2000-2001 Season

Just nine days before the first league match of the season the WRU informed all the Division One clubs that there would be no promotion from Division One at the end of the season due to the new proposed Celtic League (Just two weeks earlier Aberavon had received confirmation from the governing body that there would be promotion for the Division One champions!). Although rugby politics off the field were unclear, on the field Aberavon were determined to go out and win the Division.

With half-a-new-side Aberavon opened their league campaign with a 15 - 15 home draw against "new boys" Carmarthen Quins. Two wins later and the Wizards had lost captain and lock Mark Evans for the season through injury while they worked their way up to third spot in the Division. A poor performance at Abertillery saw the club lose their first match of the season. The Wizards then won four on the trot including a 36 - 20 home win over top-of-the-table Pontypool and a tough 7 - 3 home win over new league leaders Dunvant two weeks later after the Wizards were reduced to 14 players. This moved the club into second place but a week of bad publicity from the press after the Dunvant game saw Aberavon lose their second game of the season at Rumney. However, the Wizards got back on track and went top of the table by the end of October. Eleven straight wins were achieved after the Rumney game including Principality Cup games at home to Merthyr (34 - 0) and Welsh Scottish League team Cross Keys (31 - 8). Aberavon's last league loss of the season came at Pontypool Park in January when the Wizards again struggled at a ground where they haven't won for 20 years. The result, however, did not see the Wizards lose their position at the top of the table. On what was like a summers day in February at Rodney Parade Newport ran out 56 - 18 winners in the cup to knock the Wizards out of the competition. The Gwent side went on to win the cup. The Wizards, left to concentrate on the league, went on to win their last ten matches of the season, all in the league, including a gutsy 17 - 16 win at Dunvant at the beginning of April. 

The season saw Aberavon win the Division One title for the third time in their history. Once they went top at the end of October the Wizards remained top of the Division for the remainder of the season (over 6 months). They remained unbeaten at home all season for only the fourth time in their history, and the first time since 1935. They achieved eleven league doubles. Outside half Jamie Davies became only the third player in Aberavon's history to go through 300 points in a season in all matches. Davies won the "Most Promising Player" award.  27 year old number eight Richard Morris was named "Player of the Year" while coach Chris O'Callaghan won "Clubman of the Year". Last but not least, the season was the last one for the club to be run by a traditional club committee. Members voted in January for the club to become a limited company and will be run by a management committee of four members in the future.

Welsh National League Division One