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The 21st season of the WRL South Wales Men’s League will kick-off on June 1, with South Wales Jets defending their title.

This year’s league will consist of eight sides, playing eight matches. All sides will play each other once with one randomly drawn loop fixture. The top four sides will then qualify for the semi-finals with the Grand Final being played on Saturday 17 August.

The Jets, who have moved to Penallta RFC this year, will start at home, taking on the league’s most successful team ever in Bridgend Blue Bulls. The Pyle-based side have won exactly half of all the league titles, the last of their 10 crowns coming in 2021.

An under-13 match league between the two sides will be the curtain raiser to this match. This will be the first-ever junior game for the Jets.

Swansea Rams are entering the senior competition for the first time after building as a junior club for the past few years. In what will be the first WRL Men’s League clash in the Swansea area for 18 years, the Rams will host Cynon Valley Cavaliers at Loughor RFC in Gorseinon. The Cavaliers continue to play their home games in Hirwaun.

There’s a big local derby at Hendreforgan Playing Fields in Gilfach Goch where South Wales Saints will host Rhondda Outlaws.

The Saints will be playing in their second season, and have also launched junior sides for the first time. The Outlaws, who are based in Glyncoch, will be looking to regain the title that they last won in 2022.

Finally for week one on June 1, there’s a clash of the league’s heavyweights where Aberavon Fighting Irish host Torfaen Tigers at Harlequins Field in Port Talbot. The Tigers’ men’s side are returning to Pontypool United for their home fixtures in 2024.

In addition to the men’s leagues, there will be junior competitions running, with games mainly being played on Sundays, starting on June 2, with all fixtures to be confirmed this week. More than 2,000 children have already registered to play in sides from u8s all the way up to u16s.

In addition to Welsh sides, the u16 and u14 leagues will also include junior sides from English Southern Conference League club, Bristol All Golds.

The leagues will have a launch event at Penallta RFC on Saturday May 18, where there will be a senior men’s Nines competition, which will also contain teams from Cardiff University and Swansea University.

WRL development manager Richard Lewis said: “We’re really delighted that we will have more people than ever playing rugby league in South Wales this year.

“There’s plenty of enthusiasm at all of the clubs with the number of sides they are fielding increasing year by year.

“As we branch into new areas, the number of new players who are registering, adults and children, is amazing to see.

“We look forward to seeing everyone at the launch event in Penallta on May 18.”