photo by Jane Harris

Celtic Crusaders and Wales’ assistant coach Kevin Ellis is looking forward to reuniting with his former team-mates this Sunday when Wales face Papua New Guinea in a prestigious friendly at the Brewery Field in Bridgend (kick-off 3pm).

This important match is a warm up game for the Welsh as they prepare to take on Scotland in Glasgow a week later in a World Cup qualifier. Wales lost the first leg 21-14 in Bridgend last year so must win by eight points to make the finals in Australia in 2008. The Kumuls go on to France to play two more internationals.

The Wales and Great Britain international played in Wales Rugby League’s comeback game in 1991, against Papua New Guinea, and scored a try as the Dragons ran out 68-0 winners in their first international match in seven years.

“It was a cold night in Swansea in 1991 and we had a great side out there led by Jonathan Davies who got a couple of tries and eight goals,” Ellis reminisces. “It was wonderful for all the Welsh boys to come back together and everything clicked that night, all the plays that we’d rehearsed came off and I remember that we ran away with the match.”

However the former Warrington half-back knows that it will be more difficult this time around.

“When you look at the Papua New Guinea side, there’s a fantastic squad there with a lot of Super League and NRL

Ellis is pleased that the Welsh side is being led by former internationals.

“John Devereux’s been doing his work as a medical rep,” Ellis said. “He’s finished his rugby career now so he’s also been doing some work with the media and it’s great that he’s come aboard as the Welsh team manager. We’ve got former Wales hooker Martin Hall as head coach, myself as assistant along with Anthony Farrell and Allan Bateman in as our fitness and conditioning coach. It’s great to be part of it and I hope we have a successful campaign and get to the World Cup.”

It isn’t known yet whether Wales will risk playing their two biggest stars Iestyn Harris and Lee Briers in the Papua New Guinea game as Martin Hall will look to have the best and fittest side out for the Scotland match but Ellis says there are some doubts over Briers’ fitness to start with.

Ellis said, “We’ve a new squad and a new formation that we need to work on. For example, Iestyn and Lee Briers haven’t played together since 2000. I think Iestyn’s 100% fit but Lee Briers rolled his ankle in the last game of the season for Warrington so we’ll be doing a fitness check with him before the weekend. Personally I think that it’s great we have 11 Celtic Crusaders players in the squad – this is a fantastic achievement and it just shows that rugby league is really taking off in the area.”

article by Ian Golden
24 October 2007