In this episode, Cai sits down to chat to Gareth about winning Regional South Central 1 and getting promoted into National 2. We speak about the preparation that went into the season and the confidence the players had after beating Nat 2 opposition in pre season. How important it was to get the right start away at Bracknell and the relentless nature of the season. The club only dropped 3 points all season and yet they only won promotion with 1 game to go. We chat about the celebrations; all of them!!. We also discuss what the players are up to post season and Cai gives his own tribute to those players who have left us at the end of the season. He also talks about the special atmosphere at ODP and thanks the incredible work done by the volunteers at the club. Roll on National 2. Enjoy.

Not many people will know this; but Tom started his senior rugby career at London Welsh where he played for both the Druids and the 1st XV after a couple of seasons in the Colts. His dad had captained the club in the 70's and amassed over 230 appearances for London Welsh.

We start the podcast discussing the state of Welsh rugby and how Tom transitioned from playing rugby to a career as a Media Pundit and Commentator. We chat abut Flats and Shanks, his podcast with David Flatman, plus his new shiny one called Stick to Rugby.

Tom had one season of senior rugby at London Welsh before going to play for Saracens for 4 years and then Cardiff Blues where he tasted European success. A fantastic career with Wales, with 20 tries in 70 games for his country and he is also a British & Irish Lion as he went on the 2005 tour to New Zealand.

Enjoy

Haydn has made a massive contribution to London Welsh success off the pitch since he joined the Board when Project Reset was launched. We hear about how he and Pete Leyborne worked together to bring the Careers Hub to life and how they launched it to the players. Haydn gives us some great examples of how the Hub has helped the players excel off the pitch and how we use it to attract new players to the club.

A Neath boy through and through, who came to London Welsh in the early 70's for a visit, before he settled in the area in the early 90's and never looked back. He became Chair of the Supporters Club when we had a professional team and then joined the Board where he has impacted so many of the players and their careers.

Enjoy

Tom has only been with London Welsh for under 2 seasons, but boy what an impression he has made on and off the pitch. If would be fair to say he leads the charge in both and is very popular with our supporters with his all court play.

He came to London Welsh from Manly Marlins and we get to hear about the Aussie Union pathway and the link this club has with that club. Tom also takes us through his route to London Welsh and just demonstrates the amount of work behind the scenes our amazing volunteers do for these players. We hear about the stories post match, his tour to France and a Christmas in Wales, but what hits homes is how the squad took Tom under their wings straight away and he instantly became one of the boys.

Enjoy.

Our guest this week is Morgan Browne, a huge part of the London Welsh family.

He joined the Little Wizards, aged 5 with the rest of his family and has been a player ever since.

Morgan loved his minis and youth rugby at the club, especially the tours he went on in Wales or to Europe. He played for Hampton School and was captain in his final year where he led the team out at Twickenham and played against a certain Manu Tuilagi.

He attended Cardiff Uni and joined the rugby club where he captained the Freshers in the Varsity. Rugby was taken very seriously at Cardiff, and he played mostly in the 1’s and 2’s; but also found other passions and was quite keen on his drama.

Post uni he came to London and played a bit for some local clubs, until Lloyd Davies called him and the rest is history. He played 3-4 years for the Druids before reset and then had about 19 matches with the club when Cai and Sonny were the coaching team. Morgan had to retire due to concussion and he explains quite clearly how the club sat him down and explained the situation to him and put him first.

An engaging, honest and a lovely human, who will continue to help this club in the future. Enjoy

Jacob joined London Welsh after the Covid outbreak when he moved to London to work in advertising.

A Monmouth boy through and through, who’s first love was initially football until he was taken to Abergavenny RFC at the age of 10. He then played all the way through the age groups, even when he attended Monmouth Boys School where he played against some of the best schools in England. Post school and some time in Australia, he attended Liverpool University where he captained their rugby team in his final year.

He had quite a unique experience playing for Abergavenny in the Principality stadium and is keen to play for then again with all his brothers. He gives a glowing reference to how the Careers Hub at the club helped him settle into working life in London and how the club has become a home from home for him in London.

We also touch on what it was like growing up knowing your dad had been captain of Wales and then always on the TV during the 6 Nations.

A great guest to mark the 100th episode. Enjoy

Dan only played 9 matches for London Welsh when he was 18 and we were playing in London North West 2, which was at Level 8 in the English rugby pyramid. Brought up in Wales, having played club rugby for Llandovery and Brecon as a Mins/Youth player; he was then was part of the Ospreys Academy and capped at Wales at u16. Ospreys didn't sign him at 18 and Dan decided to join Ealing Trailfinders academy and their Brunel University programme. It was during this programme that he came on loan to London Welsh in his first term and then went to Blackheath in that same season. He subsequently went back to Blackheath after Covid and was also sent on loan to Rosslyn Park. He now play rugby in the Championship for Cornish Pirates and loving life in Cornwall. A really interesting chat with a very mature man, who is very ambitious about his rugby. Enjoy

Billy Moss played for London Welsh for 3 season between 2012 and 2015. He always played front row and loved playing for Tonbridge School and also Tunbridge Juddians. He was never picked up by any of the Academies, but played for County and then a scout mentioned he would play for England U18, which he subsequently did at all age grades. He then played plenty of rugby at University and was then signed by Bath on a 3 year contract. He was loaned out by Bath to a couple of clubs and then came to London Welsh. We hear some great stories of how he settled in at Welsh and found his place, plus some shocking travel stories about those European ties.

Post career, he tried a few roles until he got into Wealth Management and is a paretner in his own firm. He also loves cooking, especially outdoor cooking and you can follow his social media accounts on instagram and TikTok, as he is on there as @BigBaldChef. Enjoy

Tommy is the current Backs Coach for the Performance squad at London Welsh. In this episode we discuss the current form of the team and we build towards the biggest game in Community rugby this weekend, with the top of the table clash between two ex Championship teams, with Jersey and London Welsh.. Everyone at the club is excited for the fixture and we are hoping for a big turnout from our supporters. We also discuss his rugby journey from Sales, Wasps, Jersey, Leicester, London Irish and then some stints, in France, Italy and Japan. Tommy’s career demonstrates the precarious nature of pro sport, but also the opportunity it can give you to explore and experience the world. A fascinating insight into a career of someone who has played top level rugby for over 10 years and is now giving the benefit of that to the London Welsh squad. Enjoy.

Allen is a Welshman and London Welsh man through and through. Played for Risca all the way through school and then decided to get out of the Wales bubble to further both his academic and rugby education up in Newcastle. This is the time when Newcastle Falcons where at the top of the Premiership with the help of the backing of Sir John Hall's investment and full of International players, like Johnny Wilkinson, Tom May, Doddie Weir and Gary Armstrong. He enjoyed his 5 years there, but was asked to come back to Wales to have a crack at getting in the Wales squad and signed for Celtic Warriors. That didn't work out, so he had 6 months playing for Gordon's in Australia and some time at Henley, where he first encountered playing at London Welsh.

He then had a conversation with Adrian and realised he could play top quality rugby at Old Deer Park and begin his career in the city. He played under Adrian, Martin Jones and Danny Wilson before deciding to study for an MBA to further his career. What you hear in this interview, is how deep the friendships Allen made at London Welsh forged by training on Tuesday and Thursday, followed by long bus trips to Cornwall or up North, where you really get to know your team mates. A real pleasure to hear from Allen. Enjoy