Penygraig Rugby Football Club is a Welsh

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 ...

team based in

Penygraig Penygraig is a village and community in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. As a community Penygraig contains the neighbouring districts of Dinas, Edmondstown, Penrhiwfer and Williamstown. Penygraig is wi ...

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 ...

. Penygraig RFC formed in 1877, one of the earlier rugby clubs to emerge, and by the 1890s were a strong voice in 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 ...

, one of four clubs from the

Rhondda Valley Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( ), is a former coal mining, coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fawr valley (, 'la ...

that held WRU representation.

Early history

In the 1887/1888 season, Penygraig played 19 matches, winning 12, drawing 1, and losing 6. Some notable wins was against Bridgend RFC and Penarth RFC. In the 1888/1889 season, Penygraig played 34 matches, winning 21, drawing 5, and losing 8. The early history of Welsh international rugby saw players selected not so much for form or ability but club connections. Penygraig were one of the first clubs to break this pattern managing to gain international caps for two of their players, Dai Evans in 1896 (4 caps) and

Jack Rhapps John "Jack" Rhapps (15 July 1876 – 23 January 1950) was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Penygraig, and international rugby for Wales. Rhapps later "Went North", when he turned professional, joining rugby ...

(1 cap) in 1897. Both men were early exponents of the 'Rhondda forward', heavy labourers chosen for their aggressive style of play. Despite being based in the heart of the industrial South Wales coalfield, Penygraig also supplied one of the most devastating fly-halves of early Welsh rugby when Percy Bush went through the team's ranks before joining

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. During the turn of the 19th century, Penygraig, like many other successful Welsh clubs, lost several players to the professional Northern Union. Scouts from Northern

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

teams approached rugby footballers to play in England for a wage. Penygraig lost Rhapps to

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

in 1897 and Frank Shugars to

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

in 1904. In 1908 Penygraig were playing to such a high standard that they were chosen as one of the invitational club teams to face the very first touring

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

team. Played at the Athletic Ground in

Tonypandy Tonypandy (, ) is a town, community and electoral ward located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. A former industrial coal mining town, the to ...

, the Australians won 11-3. Penygraig's ground hosted the first match of the

1973 Japan rugby union tour of Wales, England and France The 1973 Japan rugby union tour of England, Wales and France was a series of eleven matches played by the Japan national rugby union team in Wales, England and France in September and October 1973. The Japanese team won only of two of their matche ...

, when the touring team played an East Glamorgan representative side.

2002/03 Silver Ball final

Penygraig RFC beat

Pontypridd RFC Pontypridd Rugby Football Club () is a rugby union team from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It competes in the Admiral Premiership and the WRU Premiership Cup, a trophy which they won for the 7th time in 2025. Their last league title ...

30-25 in the 2003

Glamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy The Glamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy (also known as the Glamorgan County High Motive Silver Ball Trophy) is a Welsh rugby union competition open to all non-premier Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) clubs playing in the Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or s ...

final; but after the game the entire winning Penygraig XV refused to give a drug sample to

UK Sport UK Sport is the government agency responsible for investing money sourced from the National Lottery and the government, into Olympic and Paralympic sport in the United Kingdom. It is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the D ...

officials requested by the WRU. The club appealed against the mass suspension the WRU was seeking and it took until January 2004 for a decision to be made. The outcome was the suspension of 19 Penygraig RFC players for 15 months, and the suspension of the club secretary for two years.

Club honours

*1994-95 Welsh League Division 8B Central - Champions *2002-03 WRU Division Three East - Champions *2002-03

- Winners *2016-17 WRU Division Three East central B - Champions

Games played against international opposition

Notable players

:''See also :Penygraig RFC players'' * Percy Bush * David "Dai" Maldwyn Davies * Dai Evans * Harry Jones (2 caps) * Willie Llewellyn (20 caps) *

(1 cap rugby union) (2 caps rugby league) * Frank Shugars (8 caps rugby league) * Dick Thomas (4 caps) * Cameron “super cam” walsh (69 caps) * Shane “Bobby Joe” Williams (-1 caps) * Frank Wrentmore, turned to professional

with Mid-Rhondda RLFC and is also notable as being one of the British soldiers involved in the

Christmas truce The Christmas truce (; ; ) was a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front of the First World War around Christmas 1914. The truce occurred five months after hostilities had begun. Lulls occurred in the fighting a ...

of 1914.Christmas Truce 1914
The soldiers * Lee Byrne (41 caps)

Notes

{{Rugby Wales links Rugby clubs established in 1877 Rugby union teams in Wales Sport in Rhondda Cynon Taf 1877 establishments in Wales