Abertillery RFC
Encyclopedia
Abertillery Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union
club based in Abertillery
. According to their web site, they were founded in 1883, though other sources state 1884. Their team colours are green and white and their home ground is Abertillery Park in Abertillery
. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union
and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons
. Their informal nickname is the Green and Whites.
During the first decade of the clubs' existence, matches were difficult to arrange and games often resulted in on-pitch arguments regarding the interpretation of rules. Abertillery would often arrange for a joint team to face more established clubs, and in 1888 an Abertillery team travelled to Cardiff to face Cardiff Harlequins
at Sophia Gardens
; the game quickly broke down into a 'violent war' before a lengthy discussion the game was eventually resumed. By 1892, Abertillery Town were facing other local clubs including Aberbeeg, Tredegar
and Brynmawr
. 1895 saw Abertillery enter the newly formed Monmouthshire League, and in January 1898 Abertillery were top of the league, but fell away in the second half of the season to finish fifth. The same year saw the purchase of the Old Barn Field by the local council, and it was renamed the Park and Recreation Ground. Although not available immediately to the local clubs it would slowly become home to the local teams. The 1890s ended with Abertillery Town, proposing in their annual meeting, that they and the Abertillery Harlequins, whose team numbers had reached 40 during the 1897–98 season should merge as a single team. The offer was declined, but a further suggestion was made to form an athletic club for the mutual benefit of all the town's sporting organisations.
The most notable members of the early 1890s team were the Boots family, consisting of D.J. Boots, G.W. Boots and E. Boots. David John Boots not only played for Abertillery, but later switched to first class team Newport. D.J. Boots represented Newport from 1899 through to 1907, and was the fullback for the team when they faced the touring South Africans
in 1906.
1901 saw the eventual merging of the Abertillery Town and Harlequin teams, whose union formed Abertillery Rugby Football Club. This was followed during the 1901/1902 season with the formation of the Abertillery Athletic Club, which saw the football and cricket clubs combine. The Abertillery rugby team continued to grow, but would often slip back towards the more lawless style of their early years. In August 1903 the club fell out with the Monmouthshire Football League, refusing to comply with an order to replay a match with Blaina
, which was followed in September with a game against Pill Harriers
that descended into a brawl.
The early 1900s saw the emergence of two of Abertillery's first two star players, Joe Winmill and Alfred "Jim" Webb
. Winmill was club captain for six seasons between 1902 and 1909, and was chosen to represent Monmouthshire
at county level. Winmill's younger brother was Stanley Winmill, who played for Cross Keys
and was selected to play for Wales
in 1921
. Webb became the first player to play international rugby directly from Abertillery. He played in three Welsh Championship winning teams and was selected to play for the British Isles
team on their tour of South Africa in 1910
.
1907 was a key year for Abertillery; Jim Webb earned his first cap for Wales, against Scotland in the 1907 Home Nations Championship
and as the senior team topped the Monmouthshire League, they earned the right to face Australia
on their 1908 tour of Britain
. The one downside to the season was the draw of professional rugby league
on the club, losing one of their best players, wing E.J. Watkins to Warrington RLFC
for the sum of £180.
The 1908–09 season began with the arranging of an impressive fixture list, which as well as the Monmouthshire League teams, include matches to be played against Swansea
, Llanelli
and Neath
. The highlight of the season was the game against the touring Australians which took place on 22 December 1908. This was the first time Abertillery faced international opposition, and the town came to a standstill to welcome the tourists. The collieries finished work early, shops closed and the schools had a half-day holiday. Hundreds of people waited outside the train station and greeted the Australian team with cheers and song. This was the twenty-seventh match for the Australians, and so far the team had only lost three games, against Llanelli, a Combined Midlands team and the Wales national team. Abertillery, led by Winmill held them to a 3–3 draw and became the first team to prevent Australia from scoring a try. Australia took the lead in the game with a penalty, before Billy Bowen equalised for Abertillery. Fred Wood
, the Australian vice-captain, said later, that the Abertillery pack were the finest the team had met on the tour.
The 1909/10 season saw Abertillery win the Monmouthshire League for the third time, losing just a single game during the campaign. The Club decided that the Monmouthsire League was now to small for Abertillery, and decided to leave the competition to challenge larger teams. The season ended with Jim Webb being called to join the British Isles team in South Africa as a replacement. Over the next few seasons, Abertillery continued improving their fixture lists, and on 21 October 1911, beat Llanelli for the very first time. This result, along with a similar upset caused by Pontypool
beating Swansea, was described in the Western Mail as 'History in the making...'
By the end of the 1914, Abertillery had produced three internationals, with Jake Blackmore
(1909) and Jack "Bedwellty" Jones
(1914) joining Jim Webb. The team had also settled on their team strip with the green and white colours being worn at every game. With the outbreak of World War I, all organised rugby matches came to a halt, and about 2000 men from the town signed up to join the British Army.
and withdrew from the Principality Cup
, after the Welsh Rugby Union
made an error during the live draw for the fifth round. Within the week, the club made an about turn and asked to be re-entered.
and the British Lions
, including Haydn Morgan
, Allan Lewis, Rupert Moon
and the late Alun Pask
. They have more recently provided Ospreys players, notably Shaun Connor
.
Jake Blackmore
(1 cap)Albert Fear
(4 caps)Keith Jarrett
John "Jack" 'Bedwellty' Jones
Allan Lewis (6 caps)Rupert Moon
Haydn Morgan
(27 caps)George Parsons
(1 cap)Alun Pask
(26 caps)William Charles "Wick" Powell
Raymond "Ray" PriceDavid "Dai" ReesThomas "Tom" Rees
Trevor 'Ocker' Thomas
(1 cap)David WatkinsJim Webb
(19 caps)
1 A joint Abertillery/Cross Keys
team
2 A joint Abertillery/Ebbw Vale
team
3 A joint Abertillery/Newbridge
team
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 based in Abertillery
Abertillery
Abertillery is a town in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent in South Wales, north-west of Newport, originally on the Great Western Railway. Its population rose steeply during the period of mining development in South Wales, being 10,846 in the 1891 census and 21,945 ten years later...
. According to their web site, they were founded in 1883, though other sources state 1884. Their team colours are green and white and their home ground is Abertillery Park in Abertillery
Abertillery
Abertillery is a town in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent in South Wales, north-west of Newport, originally on the Great Western Railway. Its population rose steeply during the period of mining development in South Wales, being 10,846 in the 1891 census and 21,945 ten years later...
. 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 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...
. Their informal nickname is the Green and Whites.
1883–1914
According to the club's official centenary book, Abertillery Rugby Football Club, Abertillery were founded on 21 September 1883 in a local public house, The Prince of Wales. Like many towns and villages in Wales in the late 1880s, Abertillery was home to multiple rugby teams; these included Abertillery Town, Abertillery Harlequins, Abertillery Wednesdays, Heart of Oak and Abertillery Rovers. These clubs had periods of growth and decline until two main teams emerged, Abertillery Town and Harlequins; these two sides merged into a single club known as Abertillery RFC in 1901. The early clubs did not originally own a match pitch of their own, so relied on on sympathetic landowners to let them play on vacant fields. These included the Gas Works Field and Old Barn Field. The club also did not possess a club-house, so as of 1890 they used Wilkinson's Temperance Hotel.During the first decade of the clubs' existence, matches were difficult to arrange and games often resulted in on-pitch arguments regarding the interpretation of rules. Abertillery would often arrange for a joint team to face more established clubs, and in 1888 an Abertillery team travelled to Cardiff to face Cardiff Harlequins
Cardiff Harlequins RFC
Cardiff Harlequins RFC was a rugby union club located in the Welsh capital city of Cardiff. The team provided several international players during the late 19th century, most notably Gwyn Nicholls, who after leaving the club not only represented Wales but also played for the British Isles on their...
at Sophia Gardens
Sophia Gardens
Sophia Gardens , currently known as SWALEC Stadium under a naming rights deal, is a cricket stadium on the west bank of the River Taff in Cardiff, 1.6 kilometres north of Cardiff Arms Park. It was named after Lady Sophia Rawdon-Hastings...
; the game quickly broke down into a 'violent war' before a lengthy discussion the game was eventually resumed. By 1892, Abertillery Town were facing other local clubs including Aberbeeg, Tredegar
Tredegar RFC
Tredegar Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Tredegar. The club was founded in 1893 but at that time played under the name Tredegar Harriers. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons....
and Brynmawr
Brynmawr RFC
Brynmawr Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in Brynmawr in South Wales. The club presently plays in the Welsh Rugby Union Division Three East league and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.....
. 1895 saw Abertillery enter the newly formed Monmouthshire League, and in January 1898 Abertillery were top of the league, but fell away in the second half of the season to finish fifth. The same year saw the purchase of the Old Barn Field by the local council, and it was renamed the Park and Recreation Ground. Although not available immediately to the local clubs it would slowly become home to the local teams. The 1890s ended with Abertillery Town, proposing in their annual meeting, that they and the Abertillery Harlequins, whose team numbers had reached 40 during the 1897–98 season should merge as a single team. The offer was declined, but a further suggestion was made to form an athletic club for the mutual benefit of all the town's sporting organisations.
The most notable members of the early 1890s team were the Boots family, consisting of D.J. Boots, G.W. Boots and E. Boots. David John Boots not only played for Abertillery, but later switched to first class team Newport. D.J. Boots represented Newport from 1899 through to 1907, and was the fullback for the team when they faced the touring South Africans
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
in 1906.
1901 saw the eventual merging of the Abertillery Town and Harlequin teams, whose union formed Abertillery Rugby Football Club. This was followed during the 1901/1902 season with the formation of the Abertillery Athletic Club, which saw the football and cricket clubs combine. The Abertillery rugby team continued to grow, but would often slip back towards the more lawless style of their early years. In August 1903 the club fell out with the Monmouthshire Football League, refusing to comply with an order to replay a match with Blaina
Blaina RFC
Blaina Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in Blaina in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent in Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Rugby Union Division Three East league and are a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.- History :...
, which was followed in September with a game against Pill Harriers
Pill Harriers RFC
Pill Harriers RFC are a Welsh rugby union club based in Newport in South Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons..-Club origins:...
that descended into a brawl.
The early 1900s saw the emergence of two of Abertillery's first two star players, Joe Winmill and Alfred "Jim" Webb
Jim Webb (rugby player)
Alfred "Jim" Webb was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Abertillery and county rugby for Monmouthshire...
. Winmill was club captain for six seasons between 1902 and 1909, and was chosen to represent Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire County RFC
Monmouthshire County RFC is a Welsh rugby union club that manages an invitational team, known as Monmouthshire that originally played rugby at county level...
at county level. Winmill's younger brother was Stanley Winmill, who played for Cross Keys
Cross Keys RFC
Cross Keys RFC is a rugby union club located in the Welsh village of Crosskeys. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.- History :...
and was selected to play for Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
in 1921
1921 Five Nations Championship
The 1921 Five Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the thirty-fourth series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
. Webb became the first player to play international rugby directly from Abertillery. He played in three Welsh Championship winning teams and was selected to play for the British Isles
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
team on their tour of South Africa in 1910
1910 British Lions tour to South Africa
The 1910 British Isles tour to South Africa was the eighth tour by a British Isles team and the fourth to South Africa. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950. As well as South Africa, the tour included a game in...
.
1907 was a key year for Abertillery; Jim Webb earned his first cap for Wales, against Scotland in the 1907 Home Nations Championship
1907 Home Nations Championship
The 1907 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-fifth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 12 January and 16 March...
and as the senior team topped the Monmouthshire League, they earned the right to face Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
on their 1908 tour of Britain
1908-09 Australia rugby union tour of Britain
The 1908-09 Australia rugby union tour of the British Isles was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the Australia national rugby union team against invitational and national teams from England and Wales, as well as several games against sides from North America...
. The one downside to the season was the draw of professional rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
on the club, losing one of their best players, wing E.J. Watkins to Warrington RLFC
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
for the sum of £180.
The 1908–09 season began with the arranging of an impressive fixture list, which as well as the Monmouthshire League teams, include matches to be played against Swansea
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
, Llanelli
Llanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
and Neath
Neath RFC
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...
. The highlight of the season was the game against the touring Australians which took place on 22 December 1908. This was the first time Abertillery faced international opposition, and the town came to a standstill to welcome the tourists. The collieries finished work early, shops closed and the schools had a half-day holiday. Hundreds of people waited outside the train station and greeted the Australian team with cheers and song. This was the twenty-seventh match for the Australians, and so far the team had only lost three games, against Llanelli, a Combined Midlands team and the Wales national team. Abertillery, led by Winmill held them to a 3–3 draw and became the first team to prevent Australia from scoring a try. Australia took the lead in the game with a penalty, before Billy Bowen equalised for Abertillery. Fred Wood
Fred Wood
Frederick Wood was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative half-back. He was vice-captain of the Wallabies on their first overseas tour in 1908-09 and later captained the side in Test matches in 1910 and 1914...
, the Australian vice-captain, said later, that the Abertillery pack were the finest the team had met on the tour.
The 1909/10 season saw Abertillery win the Monmouthshire League for the third time, losing just a single game during the campaign. The Club decided that the Monmouthsire League was now to small for Abertillery, and decided to leave the competition to challenge larger teams. The season ended with Jim Webb being called to join the British Isles team in South Africa as a replacement. Over the next few seasons, Abertillery continued improving their fixture lists, and on 21 October 1911, beat Llanelli for the very first time. This result, along with a similar upset caused by Pontypool
Pontypool RFC
Pontypool Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in the town of Pontypool. Pontypool RFC has a long history within Welsh rugby and is one of the most notable clubs, being present at the formation of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881, but disbanding before the turn of the 19th century...
beating Swansea, was described in the Western Mail as 'History in the making...'
By the end of the 1914, Abertillery had produced three internationals, with Jake Blackmore
Jake Blackmore
Joseph Henry "Jake" Blackmore was an international rugby forward who played rugby union for Abertillery and rugby league with Hull Kingston Rovers. He won a single caps for Wales under the rugby union code and then represented his country at rugby league in two matches between 1910 and 1911...
(1909) and Jack "Bedwellty" Jones
Jack Jones (rugby)
John "Jack" 'Bedwellty' Jones was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1910s who at representative level played rugby union for Wales, and at club level for Abertillery RFC, playing at Prop, i.e...
(1914) joining Jim Webb. The team had also settled on their team strip with the green and white colours being worn at every game. With the outbreak of World War I, all organised rugby matches came to a halt, and about 2000 men from the town signed up to join the British Army.
Present day
In 2002 Abertillery RFC, followed Brynmawr RFCBrynmawr RFC
Brynmawr Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in Brynmawr in South Wales. The club presently plays in the Welsh Rugby Union Division Three East league and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.....
and withdrew from the Principality Cup
WRU Challenge Cup
The WRU Challenge Cup , or its full name of the Welsh Rugby Union Challenge Cup, is Wales' premier knockout rugby union competition and is organised by the Welsh Rugby Union....
, after 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...
made an error during the live draw for the fifth round. Within the week, the club made an about turn and asked to be re-entered.
Achievements
Abertillery have been Welsh Champions twice. They have provided players for WalesWales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and the British Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
, including Haydn Morgan
Haydn Morgan
Haydn Morgan was a Welsh international flanker who played club rugby for Abertillery. He was awarded twenty seven caps for Wales and toured with Ronnie Dawson's 1959 and Arthur Smith's 1962 British Lions squads...
, Allan Lewis, Rupert Moon
Rupert Moon
Rupert Henry St. John Barker Moon is a former international rugby union player. He was born in England, but played club rugby for Welsh clubs Abertillery and Neath; he is, however, most associated with Llanelli. He played international rugby for Wales, winning 24 caps.-Personal career:Moon was...
and the late Alun Pask
Alun Pask
Alun Edward Islwyn Pask was a international rugby union player and captain.Pask was capped twenty-six times by Wales between 1961 and 1967, twenty-three times as a flanker and three times as at number eight. He scored two tries for Wales, the first on his international debut and toured South...
. They have more recently provided Ospreys players, notably Shaun Connor
Shaun Connor
Shaun Connor is a Welsh rugby union player. He also helps in management in the Ospreys Under 20 side. A fly half, he scored a total of 456 points for the Ospreys and was influential in their historic 24–16 win against Australia at the Liberty Stadium....
.
Club honours
- Welsh Championship 1930–1931 – Champions
- WRU Division Five EastWRU Division Five EastThe Welsh Rugby Union Division Five East is a rugby union league in Wales.- Competition:There are 11 clubs in the WRU Division Five East...
2006–07 – Champions
Notable former players
- See also :Category:Abertillery RFC players
Jake Blackmore
Jake Blackmore
Joseph Henry "Jake" Blackmore was an international rugby forward who played rugby union for Abertillery and rugby league with Hull Kingston Rovers. He won a single caps for Wales under the rugby union code and then represented his country at rugby league in two matches between 1910 and 1911...
(1 cap)Albert Fear
Albert Fear
Albert Fear was a Welsh rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Newport and international rugby for Wales.-Rugby career:...
(4 caps)Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett (rugby)
Keith Jarrett was a Welsh international rugby centre who played union for Newport and league with Barrow. Jarrett is most notable for his early appearances for the Wales national rugby union team where he set point scoring records...
John "Jack" 'Bedwellty' Jones
Jack Jones (rugby)
John "Jack" 'Bedwellty' Jones was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1910s who at representative level played rugby union for Wales, and at club level for Abertillery RFC, playing at Prop, i.e...
Allan Lewis (6 caps)Rupert Moon
Rupert Moon
Rupert Henry St. John Barker Moon is a former international rugby union player. He was born in England, but played club rugby for Welsh clubs Abertillery and Neath; he is, however, most associated with Llanelli. He played international rugby for Wales, winning 24 caps.-Personal career:Moon was...
Haydn Morgan
Haydn Morgan
Haydn Morgan was a Welsh international flanker who played club rugby for Abertillery. He was awarded twenty seven caps for Wales and toured with Ronnie Dawson's 1959 and Arthur Smith's 1962 British Lions squads...
(27 caps)George Parsons
George Parsons (rugby)
George W. Parsons was a Welsh dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1940s and '50s who at representative level played rugby union for Wales, and at club level for Abertillery RFC, Cardiff RFC, Newport RFC , and Newbridge RFC, playing at Lock, i.e...
(1 cap)Alun Pask
Alun Pask
Alun Edward Islwyn Pask was a international rugby union player and captain.Pask was capped twenty-six times by Wales between 1961 and 1967, twenty-three times as a flanker and three times as at number eight. He scored two tries for Wales, the first on his international debut and toured South...
(26 caps)William Charles "Wick" Powell
Wick Powell
William Charles "Wick" Powell was a Welsh international rugby union scrum-half who played club rugby for London Welsh and county rugby for Middlesex...
Raymond "Ray" PriceDavid "Dai" ReesThomas "Tom" Rees
Tom Rees (rugby player born 1913)
Thomas Rees was a Welsh international rugby union prop who played club rugby for Newport RFC. He was a member of the winning Welsh team who beat the 1935 touring All Blacks.-Rugby career:...
Trevor 'Ocker' Thomas
Trevor Thomas (rugby)
William Trevor 'Ocker' Thomas was a Welsh dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s and '40s who at representative level played rugby union for Wales, and at club level for Abertillery RFC, playing at Flanker, i.e...
(1 cap)David WatkinsJim Webb
Jim Webb (rugby player)
Alfred "Jim" Webb was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Abertillery and county rugby for Monmouthshire...
(19 caps)
Games played against international opposition
| Year | Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | 22 December | Draw | 3–3 | 1908 Australian tour of the British Isles | |
| 1919 | 5 April |  New Zealand Army |
Loss | 0–3 | New Zealand Army rugby team of 1919 New Zealand Army rugby team of 1919 The New Zealand Army rugby team of 1919 was a rugby union team which represented New Zealand after the end of the First World War. Although spoken of as a single team, there were several New Zealand Services teams playing in Britain at the conclusion of the War... |
| 19311 | 14 October | Loss | 9–10 | 1931-32 South Africa rugby union tour 1931-32 South Africa rugby union tour The 1931-32 South Africa tour of Britain and Ireland was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the South Africa national rugby union team against the four British Home Nation teams. The tour also took in several matches against British and Irish club, county and invitational teams... |
|
| 19532 | 23 December | Loss | 3–22 | The 1953 New Zealand Tour of British Isles, France, Canada & California. | |
| 19582 | 8 January | Won | 6–5 | 1957-58 Australia rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland and France 1957-58 Australia rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland and France Between late 1957 and February 1958 the Australia national rugby union team - the Wallabies - conducted a world tour encompassing Britain, Ireland, France and Canada on which they played five Tests and thirty-six minor tour matches. They won 22, lost 16 and drew three... |
|
| 19602 | 29 November | Loss | 0–3 | The 1960 South Africa Tour of UK & France | |
| 19632 | 6 November | Loss | 0–13 | 1963-64 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland, France and North America 1963-64 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland, France and North America The 1963–64 New Zealand tour of Britain, Ireland and France was a rugby union tour undertaken by the New Zealand national rugby union team. The tour took in the five major Northern Hemisphere rugby nations of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and France... |
|
| 19643 | 24 September | Draw | 11–11 | 1964 Fiji tour of the British Isles and France | |
| 1983 | 8 October | Loss | 13–17 | The 1983 Japan Tour of Wales | |
1 A joint Abertillery/Cross Keys
Cross Keys RFC
Cross Keys RFC is a rugby union club located in the Welsh village of Crosskeys. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.- History :...
team
2 A joint Abertillery/Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale RFC
Ebbw Vale Rugby Football Club is a Welsh Rugby Union Club based in the town of Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, South Wales. The club currently play in the WRU Division One East and the SWALEC Cup. It also acts as a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons....
team
3 A joint Abertillery/Newbridge
Newbridge RFC
Newbridge RFC are a Welsh rugby union club based in Newbridge, Caerphilly in South Wales. Newbridge RFC was formed in 1888 and gained admission to the WRU in 1911...
team