Glynneath RFC
Encyclopedia
Glynneath RFC are a Welsh Rugby Union
club playing in Division Three South West
of the WRU National Leagues. The Club has win a number of honours over the years, including the locally famous Invincibles of the 1961-62 season captained by Bas Thomas.
Playing out of Abernant Park in red and black jerseys, the Club has two senior teams, a youth team and six junior sides. Famous sons of Glynneath RFC include David Weaver, David Richards
, Dai Morris and Tavis Knoyle
.
The club moved to its current home at Abernant Park in 1901. In common with many other clubs, no rugby was played in the years 1904-5 and 1905-6 due to the Religious Revival. The 1909-10 season saw Glynneath RFC admitted as a member of the Welsh Rugby Union
.
The Golden Period (1919-1922) saw Glynneath finish with the following record: Played 129 Won 86 Drawn 27 Lost 16. The 1921-22 season also saw the formation of the first Juniors team who wore a black and white strip. However, the team disbanded after three seasons. The same season also saw the introduction of a reserve team, which disbanded four years later.
Following on from the Second World War, Glynneath RFC decided in the Summer of 1944 that they were to reform. A meeting was held and a committee was formed. The club sought permission for the use of Abernant Park and the opportunity to buy new balls and 17 jerseys at a cost of £11-13-6 plus 4 coupons each. Goal posts and a first-aid kit were also purchased. New rules were also introduced, such as, any Committee member absent four times from meetings without reasonable excuse would be automatically expelled.
It was decided in 1959 that Glynneath RFC should seek out a permanent clubhouse, as they had previously been using The Rock Hotel. Abernant House was purchased for the sum of £4,000. A further £10,000 was spent on the premises to transform it into a spacious modern rugby club. It was officially opened on October 7, 1959.
. This run also continued for 11 games in the following season until they were defeated by St Luke's College (Exeter). Including the 1960-61 season, Glynneath RFC went on a run of 55 games unbeaten.
1964 saw wholesale changes in Glynneath's facilities - with the building of a grandstand, an extension to the clubhouse, and the installation of floodlights. The official opening took place on December 22 1964. However, a black day in the club's history occurred in 1977 when the dance hall was completely gutted by a fire. The clubhouse was reopened in 1980 following a massive fund-raising effort by the club to repair the hall.
The 1980s saw the introduction of The Valley Shield (1985-86) - a game between Glynneath and Cwmgrwach in memory of Gareth Thomas. Glynneath won the fixture 18-3. It also saw the Glynneath Athletic XV win Division B of the Neath & District Championship, the annual Neath & District RU 7-a-side tournament at Abernant Park, and the Courage Wales League Cup. The following season saw the First XV win the O G Davies 7-a-side tournament.
en-route to their 5th Round exit against Bridgend. They were also awarded the Team of the Round Trophy for the victory over Maesteg. They also broke their own record during the season with 129 tries and 676 points.
During the centenary season of 1989-90, Glynneath RFC finished as Runners Up of Section D ensuring their constant rise up the leagues. The run continued when they were crowned Champions of Section C (1990-91), Section B (1991-92) and Section A (1993-94). The club also won the Tovali Cup the 1990-91 season. They were the last team to win Section A, and went on to win a Heineken League play-off against Cardigan which placed Glynneath in Division 3.
Probably the biggest game at Abernant Park took place on January 28, 1995, when they took on Llanelli
in the SWALEC Cup. The strong players Nigel Davies, Rupert Moon
, Robin McBryde
, Craig Quinnell
and Phil Davies, and others, played for Llanelli. The game also saw the return from injury of Ieuan Evans. A crowd of 3,000 and a camera crew were present during the wet and windy conditions to see Llanelli win by 27-0.
In the 2007-08 season, the club became champions of Division Four South West at Brynamman after a brace from centre Wyn Thomas, ensuring the club finished top with two games to spare. The season also saw the Youth team finish as Runners-Up in the Afan-Nedd District Cup.
The club's president is popular entertainer Max Boyce
.
Tovali Cup Winners (1990-91)
Glamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy
(1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63)
West Wales record for tries in a season (129)
Section F Winners (1987-88)
Section E Winners (1988-89)
Section D Runners Up(1989-90)
Section C Winners (1990-91)
Section B Winners (1991-92)
Section A Winners (1993-94)
Welsh Youth Cup Winners (2005-06)
WRU Division Four South West
Winners (2007-08)
Brains SA Bowl Winners (2009-10)
Don Devereux
Dai Edwards
T.C. Lloyd Dai Morris
Dai Prosser Glyn Prosser
David Richards
David Weaver Tavis Knoyle
Thomas John Lloyd
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...
club playing in Division Three South West
WRU Division Three South West
The Welsh Rugby Union Division Three South West is a rugby union league in Wales.- Competition:There are 12 clubs in the WRU Division Three South West...
of the WRU National Leagues. The Club has win a number of honours over the years, including the locally famous Invincibles of the 1961-62 season captained by Bas Thomas.
Playing out of Abernant Park in red and black jerseys, the Club has two senior teams, a youth team and six junior sides. Famous sons of Glynneath RFC include David Weaver, David Richards
David Richards
David Richards may refer to:*David Richards , former NFL offensive lineman*David Richards , British general*David Richards , former CEO of the ICC...
, Dai Morris and Tavis Knoyle
Tavis Knoyle
Tavis Knoyle is a Wales international rugby union footballer who plays at scrum-half for the Scarlets....
.
Early history
Glynneath RFC was founded in the 1889-90 season. According to Gwilym R Davies, Will Jones, son of the Landlord of the Angel Hotel, introduced the game to the village in 1880. Two local sides were set up - the 'Woollen Factory' and the 'Lamb & Flag'. Glynneath RFC was formed in 1889 and captained by Will Jones.The club moved to its current home at Abernant Park in 1901. In common with many other clubs, no rugby was played in the years 1904-5 and 1905-6 due to the Religious Revival. The 1909-10 season saw Glynneath RFC admitted as 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...
.
The Golden Period (1919-1922) saw Glynneath finish with the following record: Played 129 Won 86 Drawn 27 Lost 16. The 1921-22 season also saw the formation of the first Juniors team who wore a black and white strip. However, the team disbanded after three seasons. The same season also saw the introduction of a reserve team, which disbanded four years later.
Following on from the Second World War, Glynneath RFC decided in the Summer of 1944 that they were to reform. A meeting was held and a committee was formed. The club sought permission for the use of Abernant Park and the opportunity to buy new balls and 17 jerseys at a cost of £11-13-6 plus 4 coupons each. Goal posts and a first-aid kit were also purchased. New rules were also introduced, such as, any Committee member absent four times from meetings without reasonable excuse would be automatically expelled.
Hawick Association
The first visit of Hawick Trades took place in 1956 - a fixture that still continues to this day. Following a conversation between Rees Thomas (GRFC Fixture Secretary) and Bert Miller, Mr Thomas was put in touch with John Imrie of Hawick Trades. The two teams battle it out each year for the Andrew Deans Challenge Cup.It was decided in 1959 that Glynneath RFC should seek out a permanent clubhouse, as they had previously been using The Rock Hotel. Abernant House was purchased for the sum of £4,000. A further £10,000 was spent on the premises to transform it into a spacious modern rugby club. It was officially opened on October 7, 1959.
The Invincibles
Probably the most well-known era of the club was the 'Invincible Season' in 1961-62. The team, captained by Bas Thomas, played a total of 41 games in that season, winning 37 and drawing just 4 fixtures. They also won the Championship Cup, League Shield and Silver Ball TrophyGlamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy
The Glamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy , is a Welsh rugby union competition open to all non-premier Welsh Rugby Union clubs playing in the Glamorganshire area....
. This run also continued for 11 games in the following season until they were defeated by St Luke's College (Exeter). Including the 1960-61 season, Glynneath RFC went on a run of 55 games unbeaten.
1964 saw wholesale changes in Glynneath's facilities - with the building of a grandstand, an extension to the clubhouse, and the installation of floodlights. The official opening took place on December 22 1964. However, a black day in the club's history occurred in 1977 when the dance hall was completely gutted by a fire. The clubhouse was reopened in 1980 following a massive fund-raising effort by the club to repair the hall.
The 1980s saw the introduction of The Valley Shield (1985-86) - a game between Glynneath and Cwmgrwach in memory of Gareth Thomas. Glynneath won the fixture 18-3. It also saw the Glynneath Athletic XV win Division B of the Neath & District Championship, the annual Neath & District RU 7-a-side tournament at Abernant Park, and the Courage Wales League Cup. The following season saw the First XV win the O G Davies 7-a-side tournament.
The League Climb
Glynneath RFC were accepted as members of the Welsh Brewers West Wales Championship League in 1987-88, competing in Section F. They finished their league campaign unbeaten and set two new records - WWWRU Cup for most tries (105) and the Eurof Davies Shield for most points (564). Further success came through the winning of the O G Davies Merit table and the Wood & Elkias Trophy. They went on to win Section E in the following season, and also enjoyed a successful run in the Schweppes Cup beating MaestegMaesteg RFC
Maesteg Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the town of Maesteg, South Wales. The club presently play in the Welsh Rugby Union Division One West and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.-Club history:...
en-route to their 5th Round exit against Bridgend. They were also awarded the Team of the Round Trophy for the victory over Maesteg. They also broke their own record during the season with 129 tries and 676 points.
During the centenary season of 1989-90, Glynneath RFC finished as Runners Up of Section D ensuring their constant rise up the leagues. The run continued when they were crowned Champions of Section C (1990-91), Section B (1991-92) and Section A (1993-94). The club also won the Tovali Cup the 1990-91 season. They were the last team to win Section A, and went on to win a Heineken League play-off against Cardigan which placed Glynneath in Division 3.
Probably the biggest game at Abernant Park took place on January 28, 1995, when they took on 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...
in the SWALEC Cup. The strong players Nigel Davies, 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...
, Robin McBryde
Robin McBryde
Robin Currie McBryde , is a former rugby union player who gained 37 rugby union caps for Wales as a hooker between 1994 and 2005....
, Craig Quinnell
Craig Quinnell
Craig Quinnell is a former Welsh Rugby Union player.Quinnell played 54 games for the Cardiff club between November 1999 and May 2002 and established himself as one of the backbones of the pack. Though often in the firing line from opposition forwards, he never took a step backwards and was a firm...
and Phil Davies, and others, played for Llanelli. The game also saw the return from injury of Ieuan Evans. A crowd of 3,000 and a camera crew were present during the wet and windy conditions to see Llanelli win by 27-0.
The New Millennium
The turn of the Millennium saw the club re-introduce a number of Junior squads as well as the reformation of the youth squad. In 2006, the youth team brought a long awaited piece of silverware to the club in the form of the Welsh Youth Cup, which saw them defeat Rumney Youth at the Millennium Stadium running out 14-10 winners. Points scorers on the day were Ben Powell (try), David Price (two pens) and Greg Roberts (one pen).In the 2007-08 season, the club became champions of Division Four South West at Brynamman after a brace from centre Wyn Thomas, ensuring the club finished top with two games to spare. The season also saw the Youth team finish as Runners-Up in the Afan-Nedd District Cup.
The club's president is popular entertainer Max Boyce
Max Boyce
Maxwell Boyce MBE is a Welsh comedian, singer and former coal miner. He rose to fame during the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in the mining communities of South Wales...
.
Club honours
Invincible Season (1961-62)Tovali Cup Winners (1990-91)
Glamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy
Glamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy
The Glamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy , is a Welsh rugby union competition open to all non-premier Welsh Rugby Union clubs playing in the Glamorganshire area....
(1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63)
West Wales record for tries in a season (129)
Section F Winners (1987-88)
Section E Winners (1988-89)
Section D Runners Up(1989-90)
Section C Winners (1990-91)
Section B Winners (1991-92)
Section A Winners (1993-94)
Welsh Youth Cup Winners (2005-06)
WRU Division Four South West
WRU Division Four South West
The Welsh Rugby Union Division Four South West is a rugby union league in Wales first implemented for the 1995/96 season.- Competition:...
Winners (2007-08)
Brains SA Bowl Winners (2009-10)
Current First XV squad
Management
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Dave Puckett | Forwards Coach |
| Chris Batsford | Backs Coach |
| Bryan Jones | Team Manager |
| Amanda | Physiotherapist |
| Dai Howells | Bag Man |
| Daniel Andrews | Touch Judge |
| David Jones | Kit Man |
| Tavis Knoyle | Water Boy |
International caps
Tom ArthurTom Arthur
Tom Arthur was a Welsh international rugby union lock who played club rugby for Neath and was capped 18 times for Wales. A tough second row forward with a strong physique, Arthur was often criticised for being over-vigorous...
Don Devereux
Don Devereux
Don Devereux was a Welsh international prop who played rugby union for Neath and rugby league for Huddersfield. He won three caps for the Wales rugby union team and also represented Wales at schools and youth level....
Dai Edwards
Dai Edwards
David "Dai" Edwards was an international rugby forward who played rugby union for Glynneath and rugby league with Rochdale Hornets...
T.C. Lloyd Dai Morris
Dai Morris
William David "Dai" Morris was a Welsh rugby union footballer, who won 34 caps for Wales in the years between 1967 and 1974, scoring six tries...
Dai Prosser Glyn Prosser
Glyn Prosser
Glyn Prosser was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Neath and was capped four times for Wales...
David Richards
David Richards (rugby player)
David "Dai" Richards is a former Welsh international rugby union player. In 1980 he toured South Africa with the British Lions and at the time played club rugby for Swansea.-Rugby career:...
David Weaver Tavis Knoyle
Tavis Knoyle
Tavis Knoyle is a Wales international rugby union footballer who plays at scrum-half for the Scarlets....
Other notable players
Chris Ball Howell JonesHowell Jones
Howell Jones was a Welsh rugby union forward who played club rugby for Neath and county rugby for Glamorgan. He gained just a single cap for the Wales national team, in 1904...
Thomas John Lloyd
Thomas Lloyd (rugby player)
Thomas John Lloyd was a Welsh international, rugby union forward who played club rugby for Neath. He won seven international caps for Wales from 1909 to 1914; his last as part of the 'Terrible Eight', the Wales pack that played Ireland in a violent match before the First World War ended...