Exciting times lie ahead for Lloyd's Dairymen

LLANHARAN head coach Matthew Lloyd has promised more new faces will be on the way to the Dairy Field following the signing of centre Neil Dallimore.

The club hopes to announce several more additions to the squad in the next few weeks when all the relevant paperwork has been completed.

There is also hope that Wales Sevens star Steffan Thomas could join the Dairymen for the new National Championship campaign – the player who scored four tries in eight games while on permit from Cardiff last season will be studying at Bristol University.

“We have spoken to a number of prospective signings and are hopeful that many of them will be joining us,” said Lloyd. “So far the paperwork has been completed on centre Neil Dallimore, but we shortly hope to announce several more names once the formalities are completed with the WRU.

“There have also been productive talks with both Cardiff and the Blues, and each has promised it will look to place players with Llanharan on a regular basis.

“Another who has said he wants to join pre-season training is former Youth player Lee Thorne who has been out of the game for the last year – his powerful play would be another great asset. Thirteen touchdowns in as many games two years ago speaks for itself.

“Up front we hope Ed Rees will be available again to add to our front row options.

“It looks like just about all of last season’s players are staying so all in all it’s looking good as we can build on the solid platform developed in 2011/12 and aim to start with a bang.”

Two friendlies have been arranged so far, against Chippenham at home on August 11 and away to Ystalyfera the following Saturday.

Former Wales rugby league international and prolific try scorer Lenny Woodard has taken over as backs coach at Beddau.

The 36-year-old, a veteran of more than ten clubs during a long career in both codes, succeeds Rhys Edwards who left Beddau with immediate effect after two-and-a-half years.

Edwards was part of the coaching team that kept Beddau in division one east in 2009/10 and then helped guide them to finishes of third and fifth in successive seasons.

Woodard arrives at Memorial Park with a vast experience of league rugby in Wales under his belt having played for Pontypool, Pontypridd, Bridgend, Aberavon and Ebbw Vale.

He scored more than 150 tries in the Swalec League and won five caps for the Welsh rugby league side, touching down three times.

UWIC are to start their pre-season programme at home against Oxford Harlequins on Saturday, August 11 before a week later travelling to face Taunton, who play in National 2 South of the RFU National League.

The friendly fixtures will be completed with a home match against Cardiff on Wednesday, August 22.

Newbridge have snapped up flanker Craig Hill ahead of the new National Championship season after the 30-year-old openside was released by Newport.

Hill was a member of Wales’s victorious World Cup Sevens squad in 2009 and signed on the dotted line having been approached by Newbridge backs coach Jon Hawker.

“Craig is a superb signing,” said forwards coach Andrew Gibbs. “He is a quality player with real pedigree that will really add to the strength in depth in our back row.

“He fits into our ethos of playing a high tempo game with a big emphasis on fitness.

“That showed last season when we finished a lot of big games strongly, particularly the wins against Bargoed and Ebbw Vale and the Swalec Cup defeat to Pontypridd when we had them worried.

“Between Craig and Andrew Coupe we have two excellent sevens and it brings all sorts of thoughts into our minds about our mix in the back row.

“We’ve still got my brother Dean and have also signed another six in Alex Williams, so there is real competition and different options for us as coaches.”

Moving in the opposite direction to Hill is last season’s captain Ross Coombs, brother of Dragons back row Andrew, who has joined Newport in the Principality Welsh Premiership.

After leading Newbridge to third in division one east last term, Coombs was voted the players’ and supporters’ player of the year and goes to Rodney Parade with the full backing of the club.

“Ross has been terrific for us and we wish him all the best at Newport,” added Gibbs. “He has been a great leader and captain and, to be honest, it’s hard to believe that no Premiership club has signed him up before now.”

Hookers Rhys Price and Darren Hughes have been named as Newbridge’s joint captains for next season.