The London Welsh Rugby Club Podcast

By London Welsh RFC

This podcast aims to give you the latest news from London Welsh RFC with interviews from the coaches, former and current players; and some of the officials from the club. During the season we will have match previews, plus all the post match reactions from both sides, as well as contributions from all playing sections of the club. Come on you Welsh. Hosted by Gareth Vaughan Jones

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LW 64: Sam Mahoney

The London Welsh Rugby Club PodcastNov 17, 2021

00:00

01:04:22

LW 94: Dai Williams

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

Mar 31, 202451:28

Jan 10, 202428:39

LW 87: Dan George

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

Jan 03, 202401:20:14

LW 86: Andrew Evans

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

Dec 20, 202347:53

LW 85: Rohan Pixley

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

Dec 05, 202347:59

LW 84: Nigel Rees

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.

Nov 29, 202301:00:35

LW 83: Sam Canning-Birtles

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

Nov 22, 202354:24

LW 82: Rob Lewis

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.

Nov 15, 202301:15:23

LW 81: Adam Nixon

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

Oct 25, 202301:05:48

LW 80: James Roberts and Inside the Camp with Osian

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.

Oct 18, 202356:26

LW: 79 Rugby World Cup Qtr Finals & Inside the Camp

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

Oct 11, 202301:06:45

LW 78: Ollie Hoskins - Rugby World Cup Special

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

Sep 21, 202353:53

LW 77: LLoyd Williams - Rugby World Cup Special

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

Sep 15, 202339:24

LW 76: Adrian Davies Rugby World Cup Preview

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.

Sep 07, 202344:21

LW 75: Cai Griffiths 23/24 Season Preview

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

Sep 01, 202327:44

LW Special 5: Chris Jones

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.

Jul 21, 202243:48

LW 74: Ollie Steadman

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

Jul 13, 202201:09:18

LW 73: Graeme Peacock

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

Jul 06, 202255:34

LW 72: Ian George

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

Jun 29, 202201:03:02

LW 71: Chris Ritchie

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

Jun 22, 202201:12:56

LW 70: Seb Jewell

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.

Jun 15, 202201:20:16

LW 69: AGM Danny Griffiths

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

Jun 08, 202251:50

LW 68 : Alex Goode

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.

Jun 01, 202249:52

LW 67: Andy Black

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

May 25, 202246:17

LW 66: Aled Thomas

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.

May 18, 202201:01:11

LW 65 : Bleddyn Phillips

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.

May 11, 202255:14

LW 64: Sam Mahoney

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.

Nov 17, 202101:04:22

LW 63: Terwyn Williams

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.

Nov 03, 202101:21:18

LW 62: Nathan Trevett

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.

Oct 20, 202157:56

LW 61 : Julian Davies

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.

Sep 29, 202101:17:20

LW 60: Back home at ODP

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

Sep 22, 202129:58

LW 59: Nick Heath

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.

Sep 15, 202153:56

LW 58: Josh McNally

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.

Sep 12, 202152:38

LW 57: 2021/22 Season Preview

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.

Sep 01, 202101:01:09

LW 56: Jonathan Shankland

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.

Aug 25, 202154:36

LW 55: Rhodri Dawes

Our guest this week is Rhodri Dawes. Having watched his dad play for London Welsh and then move away from London, Rhodri began his rugby journey in the Midlands. He then moved to Herts and played some rugby for school and then made his senior rugby debut with Hertford in the National League and then went on to Shelford Rugby Club and played for them for a couple of seasons. He came to London Welsh in the second year of project reset and played for two seasons for the club accumulating quite a lot of points for the club and of course continued the Dawes dynasty at London Welsh as both his father, Michael; and grandfather, John having played for the club. A fascinating chat with a player who really enjoyed the two seasons at the club and what it meant to him for his grandfather to watch him play.

Aug 18, 202101:03:11

LW 54: Michael Dawes

Our guest this week is Michael Dawes. Michael is one third of the London Welsh Dawes dynasty, with his Dad, John Dawes playing, captaining and Coaching the London Welsh sides through the 60's to 90's; and then his son, Rhodri playing for the club across the last three seasons. Michael talks about his days playing for the Minis and Youth throughout the 80's and 90's and recollects some of the great tours they went on. He made his 1st XV debut in 1990 and played for the club for over 10 years, with many ups and down for him and the club throughout this period. Michael talks quite candidly about his dad's recent passing and the amount of tributes from around the word the family received.

Aug 11, 202101:03:06

LW 53: John Taylor

Our guest this week is Club President, John Taylor. John was born and bred in Watford, with Welsh parents and played rugby at Watford Grammar School and Fullerians during his Youth. A skilled centre in his day who met Gerald Davies at Loughborough and was convinced by his coaches to switch to a backrow forward; where his rugby journey took off. John takes us through is glittering playing career with London Welsh, Wales and the Lions and gives us his perspective on his tour to South Africa and his experience with Apartheid and how his objections with this regime, cost him a place in the famous Barbarians match of 1973. John speaks about the recent passing of two London Welsh stalwarts and great friends, John Dawes and Dr Ken Thomas; and what his relationship with them meant to him and the contribution they both made to London Welsh. We also chat about John's successful post playing career in commentating and journalism as he shares his thoughts on the ups and downs of being involved with London Welsh through the decades.

Aug 04, 202101:32:20

Season 2 Trailer

London Welsh Rugby Club Podcast Season 2 - Trailer.

In this series we continue to catch up with the many characters who are connected with the club. The podcasts will be less regular this season, but will include some match days news as well as interviews with our main guest. The podcast series is hosted by Club Director, Gareth Vaughan Jones.

Jul 26, 202101:44

LW Special 4: Siwan Lillicrap

Our guest in this special episode is current Wales captain, Siwan Lillicrap. She take us through balancing life working as Head Coach at Swansea University, with playing rugby for Bristol Bears and Wales. We chat about the recent 6 Nations campaign and the likely build up to the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in Oct 2022 and what their target should be. We get to understand Siwan's rugby journey to getting capped by Wales and that she couldn't play rugby until she was 17; when she joined Waunarlwydd RFC. Siwan also chat about the recent strategic partnership between London Welsh and Swansea University; where the Career Hub will mentor graduates who come to London to work.

May 28, 202138:43

LW Special 3: Luke Pearce

Our special guest this week is Top International and RFU Referee Luke Pearce. Luke takes us through his refereeing journey from when he started in Devon aged 16, promoted to the National Panel by the age of 21 and a Premiership referee at the age of 24. We chat about some of the challenges of refereeing during Covid times and look back at the times he has refereed London Welsh in National 1 and the Championship. We discuss that match vs Saracens in the Premiership and how he reacted after the game and what has changed during his 10 years officiating in the top league. Luke takes us through refereeing France vs Wales and how he works with his team on match days and how much he enjoys refereeing at the Community game level. Enjoy.

May 14, 202150:10