Abergavenny RFC
Encyclopedia
Abergavenny Rugby Football Club is a Welsh
rugby union
club team based in Abergavenny
. Today, Abergavenny RFC plays in the Welsh Rugby Union
Division Three East
league and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons
.
The club runs sides from under 8's through to under 16's, a youth side, and two senior sides, a 1st XV and 'The Quins'. Club colours are claret and amber. Separate committees within the club oversee the Minis and Juniors and main club.
. Although there are reports of Abergavenny playing some matches on the Castle Meadows their first permanent ground was Ysgyborwen Fields which forms the Pennypound end of Park Crescent. In later seasons the club moved to the council owned Bailey Park, where the team plays to this day. Changing Rooms were built at the clubhouse in 1960.
The rugby club grandstand in Bailey Park was built in 1999 and at that time had seating in from the old Cardiff Arms Park. It was officially opened by Sir Tasker Watkins
President of the WRU. Over the years the stand has suffered much vandalism all the seating and later the Welsh slate roof has had to be removed for safety reasons due to vandalism. The roof has been replaced with steel sheeting. The project will take time and money is needed for new seating for supporters and also the stand needs vandal proof shutters to prevent its use to only rugby supporters.
During the 2010/2011 season new floodlights were erected following funding from the Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust, Monmouthshire County Council and a large donation from the Mini and Junior sections of the club raised through their successful annual Rugby Festival 'The Tournament' that takes place at Usk Showground each year. The lights cost in the region of £50K.
The Tournament is held each year on the May Day Bank holiday at the Usk showground. The 2010 festival of rugby is the largest in Wales and surpassed last years numbers with nearly 4300 players and over 170 teams represented by 56 clubs competing in all age groups from Under 7 to Under 16. For the third season we will also had a U15 Girls and a U18 Ladies tournament held on the Sunday during the Mini Day and a senior ladies 7-a-side on the Saturday. Over 20 pitches are used at times with matches from 10.30am until the closing award ceremony in the late afternoon / early evening.
The Tournament is played under the WRU Pathway rules for the various age groups. It is not a charitable event and the cost of the weekend falls on the Junior and Mini Sections of the club. Welsh international rugby players attend each year with Ian Gough and Ryan Jones attending the most. James Hook, Luke Charteris, Rhys Thomas and Hal Luscombe have appeared in previous years.
As of 2010 the tournament is in 8th season having grown from three teams in Bailey Park, Abergavenny in 2001. The event then moved to Raglan Sports Fields in 2002 until 2007 when it outgrew that site. It has been resident at the Usk Showgrounds until present.
For over 20 years at Easter the Mini section has forged a special bond with ROC Cholet, France. Alternative years the players from Cholet and Abergavenny are hosted as each visits the other and trips are arranged to show the players and families local sights and customs culminating in matches on the Sunday.
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...
club team based in Abergavenny
Abergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
. Today, Abergavenny RFC plays in 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...
Division Three East
WRU Division Three East
The Welsh Rugby Union Division Three East is a rugby union league in Wales.- Competition:There are 12 clubs in the WRU Division Three East...
league and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons are one of the four professional Rugby Union regional teams in Wales. They are jointly owned by Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union and play all their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup...
.
The club runs sides from under 8's through to under 16's, a youth side, and two senior sides, a 1st XV and 'The Quins'. Club colours are claret and amber. Separate committees within the club oversee the Minis and Juniors and main club.
Early history
Although there is mention of rugby being played in Abergavenny as far back 1867, the Abergavenny club was formed in 1875 through Faithful's Army and Navy Training College. In 1877 Abergavenny played their first match under rugby rules against Monmouth SchoolMonmouth School
Monmouth School is an HMC boys' boarding and day school in Monmouth, Monmouthshire in south east Wales. It was founded in 1614 by William Jones. It is run as a trust, the William Jones's Schools Foundation, by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, one of the Livery Companies...
. Although there are reports of Abergavenny playing some matches on the Castle Meadows their first permanent ground was Ysgyborwen Fields which forms the Pennypound end of Park Crescent. In later seasons the club moved to the council owned Bailey Park, where the team plays to this day. Changing Rooms were built at the clubhouse in 1960.
Home Ground
The clubhouse sits in the top corner of Fairfield Car Park just north of the town centre off the A40 Brecon Road. The club backs onto the two rugby pitches at Bailey Park. The clubhouse was extended in 2004/05 to include new changing rooms, showers and physio room through a grant from the Sports Council of Wales in association with the Welsh Rugby Union. The club houses a ground floor lounge and a first floor function room, committee room and kitchen facility.The rugby club grandstand in Bailey Park was built in 1999 and at that time had seating in from the old Cardiff Arms Park. It was officially opened by Sir Tasker Watkins
Tasker Watkins
The Rt Hon Sir Tasker Watkins VC GBE PC was a Lord Justice of Appeal and deputy Lord Chief Justice...
President of the WRU. Over the years the stand has suffered much vandalism all the seating and later the Welsh slate roof has had to be removed for safety reasons due to vandalism. The roof has been replaced with steel sheeting. The project will take time and money is needed for new seating for supporters and also the stand needs vandal proof shutters to prevent its use to only rugby supporters.
During the 2010/2011 season new floodlights were erected following funding from the Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust, Monmouthshire County Council and a large donation from the Mini and Junior sections of the club raised through their successful annual Rugby Festival 'The Tournament' that takes place at Usk Showground each year. The lights cost in the region of £50K.
The Tournament is held each year on the May Day Bank holiday at the Usk showground. The 2010 festival of rugby is the largest in Wales and surpassed last years numbers with nearly 4300 players and over 170 teams represented by 56 clubs competing in all age groups from Under 7 to Under 16. For the third season we will also had a U15 Girls and a U18 Ladies tournament held on the Sunday during the Mini Day and a senior ladies 7-a-side on the Saturday. Over 20 pitches are used at times with matches from 10.30am until the closing award ceremony in the late afternoon / early evening.
The Tournament is played under the WRU Pathway rules for the various age groups. It is not a charitable event and the cost of the weekend falls on the Junior and Mini Sections of the club. Welsh international rugby players attend each year with Ian Gough and Ryan Jones attending the most. James Hook, Luke Charteris, Rhys Thomas and Hal Luscombe have appeared in previous years.
As of 2010 the tournament is in 8th season having grown from three teams in Bailey Park, Abergavenny in 2001. The event then moved to Raglan Sports Fields in 2002 until 2007 when it outgrew that site. It has been resident at the Usk Showgrounds until present.
For over 20 years at Easter the Mini section has forged a special bond with ROC Cholet, France. Alternative years the players from Cholet and Abergavenny are hosted as each visits the other and trips are arranged to show the players and families local sights and customs culminating in matches on the Sunday.
Notable past players
- See also :Category:Abergavenny RFC players
- 1899 British Isles XV1899 British Lions tour to AustraliaThe 1899 British Isles tour to Australia was the fourth rugby union tour by a British Isles team and the second to Australia; though the first tour in 1888 was a private venture, making the 1899 tour the first official undertaking of Australia...
Frederick BelsonFrederick BelsonFrederick Charles Belson was an English international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Clifton and Bath, and county rugby for Somerset. Belson played international rugby for the British Isles on their 1899 tour of Australia.-Personal life:Belson was born in Ramsgate in Kent in 1874 to...
(Belson was never capped for Wales or any other nation) James BevanJames BevanJames Bevan was a Wales international rugby union three-quarter who played club rugby for Clifton RFC and Newport...
(1 cap) Bob EvansBob Evans (rugby player)Bob Evans was a Welsh rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby for Monmouthshire...
Charlie NewmanCharlie NewmanCharlie Newman was a Welsh international three-quarter who played club rugby for Newport. He was awarded ten caps for Wales and captained the team on six occasions. An original member of the Newport squad he captained the team in the 1882/83 season.-Personal life:Newman was born Newport in 1857 to...
(10 caps) Richard PowellRichard Powell (rugby player)Richard 'Dick' Powell was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Abergavenny and Newport.-Rugby career:...
(2 caps) Russell TaylorRussell Taylor (rugby player)Albert Russell Taylor was a international rugby union player. He was selected for the 1938 British Lions tour to South Africa. Taylor played club rugby for Cross Keys RFC and Abergavenny RFC...