Tonna Rugby Football Club is a 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 from the village of Tonna, 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...

. Tonna RFC 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..

History

Although it is believed that Tonna RFC was in existence before 1888, the first officially recorded report came from the 1887/88 season when the Cambria Daily Reader stated that Tonna RFC were drawn to play Mynyddbach in the local Neath

Neath

Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...

 cup challenge cup. It is therefore recorded that Tonna RFC came into being on the 28th February 1888.

Tonna RFC's first international player was David Harris Davies

David Harris Davies

David Harris Davies was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Neath and county rugby for Glamorgan...

, although playing for 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...

 at the time of his one and only cap

Cap (sport)

In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...

 against Scotland in 1904, he came through the playing ranks of Tonna.

With the outbreak of the First World War the club disbanded, but reformed as Dulais United after the war. This team was an amalgamation of local villages Tonna, Aberdulais

Aberdulais

Aberdulais or mouth & Dulais) is a village in Neath Port Talbot, Wales, lying on the River Neath.- History, amenities & attractions:...

, Cadoxton

Cadoxton, Neath Port Talbot

Cadoxton , is a village situated in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. Cadoxton is located just outside the town of Neath and borders the villages of Cilfrew and Bryncoch. The village is home to just over 1,500 people and is located in the Cadoxton ward...

, Cilfrew and Cefn-yr-allt; but the team was still housed in Tonna.

Notable players

Full Senior Internationals David Harris Davies

David Harris Davies

David Harris Davies was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Neath and county rugby for Glamorgan...

 (1 cap) Arthur Lemon

Arthur Lemon

Arthur Whitelock Lemon was a Welsh international number 8 who played club rugby for Neath and was capped 13 times for Wales.-International rugby career:...

 (13 caps) D.Alan Edmunds (2 caps) Craig Mitchell

Craig Mitchell (rugby player)

Craig Mitchell is a Wales international rugby union player for the Exeter Chiefs in the Aviva Premiership his signing was confirmed on March 23, 2011 by Aviva Premiership side Exeter Chiefs as he signed a two year contract....

(3 caps) and is a current Wales International