Bridgend Ravens - Recent Times

Recent Times

Until 1995 rugby union was a strictly amateur sport, when the switch to professional status occurred Wales struggled to come to grips with it. Masses of foreign players and generally poor results by Welsh clubs in European competition inevitably affected the national sides fortunes. During the early years of professional rugby, Bridgend struggled on and off the pitch and at one point in 1998 the club was on the verge of closure. The turn of the century saw an upturn in fortunes for the Bridgend club, they qualified for Heineken Cup and in 2003 won the Welsh Premiership title. It was around that time that the WRU could no longer sustain funding a 9-team premier league, under the then new chief executive David Moffett, he proposed cutting in the number of top flight teams down to 4, with clubs joining forces to create new identities. Eventually it was agreed that five regional teams would be created to play in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup competitions, with Bridgend joining forces with Pontypridd RFC to create the Celtic Warriors. Following this, Bridgend become a semi-professional team and play in the Welsh Premier Division, which now become the second tier of Welsh rugby.

The Celtic Warriors contained the best players from the Bridgend and Pontypridd clubs, famous Welsh international players including Neil Jenkins and Gareth Thomas donned the Warriors shirt. They were however not without their problems, on the field despite not being able to field their international players for long periods during the season (due to 2003 Rugby World Cup and 2004 Six Nations Championship), the side were competitive, finishing 4th in the Celtic League and going very close to making the quarter finals of the Heineken Cup. Following an incredible 14-9 away victory at London Wasps in the Heineken Cup a crowd of 10,000 crammed into the Brewery Field for the return clash 5 days later (which the team lost 17-12) with the gate giving hope and optimism for the future of the region. Unfortnately, a series of problems throughout the season ended with the closure of the region at the end of the season. Pontypridd RFC's half of the region had to be sold during the early days of the season due their finanical problems, with their half being given to the Welsh Rugby Union. The other 50% was also sold at the end of the season and the WRU decided to close the team down due to financial problems.

For Bridgend RFC, their defence of the title during 2003/4 was never realised, they recruited players from their old academy and from local clubs and remained competitive throughout. The name Bridgend RFC is owned by the former owner of the Celtic Warriors, Leighton Samuel. In order to concentrate on the Celtic Warriors, Samuel decided to withdraw his financial backing of Bridgend RFC. Fans and businessmen of the area resurrected the team, naming it Bridgend Ravens. The name comes from the nickname of the former Bridgend RFC club, who were known as the Ravens. After the Celtic Warriors folded, Bridgend Ravens had two superb seasons on the pitch, finishing 3rd in 2004/5 and 2nd in 2005/6 in the Welsh Premier Division. From then on finicial problems had affected the club, eventually the only income streams came from WRU funding, sponsorship and gate receipts, the club didn't own the Brewery Field and were renting to play there which cut out a chunk of potential income streams. The club eventually had some control of their home back, going into partnership with Bridgend Town F.C. to take 50% ownership of the ground. Despite this, a series of disastrous results during season 2008/9 saw the club finish bottom of the Welsh Premier Division and were relegated out of the top flight for the first time in their history.

Many expected Bridgend to bounce straight back up from WRU Division One West in 2009/10, but a title challenge never got going, with many of the squad from the previous season having defected elsewhere and a change of coaching staff, the club found life very difficult and a terrible start to the season ensured that they were in a relegation battle throughout the season. The team did pick up some form by the end of the season and finished 9th out of 12 and 9 points clear of the final relegation spot, ensuring survival with a 59-27 victory at relegated Cwmllynfell RFC.

The future of the club looks bright at present, significant investmest is being made by a company called Llandarcy Park Ltd which is believed to have secured the long term future of the club. In addition, the club have appointed Steve Tandy as their new head coach from season 2010/11. In 2011, Bridgend won the WRU Division One West title with 4 games to spare, tries from Gareth Howells, Steve Tandy and Luke Morgan, plus 10 points from the boot of Daniel Griffiths gave them a 25-19 victory over Bonymaen RFC to take the title. The club won a play-off final against Glamorgan Wanderers RFC with the scoreline of 38-19, meaning that they will be returning to the Welsh Premier Division for 2011/12 season after a two year absence from the top flight.

Bridgend's return to the Premier Division surpassed expectations. The club finished 8th. Initially, however, just a week into the start of the 2011/12 season, Bridgend, along with 3 other Premiership clubs, were delivered news that they would not be included in the new 10-team premiership for 2012/13 onwards. This was because the club had come 11th on league finishing positions over the course of six seasons, the time spent outside the top flight hit them considerably. However, some months later they were given a reprieve, along with fellow club Carmarthen Quins, after a decision to increase to 12 teams.

For 2012/13 season, the club changed playing personal. New signings include Alex Jones (Newport), Ashleigh James (Neath), Scott Hicks (Tonmawr) among others. There is also a change in coaching personal, Steve Tandy left the club during the second half of the previous season to become the new head coach of the Ospreys, with player Ben Rose named as his replacement, initially on an interim basis, but he now has the job on a permanent basis. Daniel Griffiths has retired from playing to become backs coach, whilst ex-Cardiff hooker Paul Young joins as forwards coach. The club will also be making its debut in the British and Irish Cup, which will see battles with rivals Cardiff, as well as English championship powerhouse Bristol RFC and Ulster Ravens, a team composed of academy and local players from the Ulster province.