St. Davids Rugby Football Club 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 it ...
team from the city of
St. Davids in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. 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, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
for the
Llanelli Scarlets
The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...
.
The club was formed in 1953 and set its first trials for membership at St David's Grammar School. Although a poor opening season saw the first team fail to win a single game, the club continued, and by the 1955/56 season they had purchased their own playing ground. In the 1963/64 season the club had built a clubhouse and in 1977 the team joined the Pembrokeshire League. During the club's 25th anniversary they hosted first class team
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 (). ...
and for their 40th anniversary faced the 'Welsh All Blacks',
Neath.
Like many rugby clubs, St. Davids has undertaken several rugby tours, including trips to Ireland, England and France.
The team has seen several players selected for Welsh schoolboy rugby. Their most notable ex-player is
Rowland Phillips, who not only played for first class team Neath, but also played for the
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
national team. Phillips won ten caps for his country; his first was against the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in 1987.
Notable former players
*
Rowland Phillips (10 caps)
[''Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1995-96'', Mick Cleary and John Griffiths (1995) pg299. ]
References
Rugby clubs established in 1953
Rugby union teams in Wales
Sport in Pembrokeshire
Rugby Football Club
1953 establishments in Wales
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