Rugby
Union in Wales
.
Rugby Union(see the bluffers guide) is the
national sport of Wales.
Wales
compete annually in the Six Nations Championship, which they have won
22 times outright.Their home ground is the Millennium Stadium at Cardiff
Arms Park in Cardiff.
The Early Years (1881 - 1919)
The Welsh Rugby Union was formed in 1881 in Neath, South Wales, initially
in order to organise an international match against England. This match
was played at Blackheath on 19th February 1881 and resulted in a landslide
win for the English, so much so that a return fixture the following year
was refused by the Rugby Football Union of England.
However Rugby Union in Wales quickly developed and by the turn of the
century Wales were one of the most feared teams in international rugby,
winning the (then) British Championship six times and finishing runners-up
six times in its first twelve years. They were even dubbed the unofficial
World Champions after being the only team to beat a touring New Zealand
side in 1905. In 1911 Wales earned the first official Grand Slam by winning
all their matches in the British Championship; unfortunately they would
wait nearly forty years for a second
Post War Years (1920 - 1969)
The post-World War I years saw the fortunes of the Welsh team and the
WRU match that of the economy. With major recession in the area during
the 1920s, many families moved away, including those of top rugby players,
many of them moving to the North of England where they could play Rugby
League professionally. A resurgence of both economy and rugby would follow
as in 1931 Wales won their first championship for nine years and in 1933
beat England at Twickenham for the first time.
After a seven-year gap during the Second World War, Wales again suffered
a few uninspiring years before Grand Slam achievements in 1950 and 1952,
followed by another win over the touring New Zealanders in 1953. It was
during these years that the Cardiff Arms Park was officially adopted as
the home of Welsh Rugby Union.
The 1960s were a less successful decade in terms of results for Welsh
Rugby but perhaps was the most crucial to date as it prepared the way
for years to come as a great coaching revolution began. The WRU Coaching
Committee wa set up in the late 1950s but it wasn't until a series of
defeats, punctuated by a mauling in Durban, South Africa, forced the WRU's
hand. Coaches were selected and trained and the first national coach -
David Nash - was appointed in 1968. A further seminal moment in the 1960s
was the debut of the promising Gareth Edwards against France in Paris
on 1 April 1967; he would become Wales' youngest captain during the 1969
Triple Crown season at only 20 years old.
The Golden Age (1970 - 1987)
Lead by Edwards, the Welsh team of the 1970s has gone down in history
as quite possibly the best International Rugby Union team of all time.
Dominant in the Northern Hemisphere and regular victors against touring
Southern Hemisphere sides, the team's record speaks for itself. Five Five
Nations titles, three Grand Slams and five Triple Crowns were claimed,
nine out of ten matches against England were won, eight of ten against
Scotland, seven and a draw from nine against Ireland, with only France
offering a real threat winning three and gaining a draw against the Welsh
in 10 outings. That great Welsh team included the likes of JPR Williams,
Phil Bennett, Gerald Davies, Ray Gravell, JJ Williams and of course Gareth
Edwards.
In 1982, Scotland finally ended Wales' record 27-match unbeaten run in
the Five Nations Championship, and over the next five years other countries
began to catch up with Wales, especially in the forwards department.
Wales were still a major force by the time the first official Rugby World
Cup was held in 1987. A good win against arch-rivals England in the quarterfinals
saw Wales taking on tournament co-hosts and favourites, the All Blacks
of New Zealand. Wales lost a close match but managed to beat a strong
Australia side to claim third place, their best ever finish to this day.
The Modern Era (1990-2004)
The 1987 World Cup saw the end to a number of Welsh Rugby careers and
also to the dominating era of the 1970s and 80s. A resurgence and refinancing
of Rugby League in the North of England saw a number of top players move
into the professional game. Calls for Rugby Union to become professional
had been ignored for a number of years previously and they would only
get stronger as the 1990s grew on and the defections continued.
Indeed the 90's were Wales' darkest period so far in rugby terms. A decimated
Welsh side suffered Five Nations championship white-washes in 1990 and
1991, were removed from the 1991 Rugby World Cup in the group phase by
little-known Western Samoa.
A first Five Nations championship for years would come in 1994; however
a further pool stage elimination was to follow in 1995, this time eliminated
by a combination of New Zealand and Ireland.
The late 1990's saw a small resurgence in the Welsh game as Rugby Union
finally relented and turned professional. A 10-match unbeaten run under
Graham Henry saw Wales enter as host nation into the 1999 Rugby World
Cup with renewed confidence. However quarterfinal defeat was all the realists
expected, and that became reality when Wales lost to eventual champions
Australia. A runner-up spot by Cardiff in the inaugural European Rugby
Cup offered something in the way of progress on a club level; however,
that was not followed up by further success.
Further defeats by the national side and a number of poor performances
by the big club sides in European competition would lead to perhaps the
biggest ever shake-up of Welsh rugby in 2003. Five new regional teams
(later reduced to four) would be formed, loosely based around the areas
of Cardiff, Gwent (Newport), Swansea/Neath, The South Wales Valleys and
West/North Wales.
The Welsh Rugby Union today oversees the development of these regions
and the national team as well as its 250+ club sides.
Competitions
International
Rugby World Cup
RBS Six Nations Championship
Regional
Heineken European Rugby Cup
European Rugby Shield
Celtic League
Celtic League Cup
National
Welsh Premier Division
Lloyds TSB Welsh Leagues
Konica Minolta Welsh Cup
WWRU National League (Women)
WWRU National Cup (Women)
Some
Famous Players
Untitled Document
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Sport