Celtic Warriors

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Celtic Warriors
Founded 2003 (disbanded in 2004)
Location Bridgend, Wales
Pontypridd, Wales
Ground(s) Brewery Field
Sardis Road
Capacity 12,000
7,861
League Celtic League
2003-04 4th
Flag of Wales

The Celtic Warriors were a regional rugby union team from Wales, playing in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup.

Contents

[edit] History

The Warriors were one of the five original regions of the Welsh Regional Rugby Era. The club came into being in the summer of 2003 when the WRU controversially elected to reduce the current top tier of Welsh Professional Rugby from nine clubs into five regions, attempting to mirror the successful formats in Ireland and the Southern Hemisphere countries of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Officially representing the Mid-Glamorgan Valleys area, including Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare, Pontypridd, Caerphilly, Maesteg and Bridgend, and south Powys, the Celtic Warriors was in practice a combination of the Pontypridd RFC and Bridgend RFC Welsh Premier League Clubs. With Bridgend RFC having clinched the 2002/2003 Welsh Premier League title and Pontypridd RFC being consistently strong in that competitions, the Warriors were considered one of the strongest line-ups out of the Welsh regions.

However problems dogged the region from the very start, as they similarly did with the other merged regions of the Neath-Swansea Ospreys and the Newport Gwent Dragons. Discussions and arguments abounded about the team name, colours and home grounds for most of the summer of 2003. The name "Valley Ravens" was a controversial choice but seen by many as a fair compromise (Bridgend's nickname was the Ravens while Pontypridd fans welcomed the Valley reference), however various marketing persons within the WRU did not like it. "The Crusaders" and "Celtic Crusaders" met with widespread disapproval from both sets of fans as it incorporated neither team's identity. "Celtic Warriors" was finally decided upon more out of the need for a name than from any real agreement.

Argument over team colours ran alongside the naming problem until a compromise blue, black and white shirt was unveiled and satisfied most people, as did the initial decision to play an equal number of games at Bridgend's Brewery Field and Pontypridd's Sardis Road.

The team itself performed well for a squad almost completely rebuilt over the summer, acquitting themselves well in both the Celtic League and European Rugby Cup. However financial problems at Pontypridd RFC led to the sale of their half of the Warriors to Bridgend RFC owner Leighton Samuel, which he in turn gifted to the WRU, a move that would later condemn the club. Further problems occurred as Samuel made the decision to abandon Pontypridd's Sardis Road in favour of playing all Warriors games in Bridgend. This brought the club into conflict with a large proportion of its fan base and attendances fell further.

Trouble followed in the Spring and early Summer of 2004 where Leighton Samuel repeatedly threatened and revoked threats of selling the club; one such instance went as far as Samuel accepting an offer from the WRU before changing his mind. This transaction was considered to be legally binding, and the Warriors became 100% owned by the WRU who decided to liquidate the club on 1st June 2004.[1]

With the demise of the club, players' contracts were effectively torn up as they were pushed around to fill positions in the other four regional sides. A number simply chose to turn their back on the Welsh game and moved to teams in England, France, Ireland and Italy. This left the ex-Warriors' fans feeling alienated from the professional game.

In the aftermath of the demise of the Warriors, a new rugby league club Celtic Crusaders was formed that play out of Brewery Field. They are funded by Leighton Samuel, who has claimed that they are the reincarnation of the Warriors franchise.

[edit] Home Ground

The "Warriors" shared their home games between Bridgend's Brewery Field ground (home of Bridgend RFC) and Pontypridd's Sardis Road ground (home of Pontypridd RFC).

The region included two Welsh Premiership teams namely Bridgend RFC and Pontypridd RFC

[edit] Statistics

[edit] Celtic League

Season Pos Played Won Drawn Lost Bonus Points
2003/2004 4th 22 14 0 8 9 65

[edit] Celtic League Cup

Season vs. Round Score
2003/2004 Glasgow 1st 19-9

[edit] Heineken Cup

Season Pool/Round Pos Played Won Drawn Lost Bonus Points
2003/2004 Pool 6 2nd 6 4 0 2 4 20

[edit] Notable Former Players

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ WRU axe falls on Warriors. bbc.co.uk (2004-07-01). Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
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