Two re-sign for the Scorpions for 2017

Christiaan Roets and Zak Williams have become the first South Wales Scorpions players to agree contracts for the 2017 rugby league season.

The Scorpions have just started their League 1 Shield campaign for 2016, with their first home game being against Newcastle Thunder at Virginia Park, Caerphilly this Sunday at 3pm, and both players are in line for selection for this big game.

Welsh international Roets rejoined the Scorpions earlier this season from Welsh rivals North Wales Crusaders. Wales’ second highest try scorer of all time with 13 in 21 games, he was a founder member of the Scorpions in starring in the club’s first game – a 22-20 win over Workington Town in February 2010, but two years’ later he took the opportunity to again become a founder member of a Welsh club, this being North Wales Crusaders, helping them to one promotion and two cup final wins in his time there.

Now with 16 tries in 55 appearances for the club, the 35-year old centre has played a crucial role in the improvements the Scorpions have shown this season and with a World Cup on the horizon the Board at South Wales Scorpions are delighted to have secured the services of Roets once again.

Scorpions’ director Marc Lovering said: “Christiaan is a leader on the pitch. He is not necessarily the most vocal but he leads by example. You are guaranteed 100% effort and commitment from Roetsy and that rubs off on the players around him. He’s a proven international centre and great to have around the place.”

Lovering also believes that the signing should be seen as an endorsement for the progress made so far this season and a signal of intent for the season ahead.

He adds: “We could and perhaps should have had a few more points on the board than we have but I think anybody that has watched us this season knows we are moving in the right direction and making progress. For a player of Christiaan’s calibre to commit to us again says a lot about where we are as a club and what we are looking to achieve. The World Cup is fast approaching and I do not think Roetsy would have committed had he thought we would still be languishing around the bottom of the table next year. Our coach Phil Carleton has to take a great deal of credit for that.”

Zak Williams started the season as the captain of the successful under 20s side and finished the regular campaign as a regular in Phil Carleton’s first team squad. Starting off in the South Wales under 16s in 2013, Williams has progressed through the ranks and has already made 33 first team appearances scoring two tries. He is a Wales under 16 and 18 international.

Seeing 19 year old Williams commit for another year has also pleased Lovering.

“Both re-signings are really important to us albeit probably for differing reasons,” he said. “Any promising 16 to 18 year olds in South Wales just need to look at the progress Zak has made in the past few seasons.

“He probably got thrown into the first team a little too early and perhaps in the wrong way last season but Mike Grady, the head coach at the time, had very few options. The introduction of the under 20 side has allowed players like Zak to play some games against their contemporaries and gain more confidence.

“The intention at the start of the season was to leave players like Zak and Sion Jones playing predominantly in the under 20s, but they’ve made it impossible for Phil to leave them out of the first team. Stats don’t lie and Zak’s stats and work rate have shown him to be consistently one of our standout performers, and although he came into the side later in the season the same can be said of Sion.

“The emergence of the likes of Williams and Jones should send out a really strong and positive message to those currently in the under 20’s squad and those who may have the option to join in the future. Rhys Gant and Ben Jones have also featured, so they know they are not far away. We have some classy young wingers in our set up and I’ve been really impressed with Ethan Coombs and Jake Thomas. There is quality throughout the under 20s and they know, thanks to the example set by Zak especially, that there is a clear pathway from the under 20s into the first team.

“Other talented youngsters not currently involved within the Scorpions set up will also hopefully see what Zak has achieved and realise if they want to progress in the game we can offer them the most realistic prospect of success and ensure they reach their full potential. Zak’s form with the under 20s has seen him promoted to the first team where his performances have earnt him a full first team contract for next season and to the fringes of the Welsh squad.

“Anybody who thinks they have the potential to emulate what Zak has achieved needs to get on board now before the opportunity passes them by. We are the only professional rugby league side in South Wales and that is not going to change in the foreseeable future. It would be a shame if some of the talented young players missed out on the only credible option to develop and push on in the game.”

As for other potential re-signings and signings, Lovering wouldn’t be drawn into naming names but did say: “It’s still early days but we have begun to speaking to players about re-signing next season. We aren’t going to rush and we will be speaking to everyone between now and the end of the campaign. What I can stay at this stage is some will be staying, some have gone already and not everybody will be offered new terms. There will also be some new faces and some very exciting ones at that.

“I know other clubs are starting to take notice of the improvements we have made when they start commenting on our new investment. The reality is we have increased the playing budget this year because the playing budget set the previous year was way below that of our southern based rivals let alone the northern sides. The increase has brought us in touch with those clubs in a comparable position to us. The improvements we have seen can be attributed to Phil’s coaching and ethos he is building not any massive change in the playing budget. Next year we will be working towards another modest increase in our playing budget which coupled with Phil’s coaching ability will see us kick on again.”

Tickets for South Wales Scorpions’ 2016 Kingstone Press League 1 Shield campaign, which sees home games against Newcastle Thunder, Oxford and Hemel Stags, can be bought by going to www.scorpionsrl.com. There are discounts available from the season ticket section for booking a pass to all three games.

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