Public trial match this Friday at Porthcawl (kick-off 7,30pm)

South Wales Scorpions RLFC are inviting fans to watch their final public trial match this Friday at Porthcawl RFC (kick-off 7.30pm).

This will a proper 80 minute 13-a-side rugby league match and will put all of the Scorpions train-on squad through their paces as they aim to get into the final squad for the big kick-off against former Super League club Workington Town at The Gnoll in Neath on Sunday 28 February.

Thirty seven players have currently been in training at the Scorpions and 35 of them have been split into two teams for this exciting trial match. Lee Williams and Christiaan Roets are the two absentees. Williams has a knee injury while Roets is currently on holiday.

Scorpions chairman Phil Davies said: “This game is set to be as exciting and dramatic as any rugby league game that you’ll ever see. It’s a proper match but with an added twist as the players know that a position in the Scorpions professional squad is up for grabs. We’re expecting a large crowd to watch. It’s free of charge to get in so don’t miss out.”

Season tickets will also be on sale at the ground on Friday night.

The two teams have been split into “green” and “red”. Following the game, a 27-man squad consisting of 22 first team and five development players, will be selected and announced at www.scorpionsrl.com on Saturday. The selection will also take the players’ training ethics, current fitness levels and commitment to training into account.

The teams (numbers subject to change) will be as follows…

GREEN TEAM: 1. Jamie Tibbs, 2. David James (Blackwood), 3. Lewis Reece, 4. Steve Ireland, 5. Ashley Bateman, 6. Andrew Gay, 7. Steve Parry, 8. Joe Burke, 9. Shawn Owens, 10. Neil Dallimore, 11. Barrie Phillips, 12. Loren Quick, 13. Sam Studley. Subs: 14. Harri Greville, 15. Garrick Legge, 16. Phil Cushion, 17. Stuart Volkes. Coach: Dan Clements.

RED TEAM: 1. Marc Bennett, 2. Dalton Grant, 3. David James (Bridgend), 4. Craig Foster, 5. Tom Rees, 6. Matt Hutchings, 7. Jamie Stewart, 8. Adam Coupe, 9. Garyn Lucas, 10. Leigh Taylor, 11. Dean Scully, 12. John Sangier, 13. Adam Pope. Subs: 14. Paul Boden, 15. Stuart Harvey, 16. Tom Payne, 17. Anthony Symmonds. Coach: Hywel Davies.

The players are requested to bring their own shorts, socks and boots.

Directions to Porthcawl RFC here

Scorpions pick their initial train-on squad

South Wales Scorpions have selected their initial train-on squad following a successful trial on Sunday afternoon where over 50 players turned up at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.

The 28-man squad contains three players who scored tries for Wales when they beat Scotland 28-16 to win the European Cup last year, Ashley Bateman, Christiaan Roets and Lee Williams.

The Scorpions will be entering Co-operative Championship 1 in 2010 and will open their season with a home game at The Gnoll in Neath against former Super League side Workington Town on Sunday 28 February.

By sheer co-incidence, the Crusaders faced Workington at their first ever game at this level four years ago. The Scorpions have selected two players in their first training squad who starred in that game which finished 50-18 to the Welsh side, Dean Scully and Phil Cushion, both of whom were regulars throughout the Crusaders' inaugural 2006 season. Cushion is the fourth full Welsh internationalist in the squad.

Many of the rest of the training squad have been starring for either Crusaders in Super League reserves or clubs in the successful Welsh Conference Premier including two players with the same name, David James. One previously played for Bridgend Blue Bulls and the other for Blackwood Bulldogs.

This is a train on squad, further in house trials and friendlies will be held and players will be added and deleted from the squad in the next six weeks prior to the first League game.

TRAIN-ON SQUAD

Adam Coupe
Alan Pope
Ashley Bateman
Barrie Phillips
Christian Roetts
Craig Foster
David James
David James
Dean Scully
Gareth Dare
Garyn Lucas
Harri Greville
Jamie Stewart
Jamie Tibbs
Joe Burke
John Saniger
Lee Williams
Leigh Taylor
Loren Quick
Neil Dallimore
Paul Boden
Phil Cushion
Sam Studley
Shaun Owens
Stephen Ireland
Steve Parry
Stuart Harvey
Stuart Volkes

TRAINING INFORMATION - ALL PLAYERS PLEASE NOTE

• All players are to attend training on Monday 18th January at Bridgend College, Pencoed Campus, 6:45pm meet for a 7:00pm start. Please meet Dan Clements in the car park at the College.
• Wear your own kit but it must be suitable for the gym.
• All players to bring a water bottle and protein shake.

Trials now to be held in Cardiff on Sunday afternoon

South Wales Scorpions RLFC will attempt to hold their player trials for a third time this Sunday on the Astroturf at the Welsh Institute of Sport, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. All players are to meet at 4pm.

This is a change of venue and time. The original venue in Trefforest will still be out of action this Sunday.

As per the email they received, players are reminded to wear trainers and that boots are not allowed on the Astroturf. They are also recommended to wear tracksuit bottoms with shorts underneath.

Wales’ newest professional rugby league club are eager to begin pre-season training as kick-off is in less than seven weeks time.

The Scorpions face former Super League club Workington Town in their first game at The Gnoll in Neath on Sunday 28 February.

Trialists are advise to keep note of the www.scorpionsrl.com website should there be any further updates due to change in weather conditions.

Season tickets for are now on sale via the club website priced £60 for adults and £30 for concessions.

Trial postponed until Sunday

Tonight's Scropions trial has been postponed again due to a little bit of snow that has been falling in this area.

This has been rearranged again for Sunday with a 1pm start at the same venue, University of Glamorgan playing fields in Trefforest.

Trials still on for tomorrow (Wednesday)

South Wales Scorpions’ player trial is still on for tomorrow at the University of Glamorgan playing fields in Treforest. All players are to meet at 6.30pm for a 7pm start.

Trialists are advise to keep note of the www.scorpionsrl.com website should there be any further updates due to change in weather conditions.

Trial postponed

The trial match for potential South Wales Scorpions RLFC in Trefforest this Sunday has been postponed. This will be re-arranged for next Wednesday evening at a location and time to be decided. All applicants will be contacted by email.

The club have been overwhelmed by the amount of young Welsh players who want to play professional rugby league. Almost 100 applications were received, more than expected, and because of this, some players have been emailed and have been told they won't get a trial this time around. However they have been told that the door is never closed, to keep playing for their local Conference club and the opportunity may arise again in the future.

News on the open trials this Sunday

The club are due to have a trial for potential players in Trefforest this Sunday at 1pm where almost 100 have applied to take part. The club will look at both the ground and the updated weather forecast tomorrow (Friday) and make a decision on whether the trial will go ahead on that day or not. If it is postponed, applicants will be emailed with an alternative date and location. Further news will be published here.

South Wales to hold open trials for players

South Wales RLFC are holding an open trial for players for their first season on Sunday 10th January at 1pm at the University in Glamorgan playing fields in Trefforest.

The newly formed club, who will play their home matches out of Neath RFC, open their inaugural Co-operative Championship 1 campaign with a home game against former Super League club, Workington Town, at The Gnoll on Sunday 28 February (kick-off 2pm).

Players need to apply by filling in an form. These will be online by the end of this week at www.cymrurl.com and on the new South Wales RLFC website that will go live next week.

"The open trial is for League or union players to come along,” said South Wales director Mark Rowley. “The player base is fantastic here in South Wales. We know that we'll be able to use players who were in the Crusaders reserve team last season but there is still a lot of untapped talent out there.

"We'll be a 99 percent Welsh club which will be good for our identity. We won't be importing any players at all from Australia or New Zealand. We want Welsh players to go on and play Super League.

"Moving from the Conference to the Super League is too big a step. They need this middle ground in order to go on and play Super League and then for Wales. As a nation, we’re building towards qualification for the 2011 Four Nations and 2013 World Cup and this club is an important stepping stone in player development."

"We are hoping to develop links where players can travel back and forth. We’ll be more than a feeder side as players will be able to travel both ways. If the Welsh youngsters are not being used by the Crusaders, hopefully we can get them back.

"We’re hoping to be good enough to gain promotion to the Championship within two years and in six years time, we want to be able to compete for a Super League licence. I'm confident that we have the structure here to enable that to happen.”