The London Welsh Rugby Club Podcast

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

Our guest this week is our top point scorer since project reset, Osian McAvoy.  Osian is a Llandeilo RFC graduate having played with their team all the way to seniors and even invites himself on their 150th anniversary tour to Beziers.  He represented Scarlets at U16 and U18 and had a training week with Wales age grade, before deciding to get out of Wales to experience life and prioritise his education at Reading University.  Whilst there, he played a few matches for Rams in Nat 2, before graduating and finding himself at London Welsh post Covid.  Osian has been an ever present since then and has found a real home from home at the club, making many lifelong friends along the way.  On top of this, he takes us through how the London Welsh careers hub helped him find his next role and set him up with a mentor from the club. A great player who has been a big part of our success. Enjoy

In this weeks' episode we chat to former London Welsh and Leicester player Dai (David) Williams. Dai comes from great sporting stock with a strong athletic background from both sides of his parents family. He was raised in Leicestershire and made his way into the Leicester team full of seasoned internationals. A job move to Brighton a few years later and he came to London Welsh and played here for 7 seasons. Injury, form, selection; meant he wasn't always in the 1st XV, but if you wore a red shirt you were playing for the club. Post rugby, he played Vets, formed 'The Martini Club', a huge part of the Voyagers and coordinated the London Welsh former players lunch. A true London Welsh rugby man and a top fella to boot. Enjoy. If any former players want to get on the mailing list for future lunches; please get in touch with Dai. daiwilli@sky.com

Our guest this week is former London Welsh back row specialist, Mike Denbee. Mike born and bred in Somerset and was late to the game as a teenager; worked his way to the Weston Super Mare Colts, which helped him transition to senior rugby at the club. He was doing this whilst studying for a degree at Plymouth, but in his last year decide to have a crack at playing at Plymouth Albion with Graham Dawe in charge. He was offered a professional contract, but then he went on to play in Spain and Birmingham Solihull, before finding himself at London Welsh. Three great seasons at the club, especially the Promotion one with Lyn Jones. Mike quit professional rugby at the right time for him and then managed playing semi pro and his career in insurance for 5 years before he retired. Some great stories from Mike here and a honest assessment of his rugby journey. Enjoy

Our guest this week is former London Welsh full back Matt Vines. Born and bred in Wales, he made the move to St Mary's University in London and found himself at London Welsh at 19. Matt was selected by Mike Gosling for a few first team appearances in that first season when they were promoted to National 3. Matt tells us about the Clive Griffiths era and the Semi professional approach of the club and a really funny story about a new signing getting injured!!! Matt loved the environment and the group of players that Adrian Davies signed for the club and had his most successful spell in that first season in 2000. He explain why he left London Welsh to go to Rugby Lions and then comes back again and loved the tours that the players went on. A real honest account of a much loved player at London Welsh, with plenty of stories to boot. Enjoy.

Our guest this week is Academy Award winning producer James Gay-Rees producer of films including AMY, Senna and Diego Maradonna. Box to Box Films is an award documentary production company based in London, Paris and Los Angeles and they are the team behind Formula 1:Drive to Survive, Break Point, Full Swing, Unchained and the recently released SIX NATIONS:FULL CONTACT. James grew up in Richmond and Twickenham and played Mini rugby at London Welsh and has fond memories of watching the senior side in the 70's playing at Old Deer Park. We discuss his journey from Minis to top Documentary maker and the ins and outs of the new behind the scenes 6 Nations series. Very engaging chap, who would love to reconnect with London Welsh. There may even be a film in it.

Morlais has been a player, team manager and supporter of London Welsh for 59 years. Brought up in Mynnydd Careg and wasn't allowed to play rugby until he left school. He played for Kidwelly RFC whilst in Wales and then made the move to Notting Hill. You will not believe which club he played for first, before he made the move to London Welsh in 1965. Played for 20 years across the Extra A's, A's, Dragons and Druids, before stepping into team management for the club. Morlais was appointed 1st team Manager in 1993 and he didn't miss a match until he retired from the role in 2007. We chat about tours as a player and a team manager, plus how he didn't let cancer beat him. A Man who has seen it all at the club and who has made so many lifelong friends at London Welsh. Enjoy

Our guest this week is Ben Whitehouse, WRU Professional Referee. A busy official who has just been been away for two rounds of European Cup duty as a referee and TMO; and is getting ready for the 6 Nations. We discuss what the Word Cup was like as part of the whole officiating squad and his role within it. We learn about his refereeing journey and get to understand who his role models are. A young referee with lots of experience; becoming more prominent in the International arena. Enjoy.

Our guest this week is former British and Irish Lion and Wales Scrum Half, Mike Phillips. Mike gives his tribute on the loss of JPR; a true Wales, Lions and London Welsh Legend. We discuss his forthcoming appearance at London Welsh dinner on Feb 9th as part of the club's England vs Wales weekend. We also chat about what he is doing now that he lives in Dubai, plus we spend some time reflecting on his media role during the Rugby World Cup and look forward to the 6 Nations. Enjoy. Tickets for the Dinner are available on www.londonwelshrugby.club/

Our guest this week is former Premiership Hooker, Dan George. We discuss the many sliding doors moments of rugby and what rugby has given him and continues to give him as he enjoys coaching at Old Albanians and Ealing Trailfinders Academy. He started life in Wales, representing his country at U16, U18 and U21, whilst representing the Scarlets and playing for Llandovery College. He moved to London Welsh at the age of 21, playing over 90 matches across the 5 seasons and had his most consistent year; the year the club won promotion under Lyn Jones. This is a real honest account about the ups and downs of life of a professional rugby player, who went on and played at Gloucester, Worcester, Blackheath, Bedford, London Scottish and Chinnor. Enjoy

Our guest this week is Senior Men's Coach and Head Coach of Druids, Andrew Evans. Andy was late to the game of rugby, only taking it up in West Scotland at the age of 17; but there was plenty of rugby pedigree in his family. He started life on the wing and post school found himself working as a Coach for the Scottish Rugby Union. He was meant to go into the Army at 19, but decided to loved coaching so much and went to Wales to get a degree in Rugby Coaching. Post University, he landed a role as Community Coach at London Scottish and then came across to London Welsh to train and play for the club as a Hooker. He then got involved with coaching the U18's and that then developed into his current role. We discuss his role at Imperial College and we preview this weekends' London Welsh U20 clash with Richmond. Enjoy

Our guest this week is our Aussie flanker Rohan. Born and bred in Sydney, playing touch rugby with his brothers and lots of club rugby in the suburbs before he got to make senior appearances. He gave up rugby for a few years post an ACL injury and moved to the UK . Will Taylor encouraged him to play touch at the club and the rest is history. A very popular player with the members and someone who clearly loves being part of this Community club. Enjoy

Our guest this week is Nigel. Nigel came to London Welsh in 1979 and either played or coached at the club for over 19 years. He takes us through his journey, plus all the tours the club went on during his time there. Nigel had offers to go and play elsewhere; but this was the only club for him. We hear about the escapades the 'Martini Club' get up to and what lifelong friendships he has made during his time here. Nigel chats about his time at Llandovery College and what a hot bed of talent it was and still is. A true gent, who has been chair of the Voyagers since 2006 and has plenty of stories to entertain you. Enjoy.

A couple of guests this week. Our main guest is Sam, who joined London Welsh at the beginning of Project Reset and was a big character in the squad for the two seasons he played for the club. A very proud Northerner, who played some tough rugby in Yorkshire, who also escaped the UK to travel and to ski. Sadly work curtailed his LW journey, but he still turns out for the Vets and is often at ODP on match days with the family supporting the club. We are also joined by 1st team player Gareth Lewis to see what's happening inside the camp. Enjoy

Our guest this week is former London Welsh Scrum Half, Rob Lewis. Rob was brought up in Abergavenny and went to senior school in Hereford where he grew to love rugby. He signed professional terms with the Dragons and was loaned out the some Welsh Premiership clubs to get experience before he made his regional debut. Some 7's rugby for Wales and then Danny Wilson signed him for London Welsh. 8 years at London Welsh winning 3 trophies and experiencing a couple of relegations, makes this podcast a fascinating listen. Enjoy.

Our guest this week is Club Captain Adam Nixon. Adam was born in the Midlands and was part of both Leicester Tigers and Worcester Warriors Academies before he went to Australia to play rugby in his gap year. 4 years at Leeds University, where he played National 1 rugby; before he escaped to Guernsey to start his career in financial services and to play for the island team. 2 years of great fun for young Adam, meant he had to come to London to work and found himself at CS Stags with a great bunch of mates. Post pandemic, he fancied a change and came to London Welsh and has never looked back. A fascinating insight on our club and why he choose to come to London Welsh and why he loves it so much. Enjoy

In this weeks' pod, we hear from former player James Roberts, now Sports Broadcaster as he takes us through his documentary that he has made about London Welsh, called Dragons in Exile. We hear about his rugby background and all the support he received from Cardiff Met as he pursued his Masters in Sports Broadcasting. James came to London Welsh and was with us for two years during Covid; so his game time was limited and then cut short through injury. He still benefitted greatly from the `Careers Hub at London Welsh and felt the advice given has helped shape his career to date. He is now an active Stadium Announcer, Commentator at many sports event around the world and we expect many more things from James, once people get to see the film he has made. We also catch up with Osian McAvoy on the club's season to date, his thoughts on the top of the table clash with Havant and why the squad for this season is tighter than ever. Enjoy.

In this weeks' episode we hear from London Welsh Scrum Half, Hywel Williams. He takes us through his brief thoughts on the Rugby World Cup; his trip to Nantes with many of the players and his thoughts on the season to date. We then have Rugby Paper journalist, Brendan Gallagher and former Wales international Adrian Davies looking at how the teams have performed during the group stages and we give our predictions on who will make the Semi Finals. Enjoy

Our guest this week is Australian Premiership prop Ollie Hoskins. We discuss the Rugby World Cup to date and preview the big mach between Wales and Australia this weekend. We hear about how Ollie became capped by Australia in 2021 and what it meant to him and how the clip of him being told he was in the squad, went Viral. Ollie also takes us through his journey to becoming a professional player, why he came to the UK and how much he loved playing for London Irish. Ollie is still settled in London and is now playing for Saracens and is looking forward to the challenge that brings. Enjoy

Our guest this week is former Wales International, Cardiff Blues and current Ealing Trailfinders player, Lloyd Williams. We discuss his Rugby World Cup memories, plus ask for this thoughts on the current campaign as we look forward to the Portugal match at the weekend. We catch up on his career and his pathway to Cardiff Blues and why he left to join Ealing Trailfinders. He also speaks about helping the London Welsh squad at training and chats about London life. Enjoy

In this episode we speak with former Wales International and ex London Welsh Coach Adrian Davies. We get his perspective from his experience being part of two Wales World Cup Squads' in 1991 and 1995 and then enjoying the other World Cups as a fan. We discuss the merits of each group in RWC 2023 and which teams we think will make progress into the Quarter Finals. Enjoy.

In this episode we hear from the club Director of Rugby, Cai Griffiths as he previews the season ahead in Regional 1 South Central.

Our guest in this special is BBC Rugby Union Correspondent, Chris Jones.  Chris is a former KCS player and was a guest at London Welsh when both teams played each other in London South 1.  We chat about his rugby journey and how he got the role at the BBC.  What he learned as a London Society Referee and why he might go back.  Chris shares with us his views on the state of the Championship, current form of the Home Nations and what's it like interviewing Eddie Jones.  A fascinating conversation from a top journalist who is at the forefront of our game. Enjoy.

Our guest this week is former back row player, Ollie Steadman.  Ollie has played in the Championship for over a decade and is well placed to give his honest assessment of the league and what could be done to improve its visibility.  He joined London Welsh from Newcastle after helping them gain promotion from the Championship to the Premiership as we went the other way. He played a big part in helping London Welsh get promotion to the Premiership under Justin Burnell, but then a few short weeks into that season he was suspended.  He is very straight talking and tells us exactly what happened from his perspective.  He then moved on a played for Doncaster, Leeds, Ealing, Bedford and is now looking to help Moseley out of National 1. Enjoy

Our guest this week is former London Welsh captain, Graeme Peacock.  He grew up in New Zealand, but was quite a latecomer to rugby, enjoying other sports before got hooked on the sport at 16. He then played locally for his club, before getting involved with the District side and coming up against some very famous All Blacks like Ian Jones and Buck Shelford.  He moved to the UK and played a bit with a few clubs, before a chance meeting with Andy Lee and moving to Old Deer Park.  Graeme played for the club all the way through the 90's when we went from Amateur to Semi Pro and discusses the different environments and some of the characters he played with.  He is still involved in professional sport and spends his time now as a Caddie for an American golfer. Enjoy

Our guest this week is former London Welsh scrum half Ian George.  Ian started his senior rugby career with Northampton Saints, but struggled to get a regular starting birth at his favourite position of scrum half as he was behind a current England International and was often playing centre.  He moved to Rosslyn Park to further his International aspirations and sat on the bench a few times, but was never capped by England. He captained the Barbarians a few times in his 14 appearances and won a County Final at Twickenham with Middlesex.  Ian moved to London Welsh in 1979 and Old Deer Park was his home for the next 6 seasons where he made scrum half position his own and really enjoyed his rugby at the club.  We chat about his current role at Saracens and what its like being a parent of a professional player, travelling the world watching your offspring play.  Enjoy

Our guest this week is our former hooker Chris Ritchie. Chris played back row all through his time at Swansea University, where he captained them and the Welsh Universities.  He went on to play for Oxford University for one season,  before settling down to play for Rosslyn Park whilst earning his keep in Insurance. A couple of years into his senior rugby career, he switched to hooker where he played for the rest of his playing days. Adrian Davies convinced Chris to come across the A316 to London Welsh to play at Level 2 where he became a firm favourite with the Supporters and players at the club.  143 appearances later during 6 eventful seasons he then retired, only to go on and play another 100 games for Rosslyn Park. Chris keeps in terrific shape through cycling challenges and loved reminiscing about his time at London Welsh and Rosslyn Park. Two great clubs. Enjoy 

Our guest this week is former centre and full back Seb Jewell.  Seb has a unique perspective of his time at the club having lived through the joy of a couple of promotions to the Premiership, a B&I Cup win and was there at the end when the club went into liquidation.  He talks about his sliding doors moment of how he signed for Harlequins after playing for Richmond Rugby Club and how challenging it was to break into 1st team rugby.  He was loaned out to Esher for a couple of seasons to get consistent game time and he really blossomed as a player and was eventually signed by London Welsh. Seb chats about the Wednesday night sessions with the young lads and how much enjoyment he had playing rugby at Old Deer Park.  Enjoy.

Our guest this week, is Club Chairman Danny Griffiths.  In this interview we discuss the key themes from the AGM. The Board restructure, the end of the 5 year plan and what comes next.   Where are we financially with the club and what does the club require to prosper at Level 5 with the increase in travel costs and ensuring we have a club that can compete at this level.  New membership packages and what will happen on match days. The big shout for volunteers for the club to enable us to move forward in delivering a great Community Club. Vacant roles are below. Head of Mini & Youth Rugby​ Head of LW Careers Hub​ Head Coach Girls Rugby​ Club Accountant​ Book keeper​ Shop Manager​ Social Media Manager​ Match Day Media Coordinator​ Men's Social Media Rep​ Mini & Youth Social Media Rep​ Supporters Club Social Media Rep​ Match Day volunteers​ Sponsor Liaison Officers

Our guest this week, is Saracens and England International player Alex Goode.  Alex played a few games for London Welsh in 2008 to help us avoid relegation and to ensure he was game ready for the U20 World Cup.   We discuss the run in that Saracens have in the Premiership and the hope that they can get to another final at Twickenham.  Alex was successful at many sports, but was only picked up by the Saracens Academy after he had played for England U18's; and what a career he has had;  5 Premiership titles, 3 European Cups and 2019 European Player of the Year and still looking to add to those.  We discuss life after rugby, whenever that will be and how much he enjoys playing the game.  You will be very impressed with his recollection of the matches and players he played with for London Welsh over 15 years ago and how much he enjoyed turning out for the club.  A fascinating insight into one of the best players of the last decade in England and a top bloke to go with it.  Enjoy. 

Our guest this week is current Performance squad player, Andy Black.  Andy joined London Welsh by chance at the beginning of the season when the club were in London North West 3.    Our supporters immediately took to him as he played a variety of position from No 8, to front row during that season.  We here about his upbringing in North Devon and about representing his county and playing for Exeter Chiefs Academy. HIs home club was Barnstaple and he played for them all the way through his senior school.  Andy loves playing for London Welsh, enjoys the engagement with our supporters, has a great bunch of mates within the squad and to top that;  he recently earned his 50th cap for his appearances in the 1st XV.  Enjoy

Our guest this week is Aled Thomas.  Aled came to London Welsh in 2007 after a few years at Newport Gwent Dragons.  Still a young lad at 22 and wanting regular rugby at 10 for a club that was going places; and he chose right in London Welsh as this was their first season as a professional squad.  During his first season at the club, he also went on to win the World 7's in Dubai with another club stalwart in Lee Beech.  Three seasons for the club and he was offered a contract to go back to Scarlets to play Pro 12 which he took as World Cup cover for some of their Welsh Internationals, but played in the majority of their games. Phil Davies took him to Gloucester so he had a season in the Premiership, before going back to Scarlets to finish his professional career. You really get to appreciate the ups and down of being a pro player, when you hear how Aled's professional career came to an abrupt end.  We hear about life as a Semi pro player in the Welsh Premiership and how he is still playing and recently been at the Principality playing for Aberafan. Enjoy.

Our guest this week is former Chairman Bleddyn Phillips. He takes us through how he was invited to join the Board when he hosted a St David's Day Dinner in Moscow!  Once on the Board, he was made Chairman immediately and helped the Board make some big decisions in the Spring of 2012 as we were aiming for Promotion to the Premiership.  Bleddyn takes us through what he is doing in retirement to keep himself busy with his work with the Scarlets and Swansea University.  We hear about how he met his wife and all the glamorous locations he has worked around the world.  London Welsh still has a special place in his heart and we hear why he felt he had to step down as Chair in 2016.  A fascinating insight into a key character who was instrumental in ensuring we had the right to play in the Premiership.

Our guest this week, is current squad member and prop superstar Sam Mahoney.   Sam has played prop since his early days at Colchester RFC when he joined them at U11.  We get to learn about his journey in rugby and why he took a gap year to wait for the love of his life to join him at University and when he made the transition from Colts rugby to Senior rugby for Clacton.  At University he bonded with a fellow student and became best mates with Tom Baldwin, which you hear quite a bit about their rugby journey, through Uni to London 1 North and then to London Welsh together. Who was the London Welsh member who encouraged Sam to join the club?  Sam loved his first 3 seasons at the club and became a popular player with our supporters as he was the basis for our strong scrum and he also got over the whitewash a fair few times.  A few concussions prevented him getting a run of games in our second season and work and injury hampered his availability in the third season, but he has still made 39 appearances for us since project reset.  We hear he is desperate to come back and play once he can come back and train more often.  A top guy. Enjoy.

Our guest in this weeks' episode is Terwyn Williams, Life member of London Welsh.  London Welsh has been a second home for Terwyn for over 50 years, from when he landed in London in 1970 and where he has made so many life long friends. We hear about where in West Wales he was brought up and started to play rugby and then where he went to College.  He didn't go straight into education, but found his way to his real passion of teaching History, Geography and Games across three schools in West London for over 30 years.  His passion for sport shines through and we discuss his involvement with the Welsh Exiles and the players he found for the WRU over the years.  London Welsh has been a massive part of hie life and we hear about how he has been involved with the club, primarily helping with the kit for 30 years and most of the time with Pete Lowe.  A fantastic trip down memory lane for our listeners.

Our guest this week is Nathan Trevett.  In this episode we get to understand Nathan's journey from Youth rugby to Senior pro player in South Wales.  He played senior rugby at 18 years and 4 days for Cardiff RFC and played for them and Glamorgan Wanderers, before getting his chance at Cardiff Blues as injury cover whilst some of the players were at the World Cup.  Cardiff kept Nathan on for another season, so he got some game time in the Pro 12, before Justin Burnell signed him for London Welsh, were he stayed for 3.5 years.  When London Welsh were expelled from the Championship, clubs in the Welsh Premiership were after Nathan and he ended his career playing for Merthyr RFC.  We get to understand what life after rugby is like, plus an update on what his son is achieving in rugby.

Our guest this week is former London Welsh prop and captain Julian Davies.  This Barry boy came to London Welsh in 1980 and played for the club for over 12 seasons.  He had to bide his time and literally fight his way into the first team by demonstrating his scrummaging prowess in those legendary Thursday night training sessions.  He led the club on many occasion, appointed for a couple of seasons as club captain, but also took over the reigns when others got injured.  We discuss his captaining style, the many club tours that happened during the 1980's and the friendships that last until this day.  We look back at his time at the club through the many stories Julian has of being a proud player of this club.  Julian left London Welsh and went on to make 150 appearances for Esher and retiring just before his 40th birthday.  We discuss what he is up to now as President of the Voyagers and scrum coach at Reeds Weybridge. A fascinating insight into club life by one of London Welsh's most colourful characters. 

In this episode we hear from the many characters from around the club who enable match days's at London Welsh.  Saturday 18th March was the first league fixture for the Men's 1st XV since Feb 2020 and everyone was excited for the match.  We hear from the following at the club Pre Match Michael Talbot - Operations Director Natalie Smith - Women's Captain Pete Lowe - Director and Team Manager Terweyn Williams - Life Member Rocky Hudson - Druids Coach Joe Jones - Chair of LWRFC Choir Matt Mcclymont - Owner of School House London Crone Du Rand - Head Coach of London Cornish Tom Hunt - London Welsh player Will Taylor - S&C Coach at London Welsh Paolo Peschisolido - London Welsh player

Our guest this week is Rugby Commentator and Content Producer, Nick Heath.  Whilst London Welsh were in the Premiership, Nick was the club's stadium announcer and VIP match day host.  Nick moved from London Welsh to announce at Harlequins when his Commentating career took off. He currently works for Talksport, Channel 4, England rugby and commentator on International rugby, Premier 15's and The Premiership.    During lockdown Nick had no work as a freelance journalist and found interesting ways to publicise his craft an his social media following increased substantially and led to some interesting new working opportunities for him.  Nick loved his time at London Welsh and mentions that the Match Day announcing is in good hands at the club. 

Our guest this week, is current Bath RFC and England International Josh McNally.  Josh was recently capped by England during their Summer matches with USA & Canada after displaying some great form during the last Premiership season.  He grew up in Hereford and always wanted to serve in the forces and didn't really think about having a career in rugby.  His journey started with the Colts at Luctonians and then he moved to the Royal Air Force, where his rugby developed over a couple of years and he went on to represent them, as well as playing for Henley Hawks.  It was at Henley where he was spotted by London Welsh and was signed by the club as they were then promoted to the Premiership under Justin Burnell's stewardship.  Josh had three seasons with the club, before he moved to London Irish and then on to Bath RFC.  This is a fascinating insight into someone who found a career in rugby a bit later than most and has blossomed into an England International.  We also include some post match interviews in this episode with from the Battersea Ironsides match on 4th September with Tom Baldwin, Liam Chennells and Ben West.

In this weeks' episode we hear from many people across the club as excitement builds towards the start of the season.  Our Director of Rugby, Cai Griffiths takes us through his thoughts on pre season; the matches the squad have played, plus what he expects over the first few months.  There are a couple of interviews with players post the Cardiff match and this is something we will look to continue to do throughout the season; where we hope to get use to using the different microphone!!! We catch up with Head coach of the Women's team, Michael Griffiths, who introduces their new backs coach,Lee Irvine to us.  They tell us about their Inner Warrior Camp and the new teams they will be playing this season.  We then hear from Nell, one of the originals from the Girls rugby squad players about the anticipation of our first ever U15's girls team.  Brendan takes us through the excitement of the Minis season starting and what enjoyment the parents and players of some of our U9's had when they went on tour to Cardiff for the weekend.  Finally, Andy Evans our Colts coach, chats about the pre season the Colts have had and what we should be expecting from them this season.

Our guest this week is Director and Head of Men's Rugby, Jonathan Shankland.  Jon came to London Welsh after playing National League rugby in the Midlands and fell in love with the club.  He has played for the club from 2011 until the end of our first season in the Herts and Middlesex league, where he decided to retire and play for the Vets.  He has made life long friends at the club and decided to put his efforts into post his playing career into managing the Men's teams across the club.  He takes us through what that involves on a weekly basis and how we have recruited so many players for our forthcoming season in London South 1.  Jonathan is also the club's social media guru and explains how much output the club puts out each week to keep us front of mind with our huge following and supporter base.