Another tumultuous season in Welsh rugby is all but done and dusted, with a number of sides below the regional level celebrating promotions while some rue what might have been and others contemplate life in a lower tier next season.
After all the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and seasons being written off early last year, grassroots rugby has shown a few more signs of normality during this campaign, although hundreds of matches were actually forfeited as clubs struggled to raise sides and fulfil fixtures.
This season has also been a little different for teams, with the threat of relegation taken off the table in most cases due to a huge restructuring of the higher leagues ahead of next season.
READ MORE: The rise again of iconic Welsh rugby club who nobody can beat once more
It was announced last year that the Premiership will increase from 12 to 14 clubs from the 2023/24 season, in a move which meant relegation from the league this season was scrapped. It also led to knock-on effects right the way down the grassroots pyramid.
The Premiership will in fact be made up of just 13 teams for the next campaign after Llanelli's shock withdrawal.
The Championship will also undergo a major change from next season, splitting into two regional leagues of 12 teams - east and west - with 12 clubs promoted from the various sections in Division One this season to make up the new two-group, 24-side competition.
As a result, teams knew there would be no relegation from almost any of the leagues in the WRU pyramid at the end of this season, but there would be promotion with teams moving up to fill the spaces created by the changes above.
But with it all to play for and little to lose, just who were the biggest movers and shakers at grassroots level over the course of the campaign?
Here we run through all of the promotions and the few relegations from across Welsh rugby this season:
INDIGO PREMIERSHIP
Champions: Llandovery
Cardiff RFC finished the regular season top of the pile in the Indigo Premiership, six points clear of Llandovery in second place. However, two tries from scrum-half Lee Rees in the play-off final saw the Drovers win the league for the first time in their 145-history, having won 18 out of their 22 games this season, just one less than the Blue and Blacks.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Champions: Pontypool
Promoted: Neath
Two historic Welsh clubs will be back in the Premiership next season, with Neath joining Pontypool in sealing promotion from the Championship. Pontypool topped the table after an astonishing season saw them win all 26 of their league fixtures and finish with 129 points and a positive points difference of nearly 1,000, while Neath only lost three of their league games, finishing the campaign on an impressive 114 points.
LEAGUE 1 EAST
Champions: Newbridge RFC
Promoted: Brecon RFC and Penallta
Newbridge were the team to beat in League 1 East, winning all but one game which saw them lose 43-15 to Brecon, who finished in second place. The top two were followed by Penallta RFC, who beat Brynmawr to the final promotion spot and made it to the Championship for the first time.
LEAGUE 1 EAST CENTRAL
Champions: St Peters RFC
Promoted: Rumney RFC and Treorchy RFC
The league went down to the wire with a 17-7 win over Rhydyfelin in the final round of fixtures securing St Peters RFC the title. They finished just one point ahead of Rumney, who will be promoted alongside Treorchy, with the three teams ending the campaign comfortably ahead of the rest of the pack.
LEAGUE 1 NORTH*
Champions: Nant Conwy
Relegated: Dolgellau and Dinbych
Nant Conwy have been crowned the champion club of north Wales after missing out on the league title on the last weekend of last season. Winning every single one of their 20 games, they finished well ahead of nearest rivals Pwllheli in second place, while at the other end of the table, Dolgellau and Dinbych have both been relegated after each winning just one game this season.
*No promotion in League 1 North this season.
LEAGUE 1 WEST
Champions: Llangennech RFC
Promoted: Newcastle Emlyn RFC and Crymych RFC
Another closely fought campaign saw Llangennech get the better of Newcastle Emlyn, having won all but two of their fixtures, with Crymych following in third place to earn promotion. Down the bottom of the table, however, points deductions saw Pembroke finish in last place with -16 points having lost every game during the league season.
LEAGUE 1 WEST CENTRAL
Champions: Bonymaen RFC
Promoted: Dunvant RFC and Ammanford RFC
Having finished second last season, Bonymaen clinched the league title this time around, winning 19 out of their 22 games over the course of the campaign. They finished some distance ahead of Dunvant and Ammanford, who both made it into the top three, while Brynamman finished bottom of the league on just three points.
LEAGUE 2 EAST
Champions: Talywain RFC
Promoted: Abergavenny RFC and Ynysddu RFC
Another team that just missed out on the title last season, Talywain topped the lot in 2022/23, with 19 wins from 20 matches as well as 125 tries, seeing them finish in a comfortable first position. They were followed by Abergavenny and last year's champions Ynysddu.
LEAGUE 2 EAST CENTRAL
Champions: Abercynon RFC
Promoted: Aberdare RFC and Abercwmboi RFC
An exciting title race saw three Cynon Valley teams finish in the promotion places, with Abercynon just pipping Aberdare to the top spot by three points, having won one more game. Last year's winners Abercwmboi had to settle for third place this time around and just about edged Caerphilly by one point to secure promotion.
LEAGUE 2 NORTH
Champions: Wrexham
Promoted: Mold
Relegated: Newtown and Shotton Steel
A Wrexham team finishing top of the league is something we've become more familiar with this season but this team did it all without multi-millionaire Hollywood owners, being crowned champions after a phenomenal campaign saw them lose just once in 16 games. They were closely followed by Mold, who also earned promotion, while Newtown and Shotton Steel were relegated.
LEAGUE 2 WEST
Champions: Pontarddulais RFC
Promoted: Kidwelly RFC and Burry Port RFC
Pontarddulais stormed to league victory having won but all one game, which saw them lose 31-10 to runners-up Kidwelly who finished 12 points off the leaders. Burry Port were also promoted on a dramatic final day which saw them beat Fishguard and Goodwick to finish one point ahead of fourth-placed Tenby, who had given themselves a fighting chance with a win that saw them leapfrog Nantgaredig.
LEAGUE 2 WEST CENTRAL
Champions: Builth Wells RFC
Promoted: Morriston RFC and Ystradgynlais RFC
Morriston won last year's league by finishing just four points ahead of Builth Wells, but this time around their positions were reversed, with the latter storming to the title with a 10-point lead. Ystradgynlais secured promotion with a third-place finish, having won the same amount of games as Morriston over the course of the season.
LEAGUE 3 EAST
Champions: Abertillery/Blaenau Gwent RFC
Promoted: Usk RFC and Garndiffaith RFC
Another show of dominance, this time from Abertillery BG who won 19 out of their 20 games to top League 3 East for the second year in a row. That solitary loss came in a closely fought 37-31 defeat to Garndiffaith, who finished third overall, just behind Usk RFC, to secure promotion.
LEAGUE 3 EAST CENTRAL
Champions: Llanharan RFC
Promoted: Penarth RFC and Pentyrch RFC
It couldn't have got much closer at the top of the table as Llanharan edged out Penarth by just two points, having won and lost the same amount of games over the course of the season. In the end, bonus points were the difference between the two sides, while Pentyrch finished third, miles ahead of fourth-placed St Albans.
LEAGUE 3 WEST A
Champions: Lampeter Town RFC
Promoted: St Clears RFC
What a season it was for Lampeter, who finished on a whopping 104 points overall having won 21 of their 22 league fixtures, scored 134 tries and picked up 19 bonus points. In any other season, St Clears would have fancied their chances having finished on 96 points, but their efforts were enough to secure promotion to League 2 West having scored more points than the runner up in the 'B' league.
LEAGUE 3 WEST B
Champions: Amman United RFC
Amman United were the sole promoted team from League 3 West B, having topped the pile with 97 points to seal the title. Trimsaran RFC finished second but their 83 points overall meant they missed out on promotion to St Clears in the 'A' league.
LEAGUE 3 WEST CENTRAL
Champions: Vardre RFC
Promoted: Swansea Uplands RFC and Aberavon Green Stars RFC
A three-way title race saw Vardre RFC edge out their rivals to top the league. They were closely followed by Swansea Uplands who finished just four points off the leaders, as well as Aberavon Green Stars who clinched promotion with 17 wins from 21 games.
LEAGUE 3 NORTH EAST
Champions: Ruthin 2nd XV
There was just one promotion spot up for grabs and that was claimed by Ruthin 2nd XV, whose season saw them finish head and shoulders above the rest of the league, with 17 wins from 20 games seeing them finish on 85 points overall. Their nearest competition was from Mold 2nd XV, who ended the campaign on 72 points.
LEAGUE 3 NORTH WEST
Champions: Bro Ffestiniog RFC
Finishing with nearly double the points of the league's fourth-placed team, Bro Ffestiniog were crowned champions and claimed the only available promotion spot after winning all but one of their 17 games. Menai Bridge were the only other team in with a shout of winning the league, but they finished second having won one less game and picked up fewer bonus points.
LEAGUE 4 EAST
Champions: Chepstow RFC
Promoted: Nantyglo RFC and Fleur de Lys RFC
A tight affair at the top of the table saw Chepstow ride pressure from the pursuing Nantyglo and Fleur de Lys to the lift the title. The two chasing teams also secured promotion, but they couldn't keep up with the leaders whose season saw them score more than 70 points in two different games.
LEAGUE 4 EAST CENTRAL
Champions: Llandaff RFC
Promoted: Wattstown RFC and Treherbert RFC
Last season saw Wattstown finish clear winners having gone the entire league season unbeaten, but they had to settle for second place this year after they were leapfrogged by Llandaff RFC on the final day. Llandaff's final game against Ynysowen was called off, meaning they moved a point ahead of Wattstown to be crowned champions, with Treherbert RFC following in third place.
LEAGUE 4 WEST CENTRAL
Champions: Bryncethin RFC
Promoted: Neath Athletic RFC and Cefn Cribbwr RFC
A dominant season from Bryncethin saw them win every one of their 20 league fixtures, scoring 617 points and only conceding 112 in return. They finished the campaign some distance ahead of Neath Athletic in second, while Cefn Cribbwr also secured promotion by finishing in third place.
LEAGUE 5 EAST
Champions: Crumlin RFC
Promoted: Bettws (Newport) RFC and Crickhowell RFC
A huge 66-8 win against bottom-placed side Brynithel RFC on the final weekend wrapped up the League 5 East title for Crumlin, who won 10 of their 12 fixtures and scored an average of seven tries every game. They were closely followed by Bettws and Crickhowell, who finished second and third respectively.
LEAGUE 5 EAST CENTRAL
Champions: Ferndale RFC
Promoted: Pontycymmer RFC and Brackla RFC
Another team to win every one of their games this season, it was all too easy for Ferndale as they scored nearly 600 points over 19 games and conceded just 103. They finished 17 points ahead of second-placed Pontycymmer, while Brackla's huge 81-0 win over Cardiff Internationals RFC in their final game of the campaign saw them edge out Cardiff Saracens for the final promotion spot.
LEAGUE 5 WEST CENTRAL
Champions: Tonna RFC
Promoted: Pontardawe RFC and South Gower RFC
Tonna were the clear winners in this league, losing just one of their 22 games and finishing with a huge points difference of +475. Pontardawe, meanwhile, narrowly beat South Gower to second place but both sides will be promoted having finished well ahead of the rest of the pack.
LEAGUE 6 EAST
Champions: Forgeside RFC
Promoted: Abersychan Alexanders RFC and West Mon RFC
With 16 wins from 16, Forgeside showed their class in League 6 East, with their disciplined defence meaning they only conceded 96 points all season, while scoring an average of 35 each game. Their nearest rivals, Abersychan Alexanders, finished 10 points behind them while West Mon snuck into the promotion spots, just about edging out Magor RFC.
WOMEN'S NATIONAL LEAGUES
There are five women's national leagues: the Premiership, Championship, east Wales, north Wales and west Wales.
Their season has effectively been extended to May 31 to allow for as many rearranged games as possible to take place. This is also the deadline for claiming 20-0 victories for fixtures which were not played, after which the tables may adjust before a final winner is declared.
READ NEXT:
