Beyond the Breakdown

In our fifth episode we are talking to Dale ‘Chief’ McIntosh. Chief made 454 appearances for Pontypridd RFC, and went on to coach for Wales and the Cardiff Blues among many other clubs like Brecon RFC and Pontypool RFC. Chief and Rich played together at Pontypridd, Rich’s place of birth, with Rich playing 4 seasons there, 3 wearing the black and white of the club and 1 wearing a blue, black and white jersey of the Celtic Warriors.Ponty has been at the coal face of Welsh culture and industry for centuries. It’s a town, set in the steep sides of the Rhondda Cynnon Taf, at the confluence of the River Taff and River Rhondda, about 12 miles north of Wales’ capital, Cardiff. And it has forged some of rugby’s greatest players and legends.Pontypridd RFC was founded in 1876, making it one of Wales’ oldest clubs and their home is at Sardis Road, affectionately known as The House of Pain. Beyond Wales, Ponty is also part of rugby legend. It’s earned a reputation as one of Europe's toughest and most passionate teams. And that’s just the fans! Ponty is the epitome of Welsh rugby.And no one sums that up more than Chief. Being able to chat to him for this episode about his lengthy career both on the field as a player and alongside it as a coach was really special. Two former Ponty players and teammates sat in the clubhouse talking about what made playing for Ponty special and what is important about rugby. We got to explore with Chief the highs and lows of his own career but also his reflections on the challenges facing the game and our clubs today.As a player he was a big brother to everyone in the team, a talisman. And it was an honour to sit with him and talk about the game that gave him so much, and all that he gave to us, the fans. We hope you enjoy this special conversation.

In our third episode we are talking to Adam ‘Bomb’ Jones, the cornerstone of the Welsh pack for over a decade, earning 95 caps and achieving a legendary feat of 3 Six Nations grand slams and 5 British and Irish Lions test caps. He’s a legend of the game on and off the field.We had our conversation at Neath RFC, home of the original all blacks. The Gnoll is a tough place to play and is home to a rugby community that has forged some of Wales' and the world’s best players. It’s the epitome of Wales’ proud, historic, fierce and friendly rugby roots.It was so interesting to hear Bomb talk about how much his home club in Abercrave means to him and about his 40 games for Neath being his most important games – that he feels a greater emotional connection to his local teams, than to that of the national side.And it was fascinating to get the insight of someone who has experienced every level of the Welsh system and is now coaching in the English system, on what’s important and what works.It also really felt like there was a lot happening at the Gnoll when we were there, which as we talked about in the episode has recently become a CIC (Community Interest Company), these are companies which operate to provide a benefit to the community they serve – which perfectly describes Neath rugby club.Like many of the other clubs we’ve visited during this series Neath are struggling to keep the lights on and keeping people coming through the doors, but they are innovating and reaching out into the community in many different ways including hosting the Christmas lights for the town now the town council can’t afford to put them on. What a place, and what a player to have a conversation with on this episode – we really hope you get as much from this conversation as we did.

In our first episode we talk to Shane Williams, the epitome of what this podcast series is about – people who are rooted in, working hard for, and championing their communities.Shane was the face of rugby in Wales for so long, but he was always the boy from the Amman. World player of the year! 87 caps and 58 tries for Wales , and 4 Lions caps. But Shane’s story is much more than these moments in the spotlight, even though he’s had his fair share. It’s a story of belief, belief in himself in the face of crushing setbacks, it's a story of his love for where he comes from, and a driving motivation to give back to a community he is so passionate about.In this episode we discuss the need to ensure the future of our game is rooted where it begins, at home, in our communities, with the fans . At the moment the clubs in our communities are struggling to heat showers, keep the lights on and stay afloat, but these are spaces that we need to fight for, so they survive and thrive for all the generations coming through.And of course we delve into highs and lows of Shane's career, the things he remembers and the lessons learnt.It was a privilege to spend time with Shane discussing the game and his home club. We really hope you enjoy it too!