ANGLESEY AIRPORT GIVES GOGLEDD CYMRU A FLYING START

Gogledd Cymru welcomes Anglesey Airport aboard as a partner in the team's plan to become Wales' number one rugby region. www.angleseyairport.com. Twice daily flights to Cardiff from Anglesey offer the regional team a potential mechanism for travelling to South Wales for midweek games. Conveniently reached by rail and road, the airport operates from purpose built facilties at RAF Valley. The hour long flights leave daily at 0855 returning at 1615 (1515 on Friday) or at 1740 returning at 0730 the following morning. Competitively priced, fares start at less than £20 for a single journey and may be booked online at http://www.highlandairways.co.uk. This three year partnership deal will take Golgedd Cymru to 2010, the date set by the Welsh Rugby Union for the team's entry into the Welsh Premiership. Gogledd Cymru look forward to working with Maes Awyr Mon to promote the North Wales region.

PORTMEIRION: THE NORTH WALES ICON JOINS THE TEAM

Portmeirion, the iconic regional attraction has added its support to Gogledd Cymru, the most exciting rugby development in Wales. http://www.portmeirion-village.com/. It is appropriate that the new Gogledd Cymru kit will carry the Protmeirion logo. With an architect bold enough to create an innovation that has become world famous it defines the aim of Gogledd Cymru.
In the words of Clough Williams-Ellis "we can, if we are clever...have both beautiful new developments along with the old, and the natural beauty as well" Gogledd Cymru aims to take regional rugby down a proud, democratic and transparent, path to being the foremost region in Wales - Join us! email k.l.morgan@liv.ac.uk for details of our partnerhsip schemes.

MILK – the sports drink.

Gogledd Cymru has become the first rugby team in Britain to promote milk as a sports drink. In the first of a series of planned promotion partnerships, South Caernarfon Creameries http://www.sccwales.co.uk/ have agreed to sponsor Golgedd Cymru over the next two seasons. This fits well with the team’s aim to promote regional businesses and to improve milk consumption in Wales. There are 2,600 dairy farms in Wales, approximately one per 1000 head of population. This is 4 times that in England where the ratio is one per 4,000 people. Dairy farming is particularly important in North Wales. Numerically, eighteen percent of Welsh dairy cattle holdings are in North East Wales. Of equal importance are the small family farms of North West Wales. Here the average herd size is 48 compared with a national average of 75.
Llaeth (milk) is a regular feature on the Gogledd Cymru training ground and changing room. No other sports drink strengthens bones. Llaeth is also isotonic, restores body pH.........and it’s Welsh.
Other local companies with an interest in sponsoring this exciting rugby development by having their logo on the team shirt should contact Kenton Morgan k.l.morgan@liv.ac.uk 0151-794-7986

RUGBY PHYSIOS

As part of Gogledd Cymru's (The North Wales Regional Rugby Team) commitment to player health, senior team physiotherapist Nikki Davies and academy physio Dafydd Llewelyn are setting up a network of rugby physios in the North Wales region.
The exciting development will bring together qualified physios attached to the 23 clubs in North Wales in an unprecedented player health network.
The overarching aim of this network is to prevent player injury, to speed up player rehabilitation and increase player longevity.
Any qualified physio with an interest in rugby injuries is welcome to join the network. Full details are at www.rugbyphysios.blogspot.com

SALE JETS - MATCH REPORT

This was always going to be a hard match. Gogledd Cymru surprised their supportive Northern neighbours last season with a 17 -17 draw and it was time for a young but well drilled development team from Sale to put the record straight. It was good to welcome James Wade and his team back to North Wales.
The ball retention of the visitors was impressive. They played expansive rugby with their inside centre Parrot making a number of half breaks. It was only dogged defence by Gogledd Cymru that prevented a much higher score in the first half.
With the gale force wind behind them in the second half Gogledd Cymru had a fairer share of the territorial advantage. When they scored an early try it looked as if they might close the scores. However this was not to be and with a further 3 tries in the second half Sale Jets ended up worthy winners.
Gogledd Cymru thank Sale for their contribution to rugby development in North Wales. With 3 North Walians in their side the Jets are beginning to offer talented players from the region the opportunity to play professional rugby.

WATERLOO SHOW THE WAY FORWARD

There can be no doubt in the minds of the Gogledd Cymru team about the challenge ahead. Size prevailed on Saturday when in giving, a "stone a man" to the Waterloo pack, Gogledd Cymru conceded 6 tries and 37 points.
This ends a series of two preseason friendly matches which have been useful in introducing new players to the system and in outlining the task for the future.
Playing a level above club rugby will demand greater fitness and skill levels from individual players. Having new levels to aspire to presents exciting targets for these players. Coaches and management have recognised this as a process. It will not happen overnight or over the season - but it will happen.
There is a buzz in the camp. No-one can have any doubt about the commitment of the players, coach, physio, manager and technicians. The only disappointment on Saturday was the support.
The next game is against Sale Jets on the 19th Sept in Bangor k.o. 19-30. The Jets will be looking to avenge the 17 all draw last season.

GOGLEDD CYMRU (gold) AND LLANDOVERY (green) PLAY FOR YOGI

GOGLEDD CYMRU were proud to play a part in an event which raised £23,000 for the Bryan Davies Appeal on Saturday 11th August http://www.bryandavies.org.uk/ In losing to Llandovery 35-14 GOGLEDD CYMRU provided an entertaining game of rugby with a number of new players getting the chance to be members of the squad. Resilient in defence, it took almost 60 minutes before GOGLEDD CYMRU began to show the shape that they generated towards the end of last season. The team looks forward to Llandovery's offer of making this an annual event.