EXODUS TO BLAENAFON
Maesteg Quins travel to Gwent to play Blaenafon for the first time.
Blaenafon finished two places above he relegation area of Division One East last season. When you consider their fixture list included matches against powerhouse Brynmawr, rugby hotbed Penallta, reinvigorated Brecon and the ultra competitive Ynysybwl, Risca, Nelson, plus Quins’ 2017-2019 Plate opponents Pontypool United; that is one hell of a tough league. Just to finish the season is a test of survival instinct!
Nestled high in the Afon Lwyd valley, it’s not often the Quins travel to play at a UNESCO World Hertiage site. Blaenafon has inspired poetry by Cymer poet John Davies and is far more than a decaying industrial town.
Blaenafon has a rugby heritage as rich as its historical past when the ironworks was at the cutting edge of industrial technology.
One of Wales’ most famous sporting sons hails from the town. Ken Jones OBE played 44 times for Wales when five internationals per year were the norm. He also represented the British Lions and won Olympic 100 metres relay silver in 1948. A statue to the great man quite rightly stands in the town.
Ten times Pontypool captain and Welsh Grand Slam skipper Terry Cobner, centre Mark Taylor hail from the town. So was ‘Pooler’ second row John Perkins.
Scrum-half Colin Evans played for Blaenafon, Newport, Pontypool and Tredegar before turning professional with the Northern Union.
One player who never made the national team, but gained cult status at Pontypool Park by striking pure fear into opponents, Chris Huish, is also a son of Blaenafon. What it is about back-row play and Blaenafon, but another renown club player was Roger Powell.
After a soaking last Saturday at Barry, with several impressive individual displays and handling movements, the journey east promises to be another exciting adventure into the unknown as the Quins prepare for the challenges of the Championship in two weeks time.
Bus LEAVES at 12:30hrs.
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