Yn ôl y chwedl, cafodd Clwb Rygbi Nant Conwy ei eni ym mar Pen-y-Bryn, Llanrwst, ar brynhawn Sadwrn gwlyb ychydig cyn Nadolig 1979, gyda mat cwrw yn cael ei ddefnyddio i gofnodi enwau’r tîm cyntaf erioed a gollodd i Bro Ffestiniog 36 – 3 yr wythnos ganlynol.

Ffurfiwyd y clwb yn swyddogol mewn cyfarfod cyhoeddus yng Ngwesty’r Queen’s yn Llanrwst ar y 25ain Ionawr, 1980. Doedd dim cynghreiriau yn yr 1980au ond, roedd y tîm cyntaf a’r ail dîm yn dal i chwarae tua 30 o gemau cyfeillgar bob tymor. Yr hyfforddwr cyntaf oedd Tony Greenwood. Cafodd ei olynu gan Mike Roy ar gyfer tymor 1981/82 a welodd Nant yn ennill 17 gêm a cholli 11. Er bod hyn yn bennaf yn erbyn ail dimau clybiau sefydledig, roedd yn arwydd o’r cynnydd yr oedd y clwb yn ei wneud.

Erbyn canol yr 80au roedd Geraint Morgan wedi ymuno â’r staff hyfforddi. Roedd ei brofiad a’i gefndir rygbi yn Ne Cymru yn amhrisiadwy wrth ddatblygu arddull chwarae Nant.

Dechreuodd y clwb ennill tlysau ar ddiwedd yr 1980au. Y cyntaf oedd Tarian y Bragwyr ym 1987. Cadwwyd y tlws hwn yn y tymor canlynol ac ychwanegodd Nant Gwpan Gwynedd a Chwpan Manweb at eu casgliad. Yn nhymor 1988/89, gwelwyd llwyddiant triphlyg arall gyda’r clwb yn cadw Cwpanau Gwynedd a Manweb yn ogystal â Phencampwriaeth Cynghrair Gwynedd.

Daeth y llwyddiannau hyn â chydnabyddiaeth i’r clwb gyda saith chwaraewr yn cynrychioli Gwynedd yn 1988 a dau chwaraewr, Emrys Jones ac Eric Evans, yn cael eu dewis ar gyfer XV Gogledd Cymru.

Fel aelodau o Undeb Ardaloedd (Districts) Cymru, ni chaniatawyd i Nant gael aelodaeth lawn o URC, gwahaniaethiad yn seiliedig ar draddodiad a chyfleusterau oddi ar y cae yn hytrach na safonau chwarae. Roedd hyn i achosi problemau yn ystod y 1990au. Wrth i glybiau gyda chlybiau ddod yn glybiau “hŷn”, daeth y gronfa o glybiau “iau” yn llai ac roedd cael digon o gemau o safon uchel yn anodd dod o hyd iddynt. Roedd yn ymddangos bod yr un clybiau yn chwarae ei gilydd yn rheolaidd.

Oddi ar y cae, prynodd y clwb dir yn Pant-y-Carw a chynhaliwyd y gêm gyntaf yn y cartref newydd ym mis Medi 1994. Gwnaed cynlluniau ar gyfer tŷ clwb a fyddai’n galluogi’r clwb i ddatblygu. Er gwaethaf cefnogaeth grantiau amrywiol, roedd angen ymdrech enfawr i godi arian yn lleol i ddechrau’r prosiect.

Yn nhymor 1995/96 cododd Nant Gwpan Gwynedd eto a’r ieuenctid Gwpan Gogledd Cymru. Yn 1997/98 enillodd Nant Gwpan Hŷn Gogledd Cymru.

Yn 1997, agorwyd y tŷ clwb a’r ystafelloedd newid yn ffurfiol gan Elfyn Llwyd, AS, ym mhresenoldeb Llywydd Undeb Rygbi Cymru, Glanmor Griffiths. Daeth hyn ag aelodaeth lawn o URC gam yn nes.

Er ei fod yn dal i fod yn glwb iau, caniatawyd i Nant gystadlu yng Nghwpan Worthington yn nhymor 1998/99, gan gyrraedd y rownd gynderfynol. Y tymor canlynol, aethant un yn well ac ar y 14eg Ebrill, 2000 bu ymddangosiad yn y Stadiwm Cenedlaethol, Caerdydd, gan golli yn anffodus yn erbyn y Tyllgoed (Fairwater).

Yr un tymor bu iddynt orffen yn ail yn Adran 6 ac roedden nhw’n ffefrynnau i ennill yr adran y tymor canlynol. Ar ôl ennill eu 16 gêm gyntaf, tarodd trychineb yr ardal pan wnaeth yr achosion traed a’r genau atal y clwb rhag cwblhau eu gemau.

Daeth y clwb yn ôl o hyn a dod yn bencampwyr Adran 6 ac enillwyr Cwpan Gogledd Cymru yn 2001/02

Derbyniwyd y clwb o’r diwedd fel aelodau llawn o URC ac fe wnaeth ad-drefnu strwythur y gynghrair genedlaethol yn 2002/03 eu gweld yn chwarae yn Adran 4 y Gogledd. Fe wnaethon nhw ragori ar bob disgwyliad a dod yn bencampwyr Gogledd Cymru, gan golli dim ond un gêm, a chadw Cwpan Gogledd Cymru hefyd.

I’w barhau

Legend has it that Clwb Rygbi Nant Conwy was conceived in the bar of the Pen-y-Bryn, Llanrwst, on a wet Saturday afternoon just before Christmas 1979, with a beer mat used to record the names of the first ever team which lost to Bro Ffestiniog 36 – 3 the following week.

The club was officially formed at a public meeting in the Queen’s Hotel in Llanrwst on 25 January, 1980. There were no leagues in the 1980s but the first and second teams still played around 30 friendlies each season. The first coach was Tony Greenwood. He was succeeded by Mike Roy for the 1981/82 season which saw Nant win 17 games and losing 11. Though this was mainly against second XVs it was an indication of the progress the club was making.

By the mid-80s Geraint Morgan had joined the coaching staff. His experience and South Wales rugby background were to prove invaluable in developing Nant’s style of play.

The club began winning trophies in the late 1980s. The first was the Brewers’ Shield in 1987. This trophy was retained in the following season and Nant added Gwynedd Cup and the Manweb Cup to their collection. The 1988/89 season saw another triple success with the club retaining the Gwynedd and Manweb Cups as well as the Gwynedd League Championship.

These successes brought recognition for the club with seven players representing Gwynedd in 1988 and two players, Emrys Jones and Eric Evans, being selected for the North Wales XV.

As members of the Welsh Districts Union, Nant were not allowed full membership of the WRU, a differentiation based on tradition and off-field facilities rather than playing standards. This was to cause problems during the 1990s. As clubs with clubhouses becoming “senior” clubs, the pool of “junior” clubs became smaller and sufficient games of a high standard were hard to come by. It seemed that the same clubs were playing each other on a regular basis.

Off-field, the club bought land at Pant-y-Carw and the first match at the new home took place in September 1994.. Plans were made for a club-house which would enable the club to develop. Despite the support of various grants it required a huge fund-raising effort locally to get the project off the ground.

Season 1995/96 saw Nant lift the Gwynedd Cup again and the Youths the North Wales Cup. In 1997/98 Nant won the North Wales Senior Cup.

In 1997, the club house and changing rooms were formally opened by Elfyn Llwyd, M.P., in the presence of the President of the Welsh Rugby Union, Glanmor Griffiths, This brought full membership of the WRU a step closer.

Although still a junior club, Nant were allowed to compete in the Worthington Cup in season 1998/99, reaching the semi-finals. The following season they went one better and on 14 April, 2000 appeared in the National Stadium, Cardiff, unfortunately losing to Fairwater.

The same season saw them finish runners-up in Division 6 and they were favourites to win the division the following season. Having won their first 16 games disaster struck when the foot and mouth outbreak prevented the club from completing their fixtures.

The club came back from this and were undefeated Division 6 champions and North Wales Cup winners in 2001/02

The club was finally accepted as full members of the WRU and the 2002/03 reorganisation of the national league structure saw them playing in Division 4 North. They exceeded all expectations and became North Wales champions, losing only one match, and also retained the North Wales Cup.

To be continued