Watkins hoping for Bristol support

Dai Watkins is hoping rugby league fans from Bristol will make the relatively short trip to Newport this Saturday as the Celtic Crusaders entertain the Leeds Rhinos. The club are set to announce a permanent move to the Gwent Dragons’ home ground in the next week.

Watkins, president of the Crusaders and the Dragons, will watch from the stands on Saturday as the trouble-hit Saders face the might of the Leeds Rhinos in Wales' third city.

The negative press coverage in the aftermath of the six deportations has hit the club hard - and comes at the worst possible time as the Saders test the water at Rodney Parade against gunning for the Super League leaders' shield.

Deportation-gate is sure to have an affect on the attendance this Saturday evening, but Watkins is still hoping for a bumper crowd and hopes some curious potential supporters from across the Severn Bridge will make the relatively short 30-odd mile trip to Newport.

"It will be interesting to see how many people make the trip from Bridgend and hopefully the Bristol area," said Watkins.

However, dual-code legend Watkins is also concerned that a heavy Leeds win - increasingly likely with the backline of John Dixon's side now banned from playing - will put off potential fans.

"The crowd will be a barometer of interest in the club but if the Crusaders are on the wrong end of a big scoreline, then people will only see it in black and white and won't know the background." he added.

The question, however, that remains is if the club are hoping to attract cross-border support next season with the move to Newport - why has the new crest embraced the three feathers? The heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales clearly has strong connotations with Wales and the national team.

The Bristol Sonics RLFC currently represent Brizzle in rugby league - though they attract only minimal support and currently play in the Midlands Premier League. They were named as Rugby League Conference Team of the Year in 2008 and the following year competed in the Challenge Cup only to suffer a thumping 52-8 defeat against Leeds Metropolitan University.