Whitchurch RFC Under 15s
Charlie Donovan packs down at prop - in the front row, where the scrum is won and lost, and where nobody gets to hide.
The front row is the most physically demanding place on a rugby pitch. Props take the full weight of the scrum through their shoulders and neck, and it is the one position where you cannot fake it: either you hold your side up, or the whole scrum goes backwards. It takes strength, technique and a fair bit of stubbornness.
But the job doesn't stop when the scrum breaks up. A modern prop is expected to carry hard into contact, hit rucks, make tackles and get around the park - all while doing the heaviest work in the team. Charlie is one of the players who does that unglamorous graft week in, week out, so that the rest of the side gets front-foot ball to play with.
He's come through the club into a squad that has grown enormously over the last few seasons - from a group that once struggled to field a full side, to a team that went on to win the Pencoed Festival. Forward packs are built on players willing to do the hard bits, and Charlie is very much one of them.
#uppachurch
Backing our players, one season at a time.
Charlie is proud to be sponsored this season by The Solar House, solar PV specialists with over 30 years of experience in renewable energy, serving Wales and the West of England.
And they're practically neighbours - their Cardiff showroom is on Penlline Road in Whitchurch, a few minutes from where the boys train. They also have showrooms in Cheltenham and Melksham, and are NICEIC and RECC members.
What stands out is how they describe their own approach: the right advice comes before the sale. Honest, jargon-free guidance, a free no-obligation assessment of what solar would actually return for your home, and no pushy tactics. That's a decent way to do business, and exactly the sort of local company we're glad to have behind our players.
If you're thinking about solar for your home, give them a look - and tell them Whitchurch RFC sent you. Diolch yn fawr from everyone at the U15s.