THE FIRST MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO ASDA LEAGUE WELSH RUGBY NEW clubHouseTry it once and be converted EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Top Cat CLIVE ROWLANDS Ballet & the Beasts Bred in What happens when rugby lads Heaven learn to dance A celebration of all things Welsh Plus Health News LEAGUE Results Action Expert Advice As it happens KIDWELLY RFC’S www.clubhousewales.com Up and Coming Player £1.30 Contents This Issue On the cover Welcome to Kick Off FEATURED TEAM clubHouse Division Three South East Brecon RFC: The young 03 ONCE AGAIN, THE team battling for promotion Millennium Stadium NEWS was alight 04 This fortnight’s most important news from the five with celebration ASDA leagues and jubilation this weekend. But this time HEALTH AND FITNESS the Welsh team watched from 09 Expert sports dietitian Jane Griffin answers queries the sidelines as the Six Nations on chips, coffee and chomping vitamins champions were crowned. It’s been a turbulent tournament, with the on-field action looking lacklustre in Half Time comparison to the off-field furore. But at least the uproar has proved we’re passionate about our rugby here in Wales—that we DIRTY DANCING care who’s leading our national team. So we’ve devoted an entire 11 Blood, sweat and tu-tus: what happened when the page to lifting the nation, rallying the troops and showcasing the burly ASDA league lads met a ballerina unsung heroes of the ASDA leagues. Because as our feature with local legend Clive Rowlands WRU WOES shows, without local rugby the national game wouldn’t exist. Is Welsh rugby in crisis? Professor Dai Smith, From the Aberdare boys whipped by Italian side Leonessa to 14 the Pontllanfraith lads who pirouetted around the pitch for clubhouse chairmen and the fans have their say clubHouse’s exercise experiment, you’re all heroes. That’s why we’re looking forward to meeting you all. But, in LOCAL LEGEND: CLIVE ROWLANDS the meantime, keep sending us your news and views and don’t 16 On beginning at Abercrave RFC, captaining Wales forget to log on to www.clubhousewales.com for daily ASDA on his debut and coaching Gareth Edwards league updates, as well as competitions, photos and all your favourites from the magazine. Final Whistle LISTINGS clubHouse on tour 18 Results and tables from all five ASDA leagues plus fixtures for the coming fortnight ABERDARE RFC News editor Hannah, with the lads from Leonessa, an Italian Noticeboard touring side who beat Aberdare 40-12. clubHouse joined in the YOUR VIEWS celebrations afterwards, when Pictures, letters, news and views from you and Dai Young and Lyn Howells 22 said they liked issue one. your clubhouse CROESYCEILIOG RFC Regular Fixtures The clubHouse team were wined and dined by the Gwent BALLS TEST club at their Sportsman Dinner, and chatted to Dragons’s 06 ASDA league lad Adam Martin versus Bath coaches Paul Turner and Leigh scrum-half Andy Williams. Who’ll win? Jones about the problems facing the Celtic League outfit. OI, REF! 06 David Davies, our favourite merry whistle blower, The team: Hattie Brett-Miller (editor), Andrew Gwilym explains the maul—it’s not as scary as it sounds (deputy editor), James Anthony (design), Andy Pierce (online), Alex Brownsell (deputy online), Mhairi UP AND COMING PLAYER Montgomery (production editor), Laura Davies (listings), 07 Don’t spill beer on this page, because Kidwelly Oliver Pickup (features), Matt Aplin (writer), Laura Male RFC’s Stuart Morris is one for the future (writer), Hannah Gilchrist (news), Bethan Davies (writer), TRIED & TESTED: ENERGY BARS Jill Park (features), Emma Shipley (writer), and Jamie 10 A guide to what will give you more energy than Darlow (chief sub) the Energizer bunny—and actually taste nice Get in Touch One Off [email protected] PLUS: THE PATRIOT PAGE 07968 203 967 08 Summer’s round the corner, we dodged the wooden spoon, and we still love Welsh rugby www.clubhousewales.com 02 clubHouse Kick Off Featured Team YoungBrecon and eager for success, Brecon RFC are building a team for the future The Stats ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS our new pavilion which includes four Colours: Red/White hoops of the WRU, Brecon RFC has been a changing rooms and showers, a weight Established: 1879 as one formidable force in Division Three South training room, kitchen, referee’s room, of the founder East. The club has finished in the top half physio room, and a hospitality room. members of the of the league every season since promotion We’re also planning to add lights onto the WRU there four years ago. And last year, they field in the near future,” Rowsell explains. stormed to a commanding 23-0 victory Currently sixth in Division Three South Captain: Peter Owens over Abercrave, taking the prestigious East, and trailing leaders Treherbert by 20 Ones to watch: Martyn Jones John Jeffreys Breconshire Cup, too. All this points, Rowsell admits that Brecon have and Mike with 20 members of the first team squad to be more consistent in order to reach Chappelle, 2nd former Brecon youth players. their potential. “The best run of results team players “We are a club who rely on young local came at the start of the season when we Famous old Mark Wyatt talent,” says chairman Ron Rowsell, who won our first five matches and drew the boys: (Swansea & believes their self sufficient attitude to Wales), Andy replenishing their playing ranks is key to The youth team is a Powell (Newport, Brecon’s success. “We are lucky. We have Llanelli, Cardiff a very successful mini and junior section strong integral part & Wales) and the youth team is a strong integral Home ground: Parc de Pugh part of the club.” of the club Community spirit is something Brecon Top fact: 18 first team have in abundance. “Brecon’s a great sixth,” he says. “Since then we’ve been players came club. Our boys give it their all out there less consistent, but I’d like to think we can from the youth on the pitch and our committee work hard recapture that form between now and the team behind the scenes to help Brecon thrive,” end of the season.” says committee member Norman Jones. But Rowsell is keen to remind sceptics “Everyone in the community gets involved that Brecon’s team is not the finished article www.breconrfc.co.uk somehow—it’s just like that here.” quite yet. “We hope that we can fulfil the And with the club’s progressive and true potential of the team. We’re a young proactive attitude, it’s not surprising the squad and we have narrowly lost a number players are so loyal. “The main aim of the of games through our own mistakes,” he Check out your club’s profile club is to provide the best possible facilities says. “We are learning all the time though, on the clubHouse website: for our players in order for them to reach and hopefully we can make the most of the www.clubhousewales.com their full potential. In 2000 we opened collective“ talent available.” clubHouse 03 Kick Off What? No Llanfairpwllgwyngychgo- Hendy gerychwyndrobwyllandysuliogogogoch? IT’S BEEN A BAD SEASON FOR It’s not because we can’t spell it. It’s because Hendy RFC. Not only have they been we don’t know about it. So don’t complain, cursed with bad weather, but they are send stories to [email protected] yet to win a single match this season. The team are 12 points adrift at the bottom of Division Three West. Committee member Dai Timothy puts the team’s bad luck down to their own lack Laugharne of staying power. LAUGHARNE RFC’S LONG RUN “We’ve been struggling. It’s because of players not of victories has finally come turning up for training and a few players retiring. We’re to an end, after losing 15-0 to also waiting for fresh talent to come through from the Lampeter RFC last weekend. youth team,” says Dai. “Every club has a rough year and The club hasn’t lost a game this is ours.” since the beginning of the year. They even beat Division Three West champions Penclawdd RFC 28-23. But last weekend, they hit their first stumbling block of the season. Bonymaen “Lampeter was an ill-tempered game,” said CHRIS JENKINS, Alun Jenkins, Laugharne club manager. “They the star player of didn’t allow us to play. We’ve had a few injury First Division high problems and it’s not a massive squad, so we flyers Bonymaen had to make the best of what we had.” RFC, has undergone On 25 March the teams will face each other surgery for cancer again, only this time on Laugharne soil. “We’ll after a random drugs test exposed have that home advantage,” said Jenkins. the problem. “The team always perform better at home and Jenkins, who was diagnosed with realistically we hope to be in the top three by the prostate cancer after Bony’s cup end of the season.” exit, had the operation to remove the tumour last week. Club spokesman Tudor Jones, was happy to say Jenkins was out of hospital just in time to watch his team’s hard fought 6-0 win over Cwmllynfell RFC at the weekend. “The lads have been giving him plenty of banter and the club wish Trimsaran him all the best,” Jones said. TRIMSARAN RFC ARE TAKING ENTRIES for the 18th annual Jonathan Davies youth sevens tournament, scheduled for Saturday 27 May. Organisers expect 24 clubs to participate and divide into eight groups of three teams.