- Neath RFC
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Neath RFC 
Full name Neath Rugby Football Club Nickname(s) Welsh All Blacks, The Mourners Founded 1871[1] Location Neath, Wales Ground(s) The Gnoll (Capacity: 7,500) President Unknown Coach(es) 
Patrick HorganCaptain(s) Unknown League(s) Principality Premiership 2010–11 2nd[2] 
Team kitOfficial website www.neathrugby.co.uk 
Neath RFC shop, 13 Old Market Street, Neath
Neath Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The first team is known as the Welsh All Blacks because of the team colours: black with only a white cross pattée as an emblem. Neath RFC is the oldest rugby club in Wales, having been formed in 1871.
Contents
History
Early history
Neath Rugby Football club was established in 1871 by a consortium of ten enthusiasts, their captain at the time, T. P. Whittington would later play international rugby for Scotland in 1873.[3]
The club's nickname, 'The Welsh All Blacks', comes from their iconic strip of black jersey, shorts and socks with a white cross pattée. The origin of the team colours is not known for sure. Origally the club's players represented the team in various dark kits and the Cross pattée was introduced by one of their players, thought to have been E.C. Moxham, "to break the monotony". It is believed that the strip was later switched to the pure black kit as a mark of respect to player Dick Gordon, who died from injuries sustained on the field of play against Bridgend RFC in 1880.
On the 12th June 1881, eleven teams met in the Castle Hotel, Neath to form what would be accepted as a Welsh rugby union. The founding clubs of the WFU (Welsh Football Union), as it was originally known, were Swansea C & FC, Pontypool RFC, Newport RFC, Merthyr RFC, Llanelli RFC, Bangor RFC, Brecon RFC, Cardiff RFC, Lampeter College, Llandovery College and Llandeilo RFC.[4] Strangely Neath RFC was not recorded as being present, even though the meeting took place in the town. It is unknown if this was an oversight by the committee to record the presence of the club, or if Neath RFC did not actually attend. One theory put forward is that the president, John Llewellyn and secretary, Sam Clark of the South Wales Football Union were both Neath men. By attending this new union they would be destroying the SWFU and therefore their own influence in the game. These wounds would soon heal and Neath joined the newly formed WFU in the 1882–83 season and would eventually become pivotal in the union's development, monopolizing the secretaryship from 1896 to 1955.[5] Sam Clark would in turn become the first Welsh international from Neath RFC, playing in the second Wales game on 28 January 1882.
In 1887/88 Neath RFC undertook their first tour of the northern English clubs, including Hartlepool, Manningham and Wortley. The next season Neath played host to Widnes on Christmas Day before undertaking a further northern tour taking on a further five teams in six days. During the 1890/91 season a South West England tour was introduced, which would later become an annual fixture facing clubs such as Bristol and London Welsh.
2008/09 season
Their 2008/09 cup winning season, in which they claimed a mighty victory over Llanelli at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. This was the first year since the cup name changed from Konica Minolta Cup to Swalec Cup.
2007/08 season
Their 2007/08 championship season, their fourth in succession, was overshadowed by the death of scrum-half of Gareth Jones, on June 16, 2008. Jones had been injured in a match against Cardiff RFC on April 20. [6]
Club records
Neath RFC hold the world record for the number of points (1,917) and tries (345) accumulated in one season (47 Games)[7]. This record was set during the 1988/89 season, it is also worth noting that a try was worth 4 points at the time the record was broken.
The record for the most tries scored in a game in the post-regional era (post 2002) is held by Richard Smith. In January 2010 against Kidwelly RFC Smith scored 7 tries. The pre-regional record of 6 tries is jointly held by Howie Jones (v Aberavon 1928/29), W.D. Williams (v B.P.Llandarcy 1949/50), Keith Maddocks (v Ebbw Vale 1956/57), Alan Edmunds (v Cross Keys 1989/90).
Organisation and finance
Neath RFC is now known as Neath Rugby Ltd and owns 50% of the Ospreys professional side.
In an effort to generate more income at their home stadium The Gnoll, the club announced in 2008, plans to share it with the town's football club Neath Athletic A.F.C..[8]
Club honours
- Welsh Club Champions: 1909/10, 1910/11, 1928/29, 1933/34, 1934/35, 1946/47, 1966/67, 1986/87, 1988/89, 1989/90
- Welsh Premier Division: 1990/91, 1995/96, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2009/10
- Welsh Cup: 1971/72, 1988/89, 1989/90, 2003/04, 2007/08, 2008/09
- Welsh Cup Finalists: 1983/84, 1987/88, 1992/93, 1995/96, 2000/01, 2005/06,
- Snelling Sevens 1964, 1970
- Principality Premiership Play Off Champions: 2009/2010
Players and coaches
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-IRB nationality.
Player Position Union Ross Davies Prop WalesNicky Downs Prop WalesMartin Jones Prop WalesEmyr Wyn Lewis Prop WalesCraig Mitchell Prop WalesJohnny Thomas Prop WalesAshleigh James Hooker WalesAndy Littlehales Hooker WalesGerwyn Price Hooker WalesJimmy Richards Hooker WalesNeil Edwards Lock WalesEuros Evans Lock WalesHaydn Pugh Lock WalesCiaran Ruddock Lock 
IrelandJohn Bowd Flanker WalesAndrew Llewellyn Flanker WalesLee Evans Flanker WalesGareth Gravell Number 8 WalesNathan Bonner-Evans Number 8 WalesNathan Thomas Number 8 WalesPlayer Position Union Kevin Farrell Scrum-half 
New ZealandGareth James Scrum-half WalesMatty James Fly-half New ZealandMatthew Jarvis Fly-half WalesStephen Thomas Centre WalesDavid Evans Wing WalesKevin James Wing WalesKristian Phillips Wing WalesLiam Powell Wing WalesGareth King Fullback WalesWayne Mitchell Fullback WalesKevin Morgan Fullback WalesNotable former players
- See also Category:Neath RFC players
- Les Anthony
- Allan Bateman
- Andrew Bishop
- Billy Boston
- Chris Bridges
- Howell John Davies
- Jonathan Davies
- Scott Gibbs
- RK Green, 1908 British Lions
- Thomas Hollingdale
- Alan Edmunds
- Roy John
- Adam Jones
- Lewis Jones
- Lyn Jones
Wilson Lauder- John Leighton Davies
- Gareth Llewellyn
- Glyn Llewellyn
- Courtney Meredith
- Dai Morris
- Darren Morris
- Fred Perrett
- Kevin Phillips
- Rowland Phillips
- David Pickering
- Elgan Rees
- Huw Richards
- Glyn Shaw
- Rees Stephens
- Brian Thomas
- William Lewis Thomas
- Paul Thorburn
- Barry Williams
- Brian Williams
- Shane Williams
Games played against international opposition
Year Date Opponent Result Score Tour 19081 15 October 
AustraliaLoss 0–15 1908 Australian tour of the British Isles[9][10] 1912 19 December 
South AfricaLoss 3–8 1912-13 South Africa rugby union tour 19311 28 November South AfricaLoss 3-8 1931–32 South Africa rugby union tour 19351 14 December New ZealandLoss 3-13 1935-36 New Zealand tour 19471 25 October AustraliaLoss 9-19 1947-48 Australia tour 19511 17 November South AfricaLoss 0-22 1951–52 South Africa rugby union tour 19541 23 January New ZealandLoss 5-11 1953–54 New Zealand tour 19571 28 December AustraliaLoss 3-5 1957–58 Australia tour 1970 5 September 
West GermanyWin 28–0 19731 24 January New ZealandLoss 3-43 1972-73 New Zealand tour 1987 31 October 
United StatesLoss 6–15 1987 United States rugby union tour of Wales[11] 1989 25 October New ZealandLoss 15-26 1989 New Zealand tour[12] 1992 11 November AustraliaLoss 8-16 1992 Australia tour 1994 2 November South AfricaLoss 13–16 1994-95 South Africa rugby union tour[13] 1995 25 October 
FijiWin 30–22 1995 Fiji tour of Wales[14] 1 All these matches were played by a joint Neath/Aberavon team.
References
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881–1981 pp24, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980) ISBN 0708307663
- ^ WRU Official Site - Sourced 28 August 2011
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881–1981 pp24, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980) ISBN 0708307663
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881–1981 pp24, David Smith pp41, Gareth Williams (1980) ISBN 0708307663
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881–1981 pp44-45, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980) ISBN 0708307663
- ^ BBC News (2008-06-16). "Scrum-half dies after neck injury". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/7457473.stm. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
- ^ The 1993 Guinness Book of Records ISBN 0851129781
- ^ BBC News (2008-05-16). "Rugby stadium makes soccer space". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/7404410.stm. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881–1981, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980) pp187 ISBN 0780307663
- ^ Rugby Relics website
- ^ Jones, Stephen (1988). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1988–89. Queen Anne Press. pp. 30–32. ISBN 0356158845.
- ^ http://www.rugbymuseum.co.nz/teamsheet.asp?level1=All_Blacks&Level2=ABC&MT_ID=1902
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUzwdZYOsEU
- ^ Fiji Rugby Union.com
Neath RFC: 1871–1945 – Mike Price (ISBN 0-7524-2709-1, October 2002) Neath RFC: 1945–1996 – Mike Price (ISBN 0-7524-3106-4, March 2004)
External links
Teams Swansea RFC · Neath RFCRivalries Related articles Welsh Premier Division 2011-12 Aberavon • Bedwas • Bridgend Ravens • Cardiff • Carmarthen Quins • Cross Keys • Llandovery • Llanelli • Neath • Newport • Pontypool • Pontypridd • Swansea • Tonmawr •Rugby union in Wales Governing body National teams National team competitions Wales at the Rugby World Cup · Six Nations Championship · Prince William Cup · James Bevan Trophy · Women's Six Nations ChampionshipRegional and club teams Regional and club competitions Heineken Cup · European Challenge Cup · Magners League · LV= Cup · Welsh Premier Division · British and Irish Cup · Welsh Cup · WRU National Leagues · Glamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy · Mid District CupPrevious competitions Related articles Welsh rugby union system · Wales rugby union captains · Welsh rugby union players · Millennium Stadium · National Stadium, Cardiff Arms Park · London Welsh RFC · Wales international playersCategories:- Rugby union in Neath Port Talbot
- Sports clubs established in 1871
- Welsh rugby union teams
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