Aberavon Green Stars RFC
Encyclopedia
Aberavon Green Stars Rugby Football Club is a Welsh
rugby union
team based in Aberavon
, Wales
, UK
. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union
and is a feeder club for the Ospreys. The club was formed by an Irish community
and to this day the team keeps a visible and purposeful connection to their Irish roots, seen in the club's name, club house, badge and nickname, The Fighting Irish.
community near Aberavon Beach
and although publications such as Field of Praise state the club was formed as St Joseph's the club strongly deny this. The club is believed to have started out as the Aberavon Green Stars, but changed their name to St Joseph's during the 1908/09 season. During the 1920s the team began a friendly Christmas Day fixture, a common Welsh club tradition, against Taibach RFC
.
.
Rugby union in Wales
Rugby union is the national sport of Wales and is considered a large part of national culture. Rugby is thought to have reached Wales in the 1850s, with the national body, the Welsh Rugby Union being formed in 1881...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team based in Aberavon
Aberavon
Aberavon is a settlement in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a district of Port Talbot, covering the central and south western part of the town...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
and is a feeder club for the Ospreys. The club was formed by an Irish community
and to this day the team keeps a visible and purposeful connection to their Irish roots, seen in the club's name, club house, badge and nickname, The Fighting Irish.
Early years
The Green Stars owe their formation to the IrishIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
community near Aberavon Beach
Aberavon Beach
Aberavon Beach, also known as Aberavon Sands is three-mile stretch of sandy beach located on the north-eastern edge of Swansea Bay in Sandfields, Port Talbot, Wales. With its high breaker waves, it is popular with surfers...
and although publications such as Field of Praise state the club was formed as St Joseph's the club strongly deny this. The club is believed to have started out as the Aberavon Green Stars, but changed their name to St Joseph's during the 1908/09 season. During the 1920s the team began a friendly Christmas Day fixture, a common Welsh club tradition, against Taibach RFC
Taibach RFC
Taibach Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in Taibach near Port Talbot in Wales, UK. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is also a feeder club for the Ospreys....
.
Post 1945
Like all Welsh clubs, Aberavon Green Stars disbanded during the Second World War, but in 1946 reformed as Port Talbot Cyms RFC. In 1953 the team reclaimed the name Aberavon Green Stars.Club Badge
The Green Stars badge is a shield divided into four quarters each representing a link to Welsh or Irish culture. The two Irish quarters hold a shamrock and an Irish harp. The two Welsh quarters hold the Welsh red dragon and the Prince of Wales's feathersPrince of Wales's feathers
The Prince of Wales's feathers is the heraldic badge of the Heir Apparent to the British and Commonwealth Realms thrones. It consists of three white feathers emerging from a gold coronet. A ribbon below the coronet bears the motto Ich dien...
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Club honours
- WRU Division Five South CentralWRU Division Five South CentralThe Welsh Rugby Union Division Five South Central is a rugby union league in Wales first implemented for the 1995/96 season.- Competition:...
2007/08 - Champions (unbeaten P20 W19 D1) - WRU Division Four South WestWRU Division Four South WestThe Welsh Rugby Union Division Four South West is a rugby union league in Wales first implemented for the 1995/96 season.- Competition:...
2009/10 - Champions (P22 W20 L2)