Schedule
Special one-off
Thursday 9 June at 21.00
It’s been a rollercoaster year for the Amman United youth team on and off the rugby field.
Less than twelve months after they first formed, the team is blooming. Some had never played rugby before and some had sought to play elsewhere with local rivals. That was until former IRB Rugby Player of the Year, Amman Valley born and bred Shane Williams teamed up with Derwyn Jones to revive his former youth team.
A special one-off edition of Clwb Rygbi Shane, broadcast on Thursday 9 June at 21:00, looks back at the highs and lows of the season, whilst also featuring brand new footage of Piggy, Dingram, John Vince, Elinor and the crew.
The team also reunite for an end-of-season 10-a-side tournament organised by Shane. Amman United’s youth team will be in action against local rivals whilst also lending a helping hand to their mentor running stalls, stewarding and raising money for charities.
“We’re giving something back to the community,” explains Shane Williams. “This is our chance to repay the people of the Amman Valley for their support this season. The rugby carnival is a celebration of the success we’ve experienced this year. It’s also a chance for the youth team to show off their new-found skills on the pitch for the last time before taking a well-earned break over the summer.”
During their first game at the start of the season, the squad suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Abercrave and a lack of discipline was evident. But how are the team getting along now?
Shane says: “The change has been immense throughout the season. There was no shape and basic errors were costing us too often. But we have to remember that most of our squad are 16 years old playing against 19 year olds – boys who are physically stronger.
“Since the New Year there’s been a significant change. The boys are more of a unit now and have come close to beating the teams who took them to the cleaners in the first half of the season. They’re already talking about next season and training over the summer. There’s real excitement here and everyone gets on really well. Playing for the youth team was a great experience for me personally and it gives the Amman boys the chance to make new friends and gain fond memories.
“Everyone has worked really hard to ensure the success of the project – the boys, the local community and the behind-the-scenes staff at the club. I hope the youth team will be something that will continue for seasons to come. But for now, Piggy, Dingram and the rest of the lads are enjoying being local celebrities, being recognised by strangers and signing the odd autograph here and there!”
Episode Seven
Tuesday 22 March at 21:00
Amman Rugby Club is full of excitement as Shane plays his last game in Cardiff in the Six Nations Competition. Alun and Ceri are spotted by the scouts at Scarlets and after the thrashing in October, Shane's team face an old enemy again for "Rumble in the Tumble 2!"
Episode Six
Tuesday 15 March at 21:00
At the beginning of the season, Shane’s new team got a thrashing from their local rivals at Brynaman. It was a painful defeat of over 50 points! It is now time to face them again. Will the result be different this time with Simon Davies, their new coach taking charge and the inspirational Clive Rowlands arrives to give the team a pre-game talk! Will we see an improvement in Shane’s new rugby team?
Episode Five
Tuesday 8 March at 21:00
South Walians against North Walians takes the theme of this week’s episode of Clwb Rygbi Shane. The Amman Youth Team travel to North Wales to challenge the boys in the Caernarfon team. While Shane is away with the Welsh team and Derwyn is busy with various broadcasts, the team have been left without a coach following Carl’s ban. The Club Chairman, Darrel Campbell, has to exchange his suit for a tracksuit in order to try and keep control of the Amman boys on their trip to Caernarfon!
Episode Four
Tuesday 22 February at 21:00
Whilst Shane is away with the Welsh team, the Amman boys and the young coach Carl Jones are rewarded with a memorable win against Pontarddulais. Despite this win their lack of discipline ruins the celebrations again!The snow and icy weather force the team to cancel a number of games and the Team Manager John Vince decides that it is time to raise funds for the club. His talent as an amateur photographer are tested to the maximum as he attempts to create a calendar with the Amman boys!
Episode Three
Tuesday 15 February at 21:00
The Amman Youth Team get the opportunity to see Shane in the Millennium Stadium with the rest of the Welsh team as they prepare for the Autumn Internationals. The front row have a training session with the Ospreys hooker Mefin Davies and we get to see if the lack of discipline will effect the team's game against the Tumble?
Episode Two
Tuesday 8 February at 22:00
Following two defeats from the experienced teams of Abercraf and Brynaman, Shane decides he needs help training the Amman boys, especially to train the forwards in scrums and lineouts. It’s a big job for a big man and there’s no one bigger than the giant Derwyn Jones! The team meet their new trainer in the middle of Wales’ biggest sand dunes – in Merthyr Mawr near Bridgend. This is a very hard training spot and the Amman boys suffer immensely in the soft sand.
The new partnership works out well with Shane’s hard-work training the backs and Derwyn the forwards. If the sand dunes was torture for the young team the next experience they face will be more pleasurable as Shane and Derwyn decide to take them to the WRU Centre of Excellence in the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel. This is where Warren Gatland and the national coaches prepare the Welsh team and it features the best training equipment in the world. The Amman boys get the opportunity of a lifetime of taking part in sessions with Wales’ specialist trainers – sessions in speed, skills, fitness and analysis. Being trained by elite athletes is an inspirational and unforgettable experience for the team.
Episode One
Tuesday 1 February at 21:00
Shane Williams has had to face many difficult challenges during his remarkable rugby career. But his skills and patience will be pushed to the limit in a new ground-breaking S4C series when he faces the prospect of establishing and mentoring a new youth team for his old club, Amman United. Glanaman's local talent have been deserting the club to play for rivals including Brynaman and Ammanford in recent years. Shane's mission - with a little help from his famous friends - is to develop the new-look squad. Viewers will follow their journey over the course of a season but how will the youth team shape up and is it possible to recreate the success of the past? It doesn't look good when the team suffers a heavy defeat against Aberavon in their first pre-season match and ill-discipline within the squad rears its ugly head. Has Shane bitten off more than he can chew?