitment to training, and go into the season keen to impress. Town can be proud of the fact that these players are the product of our own youth system, and come into senior rugby following seasons under the tutorship of Derek Murray and more recently, Carl Hyde and Gareth Jones.

They are led this season by the granite tough back row Paul Morgan. Following his hugely impressive showings over the previous two seasons, it is no surprise that Paul was the obvious choice to take over from Neil Farrington when he stepped down at the end of last season. Paul will undoubtedly lead by example and we wish him every success in the role.

We as a club are realistic in our ambitions for the short term, and the focus of officials and supporters alike should be in getting firmly behind the team throughout what will be a very challenging season.

I urge all supporters to match the efforts of the players and coaches this season, and support our home grown lads playing in Newtown colours.

Mid Wales Under 20's 17 North East Wales Under 20's 15 - Wednesday 29th August (Llanidloes)

Newtown boasted good representation in the Mid Wales Under 20’s clash with North East Wales Under 20’s on Wednesday evening.

The Mid Wales starting line up included Tom Bucknall (2nd row), Darryn Green (Scrum half) and Matt Green (centre), with Ashley Padget, Emyr Humphreys, Scott Davies and Mark Evans on the replacements bench.

Mid Wales started very well with the pack dominating and the backs making good inroads behind. Mid Wales took the lead with a try from wing Iwan Vaughan (COBRA) which went unconverted. Mid Wales continued to dominate but conceded ground through penalties. The last play of half saw NE Wales score a converted try from the left wing. The half time interval came with Mid Wales 5-7 down, against run of play.

NE Wales started the 2nd half well, the forwards beginning to get parity and indeed scored an unconverted try after 10 mins through the centre making the score 5-12. Mid Wales came back into the game when Darryn Green put in a clever box kick which Mid Wales flanker Richard Rees (COBRA) touched down for an unconverted try to put the score at 10-12.

With the game drawing to a close and with NE Wales looking to run down the clock, took a long distance penalty attempt and a superb effort saw the ball sail through the uprights to put them 10-15 ahead with minutes remaining.

With time running out Mid Wales regained possession from a scrum 40 metres out, and played some excellent, controlled rugby to score after several phases through Elfyn Roberts (Bala), close to the posts. The try was converted by Tom Morgan (Dolgellau) to make the score 17-15 to Mid Wales. The restart was gathered and kicked out of play by Mid Wales and the referee blew for full time.

The three Newtown players who started the match all received well-deserved praise after the game with Darryn Green controlling the game well from scrum-half, Matt Green made some very impressive breaks and straightened the line well, and Tom Bucknall put in a fine all round display and was a worthy contender for Man of the Match.

Congratulations to all involved, and we look forward to the lads putting in similar high quality performances in Newtown colours over the coming months.

Machynlleth 7's

A new era dawns at Newtown Rugby Club this year after the 'retirement' of more than half the side that took to the field for the last fixture of last season.

A youthful side entered Machynlleth's popular 7's tournament today full of enthusiasm and spirit and ready for the challenge that 7's rugby had to offer! Pooled with the hosts, Harlech and unknown quantity Aberdyfi town were assured of an eventful day.

Kicking off against the Mach was always going to be difficult and so it proved, with the partisan crowd supporting their team to an early 12 point lead. Town soon settled and offered themselves in attack, forcing their way back into the game with a well taken try by Barry 'the grassmuncher' Bellis! Pressure continued on the Mach line as it was once again broken to make the scores level. Town did well to not concede any more points as Mach's 'Coleman' was very much on fire! Town left the field a little disappointed to have ended in a draw but looked forward to the next game against the men of Harlech with anticipation. The game opened with some tough physical exchanges as both sides looked to gain the upper hand, but it was the men from North West Wales who cut through the town defence to open the scoring. Town's defence was soon breached for a second and third time in quick succession as the game approached half time. With points difference crucial, it was a patching up job in the second half as town looked to narrow the gap. Ending the game 27 points down town knew that only a convincing victory against new outfit Aberdyfi would do. And so it proved, as Aberdyfi themselves were feeling the effects of 2 tough games Newtown's young side showed their pace, none more so than Richard 'the Red Devil' Andrews, who's performances all day were outstanding, Emyr Huphreys, who continued to offer himself in support, and Barry Barry Barry Bellis who scored possibly the try of the tournament from deep down inside his own 22. But the plaudits go to experienced campaigner Mervyn Lewis, picking up a hat-trick of scores with pace on the right as he powered his way through tackles described by some like the "Titanic with a Concorde engine!" Town ended the game 7 tries to the good but unfortunately, due to Mach's victory against Harlech, had to be satisfied with a plaice in the plate!

After beating Mach's second string by 5 tries to 2 in the semi-final, a final against Aber Uni awaited. Aber broke the scoring only for town to hit back and race into a 5 point lead. With the game entering the final stages it was Aber who rallied to score 2 late tries and seal their win. Runners up town will look back on a highly successful day, both on and off the field and now look forward to putting the record straight in the coming league fixtures.

Newtown squad: M Lewis, S Harris, P. Morgan (c), T Bucknall, E Humphries, J Harris, D Green, J Murray, R Andrews, B Bellis, S Rowlands.

Montgomeryshire Sports Awards - Club of the Year 2006

We are proud to announce that at the recently held Montgomeryshire Sports Awards, Newtown Rugby Club were named Club of the Year.

This award is testament to the hard work that so many individuals put into the club on a voluntary basis, and reinforces our status as one of the leading sports clubs in Mid-Wales.

The award was based on various criteria, but NRFC stood out through our commitment to the Junior section of the club, providing a platform for players from ages 7 to 19 to play regular rugby, and ensuring that we have a sustainable future built from within. The regular Tag rugby days, where schools from around the area ar invited to participate, have proved a huge success, and have introduced numerous individuals to the game of rugby.

The senior playing side is equally buoyant. NRFC are the only club in the area to successfully field two teams in competitive leagues, the 1st XV in Division 4 North, and the 2nd XV in the Cambrian Training Mid-Wales League. In addition, NRFC 3rd XV compete in the Mid-Wales Shield competition, and a Veterans team play local friendlies.

Overall, a huge well done to everyone involved with the club.

Newtown Rugby Club - Mongomeryshire Sports Awards Club of the Year

End of Season Awards

Congratulations to all the winners at this years end of season awards dinner. The full list of winners can be found by clicking here.

Also, a big thank you to Caroline and Nona for organising a hugely enjoyable evening. Those that weren't there definitely missed out.

Click here to see photos of the night.

100 Club Winners

1st Prize £500 - (88) Helen Bowen

Ticket sold by £25 – Jason Bowen

2nd Prize £250 – (86) Haydn Williams

3rd Prize £125 – (25) Paulo & Nesta Re

Runner Up £50 – (31) Ken Ewers

Runner Up £50 – (89) Gavin Williams

Photos & Site Content

If anyone has photos relating to any aspect of Newtown RFC, past or present, which they think would be of interest to the viewers of this site, please forward them to .

Additionally, if anyone has suggestions for features or information that could be included on the site, please feel free to forward them to the above email address.

Your help is appreciated in keeping this site fresh and interesting to new and returning visitors.

Newtown Veterans v Shrewsbury Veterans

Newtown travelled to Shrewsbury last Sunday with an 'experienced' team to play against Shrewsbury Veterans. Although Town came away having lost the game, they more than made up for it with a strong performance in the bar afterwards. Well done to everyone who organised, played in and supported this match.

Newtown Veterans line up before their clash with Shrewsbury

Gareth Bubb and Mike Shuker roll back the years as they practice lineouts before kick-off whilst in the background, others take it a bit easier

And a reminder of why they no longer play!!

Kit Sponsor

Our thanks to Gareth Pugh (Gareth Pugh Steel Framed Buildings) for the generous sponsorship of the new playing kit for the coming season.

Gareth Pugh presents the new playing kit to club captain Neil Farrington.

Cheque Presentation

Newtown RFC are delighted to announce the receipt of a cheque for £6000 from Sportmatch. Sportmatch is a scheme run by the Sports Council for Wales which enables clubs to apply for funding equivalent to a sum received from an independent sponsor.

This successful application will enable further financial investment into the ever growing junior section and highly successful Schools Development Days, and further emphasises Newtown RFC's commitment to junior rugby.

Caroline Hutek (Sponsorship Committee Chair), Nick James (Junior Co-ordinator) and members of Newtown RFC Junior section with the cheque from Sportmatch.

Newtown Under 8's at Stradey Park

Congratulations to Newtown RFC Under 8's, together with coaches Nick James and Griff Thomas, who played Tag Rugby in the interval of yesterday's Scarlets v Newcastle Falcons match. Newtown RFC can be very proud of these youngsters who put on a great performance in front of a crowd of 7,500. The cheering was as loud for them as it was for the Scarlets. Well Done to everyone who played and supported.

Newtown RFC Under 8's in action at Stradey Park

WRU TO SET UP NEW NATIONAL AMATEUR XV

This is the article being referred to on the site guestbook, taken straight from the WRU website. I'll let you make up your own mind!

The Welsh Rugby Union has taken three major steps to inspire the community game in Wales by developing a Wales Amateur XV, creating a new regional tournament for players from Divisions 1 down and condensing the game in north Wales to local league and cup competitions.

The steps were agreed by the WRU board last week and the new National Amateur XV could play its first fixture at the end of the 2005/2006 season. The new, five team regional tournament - the Scarlets' region will be split into North and South XVs - will be the stepping stone to the Wales Amateur side with home and away fixtures being played on Tuesday nights during the November international and Six Nations periods.

The 20 teams who currently play in the two north Wales divisions in the National League will be joined by Llangefni and Ruthin in the 2006/2007 campaign when all teams in that region return to play in their own league and cup competitions. Llangefni won Division 4 North last season and then won a play-off match that enabled them to play in Division 3 West this season, while Ruthin will play in Division 3 South/East.

The WRU board's decision means that as from the 2006/2007 season no teams from north Wales will be able to play in the WRU National League system outside their own region.

"Developing our game throughout the various communities of Wales is vital to Welsh rugby if we are to continue to improve at all levels," said WRU chief executive Steve Lewis.

"The decisions taken by the WRU Board last week are the first steps in enhancing and inspiring the game at local level to work on the development of their players and point them to the top.

"The creation of a Wales Amateur XV, with a new regional tournament beneath it, will give a new group of players the chance to play for their country and don the Welsh jersey. We believe that will give those young, aspirational players up and down the National League structure the chance to showcase their talents and push for contracts with Premiership and Regional teams.

"France already have an amateur team and the RFU have an England Counties XV. We have been in discussion with FIRA-AER about this development and they have 38 international teams across Europe who are all looking for new opposition. "The intention is to give those players between 20-25 the chance to push their claims and it will be great to have the bulk of the clubs in Wales vying to produce international players once again."

The WRU are set to back these new moves with substantial financial backing and will be seeking coaches and selectors to boost the new regional tournament. "I'm sure the two teams from north Wales who are currently playing outside their region will be disappointed at having to return to play with their neighbours from 2006, but this step has been taken after looking long and hard at the effect of travelling twice a month to south Wales by teams from the north," added Lewis. "The nearest fixture for Llangefni this season will be 94 miles away in Aberystwyth, while Ruthin face a round trip of 200 miles or more for each away fixture in Division South/East. We are asking amateur players at the heart of the community game to give up at least 13 Saturdays each season in order to get their enjoyment from the game.

"That takes a huge toll on them, their clubs and the quality of their performances. What we are offering them from 2006 are reduced travelling, old rivalries, the chance to shine in the WRU's Konica Minolta Cup and a new route to improve via the regional tournament and the Wales Amateur XV."

WEAR YOUR COLOURS WITH PRIDE - Letter to County Times 11/03/05

It is not hard to get caught up in the euphoria created by the fantastic performances of the current Welsh Rugby Union team. This has been building since Ruddocks predecessors, Messrs Henry and Hansen put the correct structures in place.

Watching the game in a drinking establishment, it was so uplifting to see the joyous faces of the public celebrating as the referee blasted his final whistle after Stephen Jones booted the ball high into the stands. Scenes of joy, everyone hugging and smiling. The joys of being a Welshman! I myself am a proud Welshman and play the beautiful game. Why I am writing is to express my annoyance of the so-called rugby fans that only don their rugby tops five or six times per year and only watch these big games. I doubt many of them could name a player outside the Welsh squad itself or have even watched a match live at a local ground.

There is plenty of rugby to watch in Mid-Wales from under 11s to the mid-Wales league to the national leagues all containing local sides, and it would no doubt be in a better state if these ‘fans’ actually went to watch and support these teams as opposed to making ridiculous comments during games claiming to be a guru of the rugby rules, to which I can assure you they are not.

I do not mean to be demeaning of these proud Welsh people as it is brilliant to see the public getting behind the team, but there are small clubs that also need support of its local people. It is amazing what a big home crowd can do to uplift the performance of a team and there’s nothing more off putting to an away team than a noisy partisan crowd willing you to make mistakes.

So in conclusion, I say carry on with the support, but remember there is more to supporting and being a rugby fan than on just a handful of weekends a year. Get yourself down to Llanidloes, Welshpool, NEWTOWN (preferably) etc on a cold March afternoon and watch some of the entertaining, passionate and physical games that are being played and show that you are a true fan of the national game (and that’s not football by the way). Please support local rugby, there is so much potential in the area and it is not being watched or appreciated by the masses.

And to all those England fans - where have you disappeared to? I have not seen your shirts about anywhere recently. If you are a true fan of God’s game it does not matter how well your team is doing, you should wear your colours with pride!

There was no name at the bottom of this letter to the County Times, but I think we will all agree with the sentiments. Well said!

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