Caerphilly Rugby Football Club is a Welsh

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...

 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 founded in 1887. Their home ground is Virginia Park in Caerphilly

Caerphilly

Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...

 and their nickname is The Cheesemen. Caerphilly RFC currently play in the WRU Division One East

WRU Division One East

The Welsh Rugby Union Division One East is a rugby union league in Wales first implemented for the 1995/96 season.- Competition:There are 12 clubs in the WRU Division One East...

 and are 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...

.

Caerphilly RFC also run a thriving mini and Junior Section with teams from Under 7's up to Youth. The Youth compete in the Dragons A League whilst the Seconds (known as the Falcons) compete in a strong mid district 2nds league.

History

The club was formed on 26 August 1887 but the first printed report was not until October of that year; since then Caerphilly RFC have spent many years in the top divisions of Welsh league rugby. Caerphilly has twice been admitted as members of the WRU, once in 1900 and again in 1955 after the club had disbanded and then reformed.

Home ground

Their home ground, Virginia Park, is a small stadium

Stadium

A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...

 with all-seated stands on either side of the pitch and a non-seated stand at one end of the pitch. In World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, German planes bombed Virginia Park, as they incorrectly believed it was being used as an airfield.

Recent success

Caerphilly

Caerphilly

Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...

 have featured in two recent cup finals, the European Shield

European Shield

The European Shield was a reprechage tournament for teams knocked out in the first round of the European Challenge Cup in 2002-03 and 2003-04. The name "European Shield" had previously been used for the now renamed European Challenge Cup....

 Final 2003 (losing to French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 team Castres Olympique

Castres Olympique

Castres Olympique is a French rugby union club located in the Midi-Pyrénées city of Castres and currently competing in the top level of the French league system.Founded in 1898, the club took its current name in 1906...

) & the Welsh Cup Final

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....

 in 2004 (losing to Neath RFC

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 club were also narrow runners up in Division One East in 2007/2008 season.