Welshpool Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi'r Trallwng) 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 based in the

Mid Wales Mid Wales ( cy, Canolbarth Cymru or simply ''Y Canolbarth'', meaning "the midlands") or Central Wales refers to a region of Wales, encompassing its midlands, in-between North Wales and South Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the Senedd ...

town of Welshpool, whose first XV play 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 ...

National League, Division 2 North. The club also run a 2nd XV, a Women's side, Youth team, a Junior section for players aged 4–16 and two joint girls sides at Under 15s and Under 18s. The club was founded in 1926, before later being disbanded and reformed in 1967. The club's playing field is based at the Maes y Dre recreation ground in Welshpool. Changing facilities and clubhouse are shared with the local

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

club. The club's traditional home colours are navy blue and white; although the 1st XV are currently playing in a dark navy kit from Kukri Sport. The club captain for the 2018-19 season is Jake Best.

History

Since reforming in 1967, Welshpool Rugby Club has become both a member of the Mid Wales District Rugby Union and the

, which the club joined in 1992. At other times in the club's history it has also been a member of the North Wales Rugby Union and the Shropshire Rugby Union. In the club's early days, there were no other clubs in the Montgomeryshire area, so most fixtures took place against sides from Shropshire: the club's first fixture after reformation was a 23-14 victory over Shrewsbury Wednesdays, and the 1967-68 fixture list included fixtures against English sides such as Bridgnorth and

Newport (Salop) Rugby Union Football Club Newport RUFC is an English rugby team based at the Old Showground, just outside the town of Newport, Shropshire. They currently play in the National League 2 West, a fourth tier league in the English rugby union system. Current standings Hist ...

, as well as Welsh opposition such as

Builth Wells Builth Wells (; cy, Llanfair-ym-Muallt) is a market town and community in the county of Powys and historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid Wales, lying at the confluence of rivers Wye and Irfon, in the Welsh (or upper) part of ...

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

and

Ruthin Ruthin ( ; cy, Rhuthun) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. It is Denbighshire's county town. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas and ...

. To the current day, the club still play regularly against Shrewsbury and Oswestry in the pre-season. As more clubs were formed or re-formed in Mid Wales towns such as Newtown and Llandrindod Wells (both of whom played their inaugural fixtures against Welshpool), more fixtures came to be played against Mid Wales opposition, with the club being involved in the Mid Wales League from its earliest seasons, and where the club's 2nd XV participated for many years. Like many clubs, however, Welshpool wished to become a full member of the WRU, and was granted membership in the early 1990s, initially competing against teams from all over Wales in Divisions 7 and 8, before becoming a part of the new

North Wales , area_land_km2 = 6,172 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = LL, CH, SY , image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg , map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...

league structure, in which they competed in the North Wales Division Two alongside teams such as

C.O.B.R.A. ''C.O.B.R.A.'' is the first single released from Marie-Mai's fourth album ''Miroir (album), Miroir''. It was released as digital download on 14 August 2012. The song was written by Fred St-Gelais and Marie-Mai. In an interview, Marie-Mai explained ...

, Machynlleth and Rhyl, before suffering relegation to Division Three for the 2011-12 season. Since the struggles of the 2011-12 season, the club has begun an ambitious rebuilding program, and they now run a dozen regular sides at all ages. The club now has two full-sized playing fields with additional training areas, and plans are being worked on to redevelop other club facilities to accommodate the surge in player numbers.

External links

Club Website

References

{{Rugby Wales links Welsh rugby union teams Rugby clubs established in 1926 Welshpool