35th reunion of Cardiff University’s 1991 Rugby UAU triumph

Thirty-five years after lifting the UAU Championship trophy at Twickenham, members of Cardiff University’s 1991 Men’s Rugby team reunited for a memorable two-day celebration in Cardiff.

The reunion brought together 29 former players, several of whom had travelled from across the world including Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and the USA. The team captain Michael Patton (UGDip 1991) made the journey from Japan without telling anyone in advance, surprising the group on arrival.

Michael said of the weekend:  “One night wouldn’t have been enough. The length and nature of the event allowed us the time to really catch up with all. However, such is the bond within this special group that it really felt like we hadn’t seen each other since yesterday.”

Across the weekend, the team enjoyed a full programme of activity in Cardiff, from a Friday round of golf at Glamorgan Golf Club to food at Ty Madeira and drinks in town; to watching a semi-professional game at Glamorgan Wanderers Rugby Club, followed by competitive darts at Flight Club on the Saturday.

The centrepiece, however, came during the main event at the Philharmonic on Saturday evening where the group gathered to watch the newly digitised full recording of the 1991 final – a moment many were seeing for the very first time and a true highlight of the night.
The 1991 squad defeated the then favourites Swansea University 14–3 at Twickenham, securing their place in Cardiff rugby history.

The team included several players who remain closely connected today, with John Brown (BArch 1994) –VP Sport and AU President in 1989–1990, Dai Duly (BScEcon 1991), Andy Davies (BEng 1992) and Chris Coates (LLB 1993), Stevie RH, James Reed (BSc 1992, BSc 1994), Lloyd Britton (BArch 1994, MSc 2021) and Simon Williams (PhD 1994) still meeting regularly for mini-reunions to watch the Varsity game in Cardiff every two years.

Reflecting on the weekend, organiser Dai Duly (BScEcon 199) said: “We had an absolute blast of a weekend – it was just magic! It was genuinely the gift that just kept on giving, as more and more people joined the party. It rekindled the absolute best of times with the best of people and, created a few more memories too!”

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