Mountain Ash RFC & Aberdare RFC v Welsh Academicals

Keith Rowlands Memorial Match

Parc Dyffryn Pennar, Dyffryn Road, Mountain Ash.

Sunday 11th May 2008, 2.30pm.

The match was played in memory of Keith Rowlands, the former Welsh Academicals and Welsh Rugby Union President. A former player with Llanelli, London Welsh, Cardiff, Wales, as well as a try scoring lock for the British Lions, he then emulated his playing career as an administrator with Cardiff RFC and the WRU, before progressing to become the first Chief Executive of the International Rugby Board.

It also marked the return of the Welsh Academicals to its origins in Mountain Ash at the end of 80 seasons of rugby, to replay the original fixture against Mountain Ash with the inclusion of Aberdare RFC due to it being the first club of Keith Rowlands.

With most of the Welsh institutions as well as most of Wales' Premier clubs represented in the selection, and other students having travelled from outposts such as London and Loughborough, the Accies repeated the famous victory of 1927 with a scoreline of 36 - 10 against committed Cynon Valley opponents.

The status of the match gained national and international coverage, to view please click on the following links:

http://www.irb.com/newsmedia/features/newsid=2023721.html