Rivalries kicked into touch to keep community rugby alive

“To see two rival clubs put their differences aside for the good of rugby was amazing.”

On the brink of collapse post-Covid, Aberbargoed RFC and Markham RFC joined forces to save rugby in their communities.

With both sides experiencing dwindling numbers after an 18-month break, Aberbargoed’s long-serving secretary, Jayne Edwards, took it upon herself to contact arch-rivals Markham in an attempt to create one superclub – Bedwellty RFC.

Jayne told Caerphilly Observer: “We knew when Covid hit that we were going to struggle to recover. It was completely soul destroying.

“We just couldn’t attract any new players. We managed to field a side for the first three games but by then we were down to just eight players.

“It became almost dangerous. We were forcing the issue and players were playing unfit.”

Jayne approached local banks and charities, as well as Markham RFC back in autumn 2021 after realising the two clubs could finish the season with enough players if they pooled resources.

“There were some reservations at first, amongst the players particularly. This was expected though after you tell a team they’ll be playing with their rivals.

“Since then however, we’ve never looked back. It’s been fantastic. Everything just clicked.”

Bedwellty RFC now play out of the League 3 East B.

In recognition of her efforts, Jayne was nominated for Principality’s ‘Clubhouse Champion’ award, where 15 members out of a possible 800 were selected in recognition of their grassroots community work.

Welsh rugby legend Shane Williams, who was part of the team that decided the eventual winners, said: “The clubhouse has always been at the heart of the community and it’s the community that makes the clubhouse.

“We were thrilled to see hundreds of nominations and it was a big challenge trying to pick the winners, but Jayne’s and the other 14 winning stories really stood out to us.”

The award came as a surprise to Jayne, who said: “I was shocked and surprised of course. To get the respect from the people that I work with is what really meant the most to me.

“I was just happy that it all worked out and to see the club’s work together has been great.”

As part of her win, Jayne was given VIP tickets to Wales’ Six Nations defeat to Italy on March 19, where she bumped shoulders with a number of former Welsh rugby internationals in a hospitality box at the Principality Stadium.

While the focus is still firmly on the now, Jayne said the merger has provided a base for a more sustainable future.

“We hope to learn from each other’s past experiences. The idea of developing a minis’ side as well as a youth has been discussed, but most likely that will be something for the next few years.