Treherbert Rugby Football Club is a

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 peopl ...

rugby union team based in Tynewydd in the Rhondda Valley. Treherbert RFC play home games in red shirts with black shorts and black socks. Today, Treherbert RFC plays in 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 ...

Division Four South East league and are a feeder club for

Cardiff Blues Cardiff Rugby ( cy, Rygbi Caerdydd) are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms ...

Early history

In 1875, the newly established coal mines of Treherbert brought workers from

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; cy, Aberdâr) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tyd ...

and Merthyr and with them the game of rugby; and that year saw their first recorded rugby game between a team of players from Treherbert and a team from Merthyr who already had a well established "town" side. On 18 January 1879 a team from Treherbert travelled to Cardiff to play the city team. By 1884 Treherbert had established regular fixtures with the Cardiff Second XV, Merthyr, Aberdare and Pontypridd. The club's first major success came in 1889-90 by means of the Glamorgan League Championship, a title they were to win on another five occasions. In 1895 Treherbert RFC applied for and were successful in achieving WRU affiliation. Early in the 1920s another club was formed in the neighbourhood, Blaenrhondda. They played on a field belonging to a local farmer and under the guidance of Mr. T. L. Mort, the local Colliery Agent, the Hay Field was transformed into a rugby pitch. However, after struggling during a difficult period in the early 1920s the team was close to disbanding. Around this time the private company that owned the Treherbert R.F.C.'s field sold the Hay Field to

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

and the Treherbert Club found themselves without a home. With Treherbert homeless and Blaenrhondda struggling to survive, the future appeared rather dim. In 1929 Treherbert RFC disbanded due to financial troubles and the remains of the team moved the mile up the valley to Blaenrhondda to merge with the smaller club. The merged teams of Treherbert and Blaenrhondda (until 1954 known as Blaenrhondda when the Club changed back to Treherbert R.F.C.) now playing on Blaenrhondda Park won the Rhondda and East Glamorgan League in 1935-36 as well as winning the Coleman Cup twice.

Notable past players

''See also :Treherbert RFC players * Gus Broughton * Stan Davies (1 Cap) * Gomer Gunn * Dai Harris * David 'Tarw' Jones (13 Caps)''Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981'', David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980) pp467 * Tom Llewellyn *Lou Reed

External links

Treherbert RFC, The First Sixty Years by Desmond Barnett
Sourced 11/08/2007

References

{{Rugby union in Wales Rugby clubs established in 1879 Rugby union teams in Wales Sport in Rhondda Cynon Taf