Rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
is played in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
in both
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 11 ...
and
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 it ...
forms.
Cardiff RFC and the Arms Park
Between 2003 and 2009 there were two rugby union teams based at
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British ...
. The
Cardiff Blues represented the region in the
Celtic League
The Celtic League is a pan-Celtic organisation, founded in 1961, that aims to promote modern Celtic identity and culture in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man – referred to as the Celtic nations; it places part ...
and
Heineken Cup, whereas
Cardiff RFC represented the city in the
Welsh Premier Division
The Welsh Premier Division, () known for sponsorship reasons as the Indigo Group Premiership, (''Uwch Gynghrair grŵp indigo'') is a rugby union league in Wales first implemented by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) for the 1990–91 season.
Compet ...
. From the start of the 2009–10 season, the Cardiff Blues relocated to the
Cardiff City Stadium
The Cardiff City Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd) is a stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales. It is the home of Cardiff City Football Club and the Wales national football team.
Following expansion of the Ninian Stand in July 2 ...
in the Leckwith area of the city. In May 2012 the
Blues relocated back to the
Arms Park.
Cardiff Blues were renamed to "Cardiff Rugby" for the 2021-22 season.
Rugby Union Clubs in Cardiff
Cardiff has around 23 clubs playing in the WRU national league system. As well as
Cardiff RFC, playing in the Welsh Premiership, National Championship side
Glamorgan Wanderers RFC
Glamorgan Wanderers are a Welsh rugby union club based in Ely, west Cardiff in Wales. The club is located just to the north of Western Cemetery. They currently play in the WRU Admiral Championship.
Glamorgan Wanderers began as the Old Mon ...
play in the Ely area and are a well established first class club having been part of the old Merit Table structure.
Other
WRU affiliated clubs in the Cardiff area are:
Cardiff Metropolitan University RFC
Cardiff Metropolitan University Rugby Football Club (aka Cardiff Met RFC) is a Welsh rugby union team currently playing in the WRU Championship based at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Notable former players
''Inclusion criteria: Attained int ...
,
Rhiwbina RFC
Rhiwbina Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in Rhiwbina, a suburb of Cardiff in Wales. Rhiwbina RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues.
Rhiwbina RFC also runs a mini and Junior Sect ...
,
Fairwater RFC,
Old Illtydians RFC,
Llandaff North RFC
Llandaff North Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in Llandaff North, Cardiff in South Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club ...
,
Rumney RFC,
Cardiff HSOB RFC,
St. Peters RFC
Llandaff RFC
Llandaff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Llandaff, a district of Cardiff in Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Rugby Union WRU League 3 East Central B.
History
Llandaff RFC was formed in 1876 by Cambridge graduate Illtyd ...
,
Canton RFC,
Whitchurch RFC,
Llanrumney RFC,
Tongwynlais RFC,
Pentyrch RFC,
Caerau Ely RFC,
Llanishen RFC,
Cathays RFC,
St. Josephs RFC,
Cardiff Saracens RFC,
St. Albans RFC and
Clwb Rygbi Cymry Caerdydd.
Cardiff University RFC though affiliated, do not play in the WRU league structure and instead compete in the BUCS Leagues for university sides. The side compete in the annual Welsh Varsity Match against
Swansea University RFC, the biggest varsity game outside of Oxford – Cambridge in the UK.The match is the highlight of the university sporting year and is played at alternating high-profile venues including, Liberty Stadium in Swansea, Cardiff Arms Park and the Millennium Stadium. The University's Medical School runs its own separate team,
Cardiff Medicals RFC which competes in separate competitions and in 2015 are the current UK Medical School Rugby Champions. Former players include current Welsh international Jamie Roberts.
CIACS
Another side, Cardiff Internationals Athletic Club normally shortened to CIACS (pronounced "kayaks") were formed in the docks area of the city, known as
Tiger Bay
Tiger Bay ( cy, Bae Teigr) was the local name for an area of Cardiff which covered Butetown and Cardiff Docks. Following the building of the Cardiff Barrage, which dams the tidal rivers, Ely and Taff, to create a body of water, it is re ...
in 1946. CIACS has always reflected the multicultural nature of the docks area, hence the name Cardiff Internationals. The club is best known for having produced
Billy Boston, who went on to become a
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 11 ...
footballer in the 1950s. The club represents the Grangetown, Cardiff Bay, Butetown and the Docks areas.
There are many other recreational non-affiliated sides playing in the city, including Cardiff Bus RFC, players being employees of the local transport authority.
Cardiff Demons
Rugby league in Cardiff was represented by the successful men's
Cardiff Demons RLFC side, a team that produced a handful of
Super League players including Elliot Kear and Lloyd White as well as many other Welsh internationals in its short existence. They played at four grounds in and around the Cardiff area. Having previously been at
Taffs Well RFC
Taffs Well Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club based in Taff's Well in south Wales. Taffs Well RFC were founded in 1887 and applied for and were successful in gaining membership to the Welsh Rugby Union in 1900. The club is a feeder club f ...
, Old Penarthians RFC, and St. Albans RFC, they finally settled at the St Peters RFC ground in the East of Cardiff. Past players include current Welsh Rugby Union internationals Gethin Jenkins and Andy Powell. The club's finest achievements came through getting through to the fourth round of the Challenge Cup in 2000, bowing out to Keighley Cougars and as winners of the Rugby League Conference National Shield in 2004, beating South Yorkshire side Moorends-Thorne Marauders in the final a competition for amateur clubs based outside the traditional 'heartland' of the sport.
In 2021, the 'Demons' name was resurrected for a new women's side, managed by Wales Rugby League to compete in the RFL Women's Super League South Western Conference, along with The Golden Ferns and Cornish Rebels. Demons won the inaugural title by defeating Eastern Conference Winners Army Rugby League 30-26 in the grand final, with a winning score in the last play of the match.
Cardiff City Rugby League
In 2014, it was decided that the two open Rugby League sides in the City, Cardiff Demons and Cardiff Spartans would merge to form a new club, Cardiff City RLFC. The two clubs, both previously playing their open age sides in the Welsh Conference, would run two open age sides in the 2015 season, playing home games at Cardiff Arms Park, as well as develop the junior sides based at Llandaf North and Rumney. For 2017, Cardiff Blue Dragons Rugby League has entered into a partnership with Glamorgan Wanderers to play at The Memorial Ground. Cardiff Blue Dragons RLFC is now the largest Rugby League club in Wales with age grades up to senior sides for both male and female players. The men's team continues to play in the South Wales Premier.
Cardiff Metropolitan University Rugby League
Cardiff Metropolitan University/UWIC RLFC were consistently one of the best university sides in Great Britain having won the national title twice in the early part of this century. They have produced a number of players for Cardiff Demons and the successful Wales Students side. The side will resume playing in the BUCS Leagues in 2016.
The University of South Wales, which has a campus in Cardiff, also fields Rugby Union and Rugby League sides usually playing at the University Sport Park in Treforest.
Cardiff's rugby league history
![Cardiff Rugby League Club in a match against New Zealand (16248643460)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Cardiff_Rugby_League_Club_in_a_match_against_New_Zealand_%2816248643460%29.jpg)
The first attempt to bring rugby league to the capital was in 1949 when a Welsh League was formed. Cardiff were joined by teams from
Amman Valley,
Llanelli
Llanelli (" St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarth ...
,
Aberavon
Aberavon ( cy, Aberafan) is a town and community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a distr ...
,
Bridgend
Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...
,
Ystradgynlais
Ystradgynlais (, ) is a town on the River Tawe in southwest Powys, Wales. It is the second-largest town in Powys and is in the historic county of Brecknockshire. The town has a high proportion of Welsh language-speakers. The community includes ...
,
Neath and
Pontarddulais
Pontarddulais (), also known as Pontardulais (), is both a community and a town in Swansea, Wales. It is northwest of the city centre. The Pontarddulais ward is part of the City and County of Swansea. Pontarddulais adjoins the village of Hendy ...
.
Cardiff were champions of the first competition in 1949–50 but were denied a double after Ystradgynlais beat them in the Final. Llanelli were winners of the competition the year after but that didn't stop Cardiff being elected to the
Rugby Football League Championship
The Rugby Football League Championship First Division was the top division of rugby league in England between 1895 and 1996, when it was replaced by the Super League.
History
1895–1904: Foundations
The first season of rugby league (189 ...
in 1951.
The League at the time consisted of 31 clubs in one division who each played a 36-game season. Cardiff finished 30th with a record of 5 wins and 31 defeats – only Liverpool City were below them.
With that the club and Welsh Rugby League at club level, was wound up for 30 years.
In 1981,
Cardiff City Blue Dragons
Cardiff City Blue Dragons were a rugby league team formed in 1981. Their home ground was Ninian Park, which was also used by Cardiff City F.C.. The club spent three seasons in Cardiff before relocating to Bridgend in 1984 as the Bridgend Blu ...
were formed and played out of
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovations during its lifespan and hosted fixtu ...
, Cardiff under the management of
David Watkins. The club enjoyed reasonable success and attracted high-profile Rugby Union converts such as Steve Fenwick, Tommy David, Brynmor Williams and Paul Ringer. In 1984 the club was moved to Bridgend where it lasted one more season before folding.
The success of Wales at international level in the 1990s led to the formation of
South Wales. Coached by
Clive Griffiths and managed by
Mike Nicholas, the team played at
Morfa Stadium Morfa Stadium was an athletics stadium in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. Constructed and in use since 1980, it was officially opened as Morfa Stadium on 20 April 1989 by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. The stadium was subsequen ...
,
Swansea,
Aberavon RFC
Aberavon RFC ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Aberafan) is a rugby union club located in the Welsh town of Port Talbot, though the club's name refers to the older settlement of Aberavon which lies on the western side of the town.
The club was founded in 1876 ...
's Talbot Athletic Ground and at
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British ...
.
However, the club only lasted one season in Rugby League's debut summer season of 1996. Finishing fifth in Division Two, the club had high hopes that it would be awarded a
Super League franchise and although a strong case was put forward by Nicholas and Griffiths the Super League clubs refused to award it a place for the coming season and the club was wound up but the
Cardiff Demons
The Cardiff Demons RLFC name has been used multiple times over the years. Firstly for a now-defunct men's rugby league side, and subsequently for a women's rugby league side who began in 2021.
The men's sids played out of St. Peters RFC in the ...
under-21 academy side were formed the year after. This side lasted for four seasons and were then replaced by an open-age side who played in the
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference (RLC) (also known as the Co-operative Rugby League Conference as a result of sponsorship from The Co-operative Group), was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England ...
.
During 2014, the two main Rugby League clubs in Cardiff, Cardiff Demons and Cardiff Spartans, voluntarily merged to create a new club, Cardiff City RLFC. The kit and badge created for the new side pay homage to the Blue Dragons side of the early 1980s. For the 2017 season, Cardiff ARLFC play their home games at Glamorgan Wanderers RUFC (Memorial Ground), in the Ely suburb of the City. The club also runs a successful age grade set up, at U13, 15s and 17s, as well as Masters and Womens Rugby League. training on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
See also
*
Sport in Cardiff
Sport in Cardiff is dictated by, amongst other things, its position as the capital city of Wales, meaning that national home sporting fixtures are nearly always played in the city. All of Wales' multi-sports agencies and many of the country's ...
*
Rugby union in Wales
Rugby union in Wales ( cy, undeb rygbi) is considered a large part of Welsh national culture. Rugby union is thought to have reached Wales in the 1850s, with the national body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) being formed in 1881. Wales are considere ...
*
Rugby league in Wales
Rugby league is a sport played in Wales. The governing body of the game in Wales is the Wales Rugby League.
There is a long but sporadic history of rugby league in Wales ( cy, rygbi'r gynghrair). Over the decades hundreds of Welsh players have p ...
References
{{reflist, 30em
Sport in Cardiff
Rugby union in Wales
Rugby league in Wales