Welshpool Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi'r Trallwng) is a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

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 Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name ''Y Trallwng'' m ...

, whose first XV play in the

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; cy, Undeb Rygbi Cymru) is the 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 of rugby in Wales, ov ...

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

. 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 s ...

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, 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 ...

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 an ...

. 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 Llandrindod Wells (, ; cy, Llandrindod, /ɬanˈdɾindɔd/ " Trinity Parish"), sometimes known colloquially as Llandod, is a town and community in Powys, within the historic boundaries of Radnorshire, Wales. It serves as the seat of ...

(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 commonl ...

league structure, in which they competed in the North Wales Division Two alongside teams such as C.O.B.R.A.,

Machynlleth Machynlleth () is a market town, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales and within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a pop ...

and

Rhyl Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the historic boundaries of Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at the mouth of the River Clwyd ( Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd''). To the west ...

, 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