It’s our fairytale and we aim to slay those giants says London Welsh
But Kelvin Bryon, the club’s publicity-shy owner, insists that not only will they accept the challenge but that they thrive in the top-flight.
Bryon has twice dug deep into his pockets to save London Welsh since he first became involved as a match-day sponsor 19 years ago.
He claims to have endured more sleepless nights running the club than when guiding Berkshire-based Basildon Chemicals, the firm that made him millions.
But by driving a coach and horses through the Premiership’s Minimum Standards Criteria, Bryon again demonstrated his stomach for a fight.
And he insists that anybody underestimating Lyn Jones’ side may be forced to eat lashings of humble pie come the end of the season.
Bryon, who bullishly believes the Exiles can emulate Exeter, told The Rugby Paper: “Leicester at home, fairytale stuff, isn’t it? When you think that down the years we’ve been playing the likes of North Walsham, Wharfedale and Barking… gee whizz, it’s amazing really.
“Bearing in mind what we’ve come through, who’d have thought we’d be where we are today? But the support will be there, I’ve no doubt.
“In Lyn we’ve got one of the best coaches in Europe and he got us promoted after inheriting a squad and moulding it into a good team.
“Exeter is our role model. We beat them twice the year they went up. They added a few players and finished mid-table in the Premiership.
“We’ve got a coach as good as Exeter’s and I think there isn’t a massive gulf between the top of the Championship and bottom of the Premiership.
“The quality of rugby in the Championship is good and with the battle-hardened squad we’ve kept, plus a few signings, I expect us to be mid-table.
“As Lyn has said, though, judge us on how we’re performing in mid-season rather than at the start.”
Some will question Bryon’s sanity given the task facing Welsh, but no one can question his determination or commitment to the club. Three years ago, when London Welsh were facing liquidation in the face of a botched takeover attempt from Neil Hollinshead, it was Bryon who stepped up to the plate to settle unpaid taxes and wipe away the debt, clearing the way for a new board.
In the early Nineties, Bryon was also instrumental in preventing a descent to level five, with the subsequent appointment of head coach Clive Griffiths paving the way for a return to second tier rugby in 1998.
He prefers not to reveal how much he has put in, but accounts reveal that over the last two years Bryon has subsidised the club’s promotion drive to the tune of around £3m, although he hopes others will now share the load.
He said: “Let’s just say I’ll continue to support it to my best endeavours, but a number of people will now get involved.
“I knew once we got into the Premiership it would make it more appealing for people to put money in – and hopefully that’ll be the case.”
As for the club’s move to Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium, below, Bryon believes it will open new markets.
He explained: “We could never generate enough support at Old Deer Park, but we had 4,500 for our Championship final at Oxford – not bad considering we had just two weeks to prepare and the RFU had said we weren’t going up.
“It’s going to be tough but when you think we’ve got Leicester first and are relatively close to other teams like London Irish, Wasps, Harlequins, Bath, Northampton and Gloucester, I’d like to think we’ll get 7,000-8,000 fairly quickly.”
Bryon believes the club’s tradition of playing open, attractive rugby – something that was forged in the Seventies when the Exiles boasted seven Lions – will prove a draw in an area crying out for top-class rugby.
“We don’t have too many Welsh players now but we’re still regarded as a side that plays attractive rugby and has a significant Welsh heritage,” he said.
“London Welsh did a lot for world rugby in the Seventies with John Dawes and his vision for the way rugby should be played. If we can manage to stay in the Premiership, hopefully London Welsh can become a force for good in world rugby again.
“There are a lot of satellite towns around Oxford and I’ve had lots of calls from junior clubs in the area looking to get involved.”
London Welsh have already done their bit for the little guys by forcing a way through the restrictive Premiership criteria, thereby opening the way for other Championship clubs to follow.
And Bryon believes others will take advantage, adding: “I think what we’ve done is ground-breaking and is a positive move for English rugby.
“We did it for London Welsh, but equally if you win the Championship you should get to the next level and that’s the beauty of sport.
“There was a massive display of public support in our favour and I’ve had hundreds of texts and emails saying it’s fantastic to see this happen.
“In the long run it will save teams money because you no longer need a standby ground.
“Sharing grounds is the way to go because how many clubs can afford to pay £20m or £30m on building a new ground that you play on once a fortnight?”
NEALE HARVEY
