A YOUNG Gwent rugby player is jetting off on the adventure of a lifetime today after signing for top Spanish club Ordizia.

Ex-Pontypool second-row Dafydd Rosser, from Sebastopol, is leaving the Premiership's Cardiff for the warmer climes of northern Spain thanks to a little help from his brother.

Ieuan Rosser set up the Opportunity Rugby website earlier this year to match players and coaches up with clubs looking for fresh talent.

And his younger brother Dafydd, 23, is one of the first players to be signed up by a foreign club after registering online.

"It's a huge adventure," said Dafydd. "I really just signed up to help my brother out but it's such a big opportunity I couldn't turn it down."

Rosser, who was on semi-pro forms at Cardiff has left his job with Gwent Police and signed a professional contract with the Basque outfit until next April.

"It's very exciting, I've bought the Spanish tapes and the club has promised to pay for lessons. I just can't wait to get out there," he added.

And Dafydd won't be the only Welsh player in the side because he'll be joined on the plane by Cardiff team-mate and friend Luke Hunter who was also snapped up thanks to www.opportunityrugby.com.

 

 

INTERNET dating meets the world of rugby in a new website created by two Gwent entrepreneurs. But before our female readers get too excited, it's not that sort of dating. Opportunity Rugby is a website where rugby players and teams can find each other online. Players post a rugby CV on the site outlining where they live, what position they play and giving details of experience.

Clubs and teams can then scan the player database and make contact with players.Clubs and teams can also announce vacancies on the site, which is free to use.

Opportunity Rugby has been up and running since May and is the brainchild of Ieuan Rosser and Gareth Gunter, both 28, from Sebastopol. And in the last three months it has attracted over 100 players, including some women players, some 50 coaches, managers and physios and around 30 clubs. They range from junior grassroots sides to Welsh Premiership sides like Cardiff. Teams from as far afield as Denmark have advertised for players on the site as part of their rugby development programmes.

The site managers, both ardent rugby fans of course, were well suited to the task of putting their idea into practice. Friends since their schooldays at West Mon School, Ieuan and Gareth went on to Pontypool College before doing a Sport and Computing degree at the University of Wales, Newport. After graduating in 2002, Ieuan got a job as a recruitment manager in Cardiff, while Gareth - who also plays for Cardiff RFC - is a development officer for the WRU.

Ieuan said: "Because of Gareth's job he was always being asked by clubs where they could find certain players and by players where they could play.

"I work in recruitment and looking at websites where people put their CVs online for prospective employers gave me the idea.

"Neither of us could believe it hadn't been done already."

But despite dozens of internet dating, recruitment and social networking sites, it seemed the pair had struck on a new idea. After two months of solid work the framework of the site was in place. But before they give up their day jobs, the two say they want more players from all over the world to join the site, and to attract advertisers.

Ieuan said: "It's great for the game and with people moving around more these days it makes it easier to see what's out there."

A testimonial on the site from the Pontypool United coaching team reads: "We have been using opportunityrugby since the launch in May 07 to search and advertise for players.

"We have recruited a winger and a centre already for the 07/08 season, and will continue to use opportunityrugby to bolster our squad."

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News Opportunity Rugby Message Board
As we strive to make the opportunity rugby experience as good as possible, we are continually developing new ideas and tools to help both players, coach and clubs communicate. Therefore we have added a simply message board facility to the site for you to add any rugby related messages for other users. You will need to be a registered user of opportunity rugby to gain access. Click here to view message board.

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July 13th - Opportunity Rugby on Real Radio
Click here to listen to the sound clip of Opportunity Rugby Director Ieuan Rosser interviewed on real radio.

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Club Registration Now Open
As from midnight tonight, clubs will be able to register their team details on opportunity rugby and be able to search for players and coaches.

Click here to register >>