Two Cardiff-based Welsh-speaking schools, Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr and Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf, will contest British rugby league finals next Friday 3rd July, after already becoming champions in rugby union.
It will be like an away game for both schools as the finals are being held at the home of Goole Vikings, a Yorkshire-based RFL Championship side, and both of our sides are taking on Yorkshire-based opponents.
First up, at 12.40pm, are Plasmawr Year 7 Girls who take on Castleford Academy, a side that they’ve already beaten in a group match on their way to the final.
They qualified via the Girls National Festival thanks to victories in both of their group games, against Castleford, and Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School of Widnes, and a semi-final win against Trinity Academy from Leeds.
Plasmawr’s sports teacher, Seimon Edwards, said: “We signed up to play rugby league to get additional games for the girls. They were so keen.
“We’ve had an amazing season so far in both codes. In rugby union, we’ve won both the WRU Urdd 7s, then the WRL 15-a-side Welsh Cup.
“The week after the Welsh Rugby Union Cup Final, we went up to Leeds for the Rugby League Girls National Festival, full of hope and excitement rather than any expectation.
“The welcome Andrea Murray and her team from the Rugby Football League gave us in Leeds was amazing. They made us feel so welcome, answering any silly RL technical questions I had.
“I’m so proud of how the girls have bought into our rugby programme in school, most of them new to the game. We have barely missed a training session since September. The girls have been a pleasure to coach this season, and we all can’t wait to travel back up for the final.”
Then, at 3.20pm, Glantaf face Malet Lambert School from Hull in the Year 9 Boys’ Final. It will be this side’s third final in a row. Two years ago, in the Year 7 Final, they lost to St Peter’s Catholic School of Wigan at Wembley Stadium, before beating the same side last year in Wakefield as Year 8 pupils.
This season, they’ve had to overcome three schools from the north of England to get to the final, and they did that in style, beating Nelson Tomlinson of Cumbria 34-18, Cowley International College of St Helens 28-24, and The Deanery C of E High School of Wigan 16-6.
Glantaf’s sports teacher, Rhydian Garner, said: “I think this will be our seventh game against Malet Lambert as a school. We played them once in Cardiff in previous years, and this will be the sixth time we have to travel to Hull.
“We faced them last year in the year 8 quarter-final up there, and we beat them 40-4, but I’m not taking much into that game. It’ll be different on Friday.
“It’s been a great season for us, very busy. The boys won the Welsh Cup in both rugby league and rugby union, plus the English schools rugby union cup as well, beating Northampton.
“So, this is to crown the season off. There’s a lot at stake, really, in terms of becoming the dual champions in the same year, the English rugby union and league competitions. I’m not sure if anyone has ever done that before.
“We’re excited we’ve trained well, but the semi-final was back in early May, so we’re going a little bit cold, in terms of game time, but we’ll stick with it. We’ve had injuries all year, rarely travelled with a full team, and we’ll be travelling a bit light on Friday, but we’re still confident.”
Both matches are expected to be streamed by the Rugby Football League, with details to be confirmed.
