Bedwas RFC () is a

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

club located in the Welsh village of

Bedwas Bedwas is a town situated two miles north-east of Caerphilly, south Wales, situated in the Caerphilly (county borough), Caerphilly county borough, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshi ...

. Bedwas has two senior teams, their 1st XV competing in the Welsh Championship and their development side, the Bedwas Barbarians. The club is a member of the

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; ) 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, overseeing 320 member clu ...

and is a

feeder club In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, 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 pl ...

for

Dragons A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depict ...

regional team.

Club history

Like many Welsh rugby teams the origin of the club is difficult to piece together having been formed by local workers rather than by a college or university. There is some evidence that a team played in Bedwas as early as 1885, though official recognition of Bedwas RFC is placed at 1889. Bedwas RFC was a founding member of both the Junior Monmouthshire League (1903) and the Rhymney Valley League (1906), and in 1910 applied for and succeeded in joining the

. At the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

(1914) rugby ceased in most of South Wales and this was true of Bedwas. After the war a period of rebuilding occurred with the club based initially at the Church Inn before moving to Bridge End Inn during the 1920–21 season. During this period Bedwas RFC enjoyed connections with local colliery owner and airline magnate Sir Samuel Instone. 1926 saw a great economic depression in South Wales and as local young men left to find work in more prosperous areas, rugby in Bedwas waned. Post World War II saw a rebuilding of rugby in Bedwas and in 1947 the club acquired Bridge field and an ex- Ministry of Works long hut which became the club house. In 1960 the club formed a youth team. Bedwas also have a very successful seconds side which remains undefeated in the 2007–08 season. In 2007, Bedwas were the only club in the Welsh Premier League to be threatened with relegation due to them initially failing a facilities review conducted by the WRU.

Current squad

Notable former players

The following players have represented Bedwas and have been capped at international level. :''See also :Bedwas RFC players'' * Terry Cook (2 caps) * Leighton Jenkins (9 caps) * Eddie Watkins (8 caps) * Jeff Whitefoot (19 caps) * Elliot Dee (11 caps)

References

External links

Bedwas RFC official siteBedwas Seconds official site
{{British and Irish Cup Rugby union teams in Wales 1889 establishments in Wales Rugby clubs established in 1889 Sport in Caerphilly County Borough Caerphilly