WRU Rugby Hub programme celebrates successful second year
Learners represented Wales and RGC, while the programme also delivered opportunities to students of all backgrounds and abilities, with plans to expand in 2024/25
Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s WRU Rugby Hub Programme is celebrating a fantastic second year.
Among the highlights were students Leah Stewart, Begw Ffransis-Roberts, Saran Griffiths and Dylan Alford representing Wales in the Under-18 Six Nations Festivals.
Leah, Begw and Saran were also among eight learners who played for Rygbi Gogledd Cymru’s successful U18 girls’ side during the 2023/24 season.
Competing against the Scarlets, Ospreys, Dragons and Cardiff, they helped RGC Piws go undefeated for the season, becoming the first team from North Wales ever to win a WRU Regional Age Grade competition.
In the boys’ game, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor reached the North Wales U18 Cup final, while Coleg Glynllifon’s season climaxed with a 49-7 ‘agri derby’ win over Llysfasi.
The programme’s successes were not just on the rugby field. In partnership with Colegau Cymru, the Grŵp’s WRU rugby engagement officer Ollie Coles organised the first ever North Wales ‘Ability Counts’ football tournament.
This was won by a team of Independent Living Skills learners from Coleg Glynllifon, who beat Coleg Menai’s ILS team in the final.
As a result, both teams qualified for the first Pan-Wales Colegau Cymru Ability Counts football competition in Cardiff, with Coleg Glynllifon reaching the final in the capital.
Other highlights of the 2023/24 rugby programme included:
- 178 sessions delivered to 2,032 Grŵp Llandrillo Menai learners
- 90 community club and schools engagements
- 19 events/games for 100 boys representing Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor and Coleg Glynllifon, with Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor competing in the Urdd 7s and North Wales U18 Cup final
- 31 sessions coaching eight Grŵp Llandrillo Menai learners with RGC U18s, who won the Girls U18 Regional Age Grade Competition
- Equipping 160 learners with CPR training
- 20 Rugby Leaders trained and deployed 35 times
- 20 referees trained and deployed 47 times
- 78 inclusive rugby sessions to more than 200 learners
The Grŵp’s WRU Rugby Programme works across four main pathway areas: Pathway Boys, Pathway Girls, Pathway Workforce and Pathway Inclusion.
Under Pathway Boys in 2023/24, 100 learners took part in 10 fixtures for Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor and Coleg Glynllifon.
Rygbi Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor had a strong campaign, which included reaching the Plate semi-final at the Urdd 7s in Cardiff, as well as the North Wales Cup final.
Coleg Glynllifon’s team was re-established in 2023/24, and will compete in the RGC North Wales U18 Schools & Colleges League next season.
The plan for 2024/25 is to establish Rygbi Coleg Menai, with Ollie saying: “I greatly look forward to watching the boys from Ynys Môn demonstrate their ability!”
Under Pathway Girls, open training sessions were held across the campuses for a Grŵp Llandrillo Menai girls team, who will compete in the Welsh Schools and Colleges National Conference for the forthcoming season.
Ollie said: “Our goal for 24/25 is to see the girls playing regular 15s and 7s fixtures as we continue to grow our girls’ playing offer.”
This pathway saw Leah, Begw and Saran joined in playing for RGC by fellow Coleg Menai students Sara Mai-Jones and Ella Basinger, Cadi Edwards (Coleg Glynllifon), Rhian Williams and Cari Evans (both Coleg Llandrillo).
Pathway Workforce aims to develop the next generation of volunteers and professionals to work within the sports industry.
Under this pathway, 25 Coleg Llandrillo learners undertook a Level 1 refereeing course in partnership with the Urdd. They went on to referee several Urdd Primary School Rugby Competitions in Llanrwst and Ruthin, as well as the annual North Wales 7s Competition in Colwyn Bay.
Pathway Workforce also saw sessions delivered in sports development, inclusive sport training, and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
Pathway Inclusion aims to remove barriers and engage with players regardless of ability, social background or identity.
Ollie said the pathway had been “one of the greatest successes of our GLLM/WRU Rugby Programme so far, providing opportunities to people from a huge variety of backgrounds and abilities to engage with rugby”.
He described the trip to Cardiff for the Ability Counts football tournament as “an incredible experience for the learners, who represented Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and North Wales excellently”.
Pathway Inclusion also saw six pre-vocational learners from Coleg Glynllifon attend the Disability Six Nations event at Bangor University, where they supported WRU coaches and developed their communications skills.
Ollie added: “Looking forward to 24/25, we are hoping to expand both the number and quality of opportunities for learners within our inclusion pathway, namely with the return of our Grŵp Llandrillo Menai Mixed Ability Rugby Festival hosted at Stadiwm CSM.”
To learn more about Coleg Llandrillo’s Rugby Academy, click here. To learn more about the Grŵp Llandrillo Menai WRU Rugby Hub programme contact Ollie Coles o.coles@gllm.ac.uk
