Barry and Llantwit cancel Weekend Friendlies Amid Hard‑Ground Safety Concerns

Two senior rugby clubs in the Vale of Glamorgan have been forced to cancel their planned pre‑season fixtures this weekend, with both Barry RFC and Llantwit Major RFC citing increasingly hard playing surfaces after weeks of dry weather.

Barry RFC confirmed that their scheduled home match against Brynmawr tomorrow (Saturday, 15 August) has been called off after the Reservoir Field pitch was deemed too hard to allow safe full‑contact rugby. The club said the decision was made following an assessment of the surface, which has been affected by a prolonged spell without rain.

“It’s frustrating, but we can’t do any full contact at present,” said head coach Mike Morgan. He added that Brynmawr’s own pitch was in a similar condition, preventing the fixture from being switched, and that neither club was able to secure an alternative all‑weather venue. The match has now been rearranged for Saturday, 5 September, one week before the start of the regular season.

Barry did manage a controlled training game at Llanishen earlier in the week. “We kept intensity in the contact area low,” Morgan said. “We got a lot out of it. Tested our new lineout and backline moves, so it was a bit more real, and a positive exercise.”

The club is due to travel to Nantyffyllon on Saturday, 22 August for their next pre‑season outing, though Morgan plans to speak with his opposite number over the weekend to assess whether conditions there will allow the fixture to go ahead.

Barry have also been drawn away to Pill Harriers in the first round of the Admiral National League Division 2 Cup on 3 October.

Llantwit Major RFC announced a similar decision on Friday, confirming that their friendly against Pencoed had been cancelled. In a statement, the club said both teams had made “the sensible decision in the interest of player welfare and to ensure the safety of all participants.”

Despite the cancellation, Llantwit Major RFC will still host live music at the clubhouse from 6pm on Saturday, inviting supporters to come along for an evening of entertainment.

The cancellations highlight the growing impact of dry summer conditions on grassroots sport, with several clubs across South Wales reporting increasingly firm pitches as pre‑season preparations continue.