half of the Warriors to Bridgend RFC owner Leighton Samuel, which he in turn gave to the WRU, a move that would later condemn the club. Further problems occurred as Samuel made the decision to abandon Pontypridd's Sardis Road in favour of playing all Warriors games in Bridgend. This brought the club into conflict with a large proportion of its fan base and attendances fell. Trouble followed in the Spring and early Summer of 2004 where Leighton Samuel repeatedly threatened and revoked threats of selling the club; one such instance went as far as Samuel accepting an offer from the WRU before changing his mind. This transaction was considered to be legally binding, and the Warriors became 100% owned by the WRU who decided to liquidate the club on 1 June 2004. Samuels claimed that the WRU had promised to keep the region going for a second season but reneged on the deal. He challenged the Union over this in a high court case which the Union settled just before it came to court. Aftermath With the demise of the club, players' contracts were effectively torn up as they were pushed around to fill positions in the other four regional sides. A number simply chose to turn their back on the Welsh game and moved to teams in England and France. This left the ex-Warriors' fans feeling alienated from the professional game. In the aftermath of the demise of the Warriors, a new rugby league club Celtic Crusaders was formed and played out of Brewery Field. They were funded by Leighton Samuel, who claimed that they were the reincarnation of the Warriors franchise. The club lasted four seasons in Bridgend before relocating to Wrexham under new ownership. Home ground The "Warriors" used both Brewery Field and Sardis Road for their home games. Statistics Celtic League Celtic League Cup Heineken Cup Squad Arwel Thomas and Caleb Ralph both agreed terms to join the Celtic Warriors for the 2004–05 season, as the region was disbanded before their contracts began, neither player represented the region. British & Irish Lions See also Pro14 Crusaders Rugby League Celtic League Heineken Cup European Rugby Shield External links Bridgend RFC official site Pontypridd RFC official site Footnotes United Rugby Championship teams Defunct Welsh rugby union teams 2003–04 Celtic League 2003–04 Heineken Cup Rugby clubs established in 2003 Sports clubs disestablished in 2004