North Wales Rugby (Welsh: Rygbi Gogledd Cymru) was a representative
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 ...
team representing
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 ...
. They competed annually in the Welsh County Championship and represented the region against international touring teams including
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
Western Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); a ...
.
At age grade level they competed twice against the touring New Zealand under-21 side.
The first notable player from North Wales was D.M.Johnston of the ship school
HMS Conway
Four ships and a shore establishment of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Conway'' after the River Conwy in North Wales, formerly known by its English name of ''Conway''. Two were launched as ''Conway'', while another two were renamed:
* was a ...
on
Anglesey
Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...
, who toured South Africa in 1956 with Welsh Schoolboys. The tour party, who lost one game on the eight match tour, included
Clive Rowlands
Clive Rowlands OBE (born 14 May 1938) is a former Welsh rugby union footballer and later coach.
Rowlands was born in Upper Cwmtwrch. As recorded in the preface for the book 'The Children of Craig-Y-Nos', Rowlands was admitted in 1947, as an ...
who went on to gain senior Wales caps.
In December 2009 at a
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 ...
press conference held at
Ruthin Castle
Ruthin Castle ( cy, Castell Rhuthun) is a medieval castle fortification in Wales, near the town of Ruthin in the Vale of Clwyd. It was constructed during the late 13th century by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the brother of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, o ...
they were formally replaced by the new developmental regional rugby union team for north Wales RGC 1404.
Partial list of games played against international opposition
Dewi Bebb
Dewi Iorwerth Ellis Bebb (7 August 1938 – 14 March 1996) ESPN Scrum.com was a Welsh
*
Ian Buckett
Ian Martin Buckett (born 23 December 1967 near Holywell in Flintshire) is a former international rugby union front row forward who played for Swansea and London Welsh and played county rugby for North Wales. He was a championship winning player, ...
*
Alex Cuthbert
Alex Cuthbert (born 5 April 1990) is a Welsh rugby union player. Born in Gloucester, he plays on the wing for the Ospreys and the Wales national team.
Early life
Born in Gloucester, Cuthbert went to Newent Community School. He gained a diplom ...
*
Godfrey Darbishire
Godfrey Darbishire (26 September 1853 – 29 October 1889) Scrum.com was an English-b ...
*
Arthur Emyr
Arthur Emyr Jones (born 27 July 1962), usually known as Arthur Emyr, is a former Wales rugby union international. A winger, he played club rugby for Swansea RFC where he remains the club's all-time record try-scorer and also for Cardiff RFC. He al ...
Robin McBryde
Robin Currie McBryde (born 3 July 1970), is a rugby union former player and coach. He gained 37 caps for Wales national rugby union team, Wales. He played hooker.
Background
McBryde was born in north Wales.
He is a fluent Welsh language, Welsh ...
*
Rob McCusker
Robert McCusker (born 10 December 1985) is a Welsh former rugby union player, who played across the back row. McCusker began his career with the Scarlets, and also played for London Irish and the Ospreys (rugby union), Ospreys before retiring. Mc ...
George North
George Philip North (born 13 April 1992) is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays for the Ospreys in the United Rugby Championship and the Wales national team. He has also represented the British & Irish Lions and currently has th ...
Dorian West
Dorian Edward West MBE (born 5 October 1967) nicknamed "Nobby" is a former English international rugby union footballer.
West was born in Wrexham, Wales, but his family moved to England when he was young. Before professionalism, he was a poli ...
Wilf Wooller
Wilfred Wooller (20 November 1912 – 10 March 1997) was a Welsh cricketer, rugby union footballer, cricket administrator and journalist.
He was acclaimed as one of the greatest all-round sportsmen that Wales has ever produced. He captained G ...