The London Welsh Rugby Club Podcast

LW 105: DoR Cai Griffiths - Season Review

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.

LW 104: Tom Shanklin

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

LW 103: Haydn Parry

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

LW 102: Tom Douglas

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.

LW 101: Morgan Browne

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