Cross Keys RFC ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Pont-y-Cymer) is a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

club located in the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

village of

Crosskeys Crosskeys ( cy, Pont-y-cymer) is a village, community and an electoral ward in Caerphilly county borough in Wales. Etymology The village was originally named Pont-y-cymer and this remains the official Welsh name for the village. The name ...

. The club is a member of the

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; cy, Undeb Rygbi Cymru) is the Sports governing body, governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby. The WRU is responsible for the running ...

, and is a feeder club for the

Dragons A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

regional team.

History

The club achieved first class-status in 1909, winning the Monmouthshire league three times. By 1920 the team had their first international player, when Steve Morris won a cap for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. Morris would win 19 caps and captained Wales in 1925. Caps followed during the 1920s for

Ossie Male Ossie Male (31 December 1893 – 23 February 1975)
Scrum.com was a

Lonza Bowdler Frank "Lonza" Bowdler (4 January 1901 – 17 December 1962) was a Welsh rugby union hooker who played club rugby for Cross Keys and was capped 15 times for Wales. A coal miner by profession, Watcyn Thomas remembered him in his autobiography, as ...

, both returned over several seasons for Wales, facing not only Five Nations Championships but also touring teams. In 1926 Cross Keys RFC found themselves in dire financial trouble, and requested help from the

. The WRU refused an appeal for a cash loan, but instead agreed to send the

Welsh national team ) , Association = Football Association of Wales (FAW) , Confederation = UEFA (Europe) , Coach = Rob Page , Captain = Gareth Bale , Most caps = Gareth Bale (111) , Top scorer = Gareth ...

to play in an exhibition match at Pandy Park. The sell-out crowd assured Cross Keys future and resulted in an historic win for the home team thirteen points to eight. Rugby observers have noted the high level of talent in the Cross Keys pack, and criticised the fact they went under represented in the national team during the 1920sSmith (1980), pg 259. and 1930s.Smith (1980), pg 282. Cross Keys reached the final of the 2011–12 British and Irish Cup, losing to

Munster A Munster Rugby ( ga, Rugbaí Mumhan) is one of the four professional provincial rugby union, rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Iris ...

. Cross Keys won their first Swalec Cup, defeating table topping

Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...

at the Millennium Stadium in 2012.

Club honours

* Welsh Club Champions - 1921–22, 1935–36 * Welsh Division One Champions - 1992–93, 1999–00 *British and Irish Cup Runners-Up - 2011–12 *Swalec Cup Winners - 2011–12 * Swalec Cup Runners-Up - 2013–14 *Welsh Premier Division Runners-Up - 2013–2014

Current squad

Notable former players

The following list is made up of ex-Cross Keys players who have all won international caps as either a rugby union or

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

player. :''See also :Cross Keys RFC players'' *

George Boots John George Boots (1874–1928) was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby with Monmouthshire. He won 16 caps for Wales. Boots was seen as a consistent player with a superb positional sense ...

Taulupe Faletau Tangaki Taulupe "Toby" Faletau (born 12 November 1990) is a Welsh professional rugby union player for Cardiff Rugby in the United Rugby Championship and has represented the national team for over 10 years. The back row forward played for Cr ...

caps, 1

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

cap * Frederick Arthur Bowdler (15 caps)Smith (1980), pg 463. * Archibald "Archie" Brown *

Lloyd Burns Lloyd Burns (born 9 December 1984, Panteg) is a former Wales international rugby union player. Burns played in the hooker position and played his club rugby for Newport Gwent Dragons having made his debut in the 2008–09 season. He previously ...

(7 caps) *

Mervyn Hicks Mervyn "Merv" John Hicks (born 1943) is a Welsh former rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. He played rugby union club football in Wales for the Cross Keys RFC, rugby league club football in ...

(Great Britain Rugby League) *

Ron Herrera Ron Herrera is an American labor leader, who served as the President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor (colloquially called the "Fed") until his resignation on October 10, 2022, following racist comments made regarding black & indigen ...

(8 caps)Smith (1980), pg 466. * Jack Hurrell (1 cap) *

Ossie Male Ossie Male (31 December 1893 – 23 February 1975)
Scrum.com was a

Smith (1980), pg 469. * Steve Morris (19 caps) * Con Murphy (3 caps) *

Gerwyn Price Gerwyn Stephen Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. Nicknamed "The Iceman", he competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), where he is cu ...

Dai Rees David James Rees, (31 March 1913 – 15 November 1983) was one of the Britain's leading golfers either side of the Second World War. The winner of many prestigious tournaments in Britain, Europe and farther afield, Rees is best remembered as ...

* Fred Reeves (2 caps)Smith (1980), pg 471. * Rex Richards (1 cap) * Russell Taylor (3 caps), 1938 British LionsSmith (1980), pg 472. * Joe Thompson (1 cap) for Wales (RU). Whilst at

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

( Great Britain RL 12 caps, Wales RL 8 caps, Other Nationalities RL 5 caps) * Trevor Williams (8 caps)Smith (1980), pg 473. * Stanley 'Docker' Winmill (2 caps)Smith (1980), pg 474.

Games played against international opposition

References

Bibliography

External links

Official Site of Cross Keys RFC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross Keys Rfc Welsh rugby union teams Rugby clubs established in 1885 1885 establishments in Wales