Newport Gwent Dragons have 4 SWALEC leagues champions amongst their ranks of clubs following the conclusion of the 2011/2012 league season.
EBBW VALE successfully defended their SWALEC National League Division 1 East title. A comprehensive 52-0 win at nearby Tredegar completed the league triumph and, having retained their position as the number one team in the East of Wales, all sights are now being set on winning the newly formed, all-Wales Championship next season and continuing their fight to return to the Principality Premiership.
This year they have racked up over 100 league tries and topped last year’s league points total with 95 points. They also achieved a club record 19 game unbeaten run in all games between 27 October and 14 April, culminating in a 19-19 draw in the semi-finals of the SWALEC Cup against Cross Keys.
GARNDIFFAITH RFC claimed the SWALEC National League Division 3 East title ahead of Pill Harriers. They beat Tredegar Ironsides 68-3 in their final game of the season. Garndiffaith lost just the 3 times over the course of the season and racked up 95 tries in their league campaign.
MONMOUTH RFC clinched the SWALEC National League Division 5 East title with their 37-3 home win over Pontllanfraith. Despite the fact the club had only lost once and drawn once over the course of the season, they still came into their final game knowing they had to win to overtake Hafodyrynys RFC and take the title. Their nearest rivals were the only team that had beaten them, 18-8 on 3 March, with the only other blemish being a 16-16 draw at Brynithel.
That 37-3 home win over Pontllanfriath took Monmouth to 116 points – two more than Hafodyrynys after 26 rounds – and will send them up another level next season.
CAERLEON RFC made it four league titles for our region with their SWALEC National League Division 6 East title. After two frustrating seasons of finishing second behind Hafodyrynys, and not gaining promotion from Division 6 South-East, they left no margin for error this term as they ended as the top try and points scorers in Welsh rugby.
Having sealed their title triumph with an emphatic 96-11 home win over Whiteheads at home last weekend they carried off the SWALEC Division 6 East title by seven points from Markham as they became the only team in Wales to top 1,000 league point in their 22 games.
Not only that, they scored a massive 157 tries over the course of the campaign. That made it one try every 11 minutes in their matches and an average of almost 48 points per game.
The only team to beat them was Rogerstone, who completed the double with a 29-22 win at Caerleon and a 25-18 victory at home.
