The Wales Clubs XV, the national side created to represent Welsh club rugby on the international stage, enjoyed a rapid development during the summer of 2006. A final squad of 26 players, made up of players aged 25 or under from clubs in the WRU National Leagues 1 to 5, was finalised and announced on August 2nd in advance of a summer, four nations-style tournament to be played near the end of the month.

Wales Clubs XV were scheduled to play Spain on August 23rd in Liege, followed by either the France Amateur side or tournament hosts Belgium three days later, the fixture being dependent upon the result of the initial clash. Wales’s newest national side would though have to wait until the beginning of November to host their first home international match.

Led by Captain Anthony Lott, the Wales Clubs XV conceded an early three points against the Spanish but midway through the first half they sought to redress the points imbalance. A well-worked try from Loughor fullback Andrew Banfield put the Welsh into the lead; Bargoed outside half Jamie Howells increased the Wales Clubs XV’s lead to 7-3.

The Spaniards, using the game as a warm-up for their Rugby World Cup qualifying campaign, regained the lead before the half-time whistle, with the Wales Clubs XV entering the break trailing 11-7. Though the Spanish may have expected to run away with the scoreline in the second half, resilient Welsh defence allowed only two Spanish tries, one when they were depleted to fourteen men. The Wales Clubs XV also created a number of scoring opportunities in the second half but were unable to capitalise on them, meaning that the scores closed at 25-7 in favour of Spain.

Wales Clubs XV Head Coach Gerry Roberts commented after his side’s debut, "As a first game it was an excellent performance. The players really rose to the occasion and did their country proud. What ball we won we moved around the field and caused them huge problems; we used typical Welsh flair behind the scrum and they had little or no answer to it.”

The next opponents that the Clubs XV encountered were the France Amateurs, after they had lost their initial match to host nation Belgium. The new Welsh national representatives let themselves down with an undisciplined display that ultimately cost them the match. The Wales Clubs XV, looking for their initial win as a national team, were defeated by a French side drawn solely from the Languedoc region. They took a 16-14 advantage into the interval as they secured one converted try and three penalties.

The Welsh gained their first half haul through Trimsaran wing Tom Burnell, who touched down the sole Welsh try of the game, whilst Whitland outside half Aled Davies added three penalties. However, Welsh indiscipline crept in soon after and four yellow cards, which at one stage saw the men in red reduced to 13 men, saw the advantage gifted to the French. Though replacement Jamie Howells slotted a penalty over for the Wales Clubs XV the team were unable to decrease the French lead further.

The scores concluded 28-17 with the national team still searching for an elusive first win, but as Head Coach Roberts commented following their second successive defeat, "We showed a vast improvement from our first game and there is little doubt this team can develop so much more through time spent together."

“These two games in Belgium have been a brilliant beginning for us. The players will go back into the ASDA Leagues knowing there are Welsh caps up for grabs and I'm sure we will have an even bigger pool of talent to select from next time."

The Wales Clubs XV hosted their first home international match just a few months after their initial matches in the Belgian tournament. To be held at Virginia Park, Caerphilly, on November 3rd, the Wales Clubs XV would face their previous adversaries the French Amateurs. It was the visiting side who began the scoring with an eighth minute try from No.8 Romain Rysman. Fly half Nicolas Picabea converted and added a penalty shortly afterwards to stretch a ten point advantage for the French Amateurs.

Picabea’s opposite number Jamie Howells reduced this lead with a penalty, only for the French fly half to cancel it out with a penalty of his own to take the scores to 13-3. However, the Wales Clubs XV drew nearer their opponents once more as they were awarded a penalty try on the stroke of thirty minutes played. Picabea slotted over two more French penalties to extend the lead to 19-10 yet the Welsh try-scoring resumed on fifty minutes played. Tom Burnell passed inside to lock Gareth Gore, Gore found fellow forward Lee Woods who in turn passed to fullback Andrew Banfield to streak over for a well-worked try. The conversion went awry and as talented French fly half Picabea dropped a goal in response to the Welsh try, the Wales Clubs XV found themselves trailing by a converted score once again.

The closing minutes though proved to be Wales’s finest. Right wing Matthew Jacobs’s persistence at the French defence paid off as he found the half back partnership of Rhodri Jones and Jamie Howells who passed the ball to captain Anthony Lott to thunder over the French line for the third Welsh try of the afternoon. With two minutes left on the clock the Wales Clubs XV added a fourth for good measure with more superb passing spurning a try for replacement Nathan Gittins.

This magnificent home debut concluded with the scores at 25-22 to the good of the Wales Clubs XV. The match exemplified the amount of effort put in by Head Coach Gerry Roberts and his coaching staff Kim Norkett and Sean Gale, and the ethos linked to the development of the Wales Clubs XV national side. This talented, well-trained and well-coached squad had emphatically represented Welsh club rugby on the international stage in this victory over the French Amateurs in front of a jubilant Victoria Park crowd.