Llanharan Rugby Football Club 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 based in Llanharan, South

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. Llanharan RFC was formally established in 1891-92 when Llanharan was little more than an agricultural hamlet. The earliest photograph on the clubhouse wall is dated 1898. Llanharan RFC 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 for the

Cardiff Blues Cardiff Rugby () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms Park. Originally formed in 1876, from 2003 to 2021 the first team was known as the Cardiff Blues before rebranding back ...

Early history

In its early years, the club used local inns such as the High Corner and Turberville as a base. The club applied for

membership in 1919 along with

Pontyclun Pontyclun (or Pont-y-clun) is a town and Community (Wales), community located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Pontyclun translates from the Welsh language as 'bridge verthe Afon Clun, River Clun', the Clun being a tributa ...

and Taffs Well. All three clubs were awarded membership on 22 August that year, but were told to "put your grounds in order".''Hard Kicks but Good Touches - A Celebration of 100 years of Rugby at Pontyclun R.F.C. 1887-1987'', John David (1987) pg28 In 1948 the first purpose-built headquarters/changing rooms were transported from

RAF Llandow Royal Air Force Llandow or more simply RAF Llandow is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station situated near the village of Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, west of Cardiff. It opened in 1940 and clos ...

Airfield. A clubhouse was built in 1962 on the site of the old

British Restaurant British Restaurants were communal kitchens created in 1940 during the Second World War to help people who had been bombed out of their homes, had run out of ration coupons or otherwise needed help. In 1943, 2,160 British Restaurants served 600,0 ...

. The original building was a wartime hut, transported piece by piece from the RAF Stormy Down camp and progressively enlarged into three bars and a concert hall. Llanharan RFC moved from the old site in 2002 into new premises in the former

British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British Charitable organization, charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. ...

club on the opposite side of Bridgend Road.

Grounds

Llanharan RFC play their matches at ''The Dairy Field'', named for the adjacent CWS Milk Depot which closed in the late 1960s after 50 years of milk processing. The club purchased the ground in 1989, having previously played on the Welfare Ground. Llanharan RFC marked the advent of the national league by playing their first game on the new field against Aberavon Quins to open the 1990-91 season.

Colours

Llanharan RFC play in black shirts and shorts with three light blue horizontal hoops across the chest. The choice of colours is said to relate to impoverished bygone years when a sympathetic Cardiff gave a set of their kit to the club. The black and Cambridge blue has been worn ever since. In respectful appreciation Llanharan henceforth called themselves the "Black and Blues" as opposed to the "Blue and Blacks".

Club badge

The badge is symbolic of the village's history and culture. The four quarters show: * A sheaf of corn – pre-coal mining Llanharan was an agricultural village with its picturesque stone cottages with a church, corn mill and blacksmith; much of the economy related to the needs of the Llanharan House estate. * A Llanharan spaniel – reputed to be a distinctive breed at a time when the estate also boasted its own pack of hunting hounds. * The parish church of St Julius and Aaron – an ancient foundation that boasts a Tudor chalice. * A pit head winding gear – reflecting the coal mining that dominated the village for almost a century. The Llanharan badge also includes a black cross to commemorate the six players who died on 12 March 1950 in the Llandow air disaster.Rugby in Wales: Llanharan RFC
/ref>

Club honours

* 2004/05 Glamorgan County President's Cup - Winners * 2003/04 WRU Division One - Champions

Notable former players

:''See also :Llanharan RFC players'' The following players have represented Llanharan and have also been capped at international level. * Gareth Llewellyn * Glyn Llewellyn * Garfield Owen * Daniel Pascoe Senior squad 1. Sam Grant 2. Sam Llewelyn 3. Brandon Nelson 4. Richard Byers 5. Tom Harris 6. Chris Osborne 7. Jordan Hughes 8. Owain Howe 9. Leon Burton 10. Scott Jones 11. Alex Newbold 12. Lloyd Gregory 13. Lloyd Thomas 14. Jack Pring 15. Lee Davies 16. Kyle Jones 17. Sam Pick 18. Tom Buckle 19. Craig Burton 20. Roy Furnival

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.llanharanrfc.org.uk/ Rugby clubs established in 1891 Rugby union teams in Wales Sport in Rhondda Cynon Taf 1891 establishments in Wales Llanharan