VIDEO: Cwmbran RFC fielded a first XV team where every player had come through the junior and youth section

The 2017/18 Cwmbran RFC squad from under sevens through to the first time — The 2017/18 Cwmbran RFC squad from under sevens through to the first team
(Photo by John Watkins)

The first team at Cwmbran RFC started the 2018/19 season in Division One East for the very first time. A fan spotted that every player on the pitch for the match against Hartridge RFC had come through the club’s junior and youth teams.

I went along to Cwmbran RFC to chat to Dave Allison, the club chairman, about how they have been able to nurture a first team of homegrown talent. The club is doing so well they have introduced a senior seconds team- something rare nowadays in club rugby.

WATCH chairman Dave Allison talk about the #OneClub ethos at Cwmbran RFC- CLICK PLAY

A visit from the Welsh Rugby Union

Martyn Phillips, the WRU group chief executive, visited the club last week. Dave Allison said: “It’s good that he has heard what is going on at the club. He wanted to come down and see what we were doing so he could go to other clubs and tell them it can work, a bit of time and effort and an ethos that everyone believes in is a good thing for the club and it can work anywhere else. It was very exciting and we were glad to have him down.”