Rhymney Rugby Football Club is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

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

Rhymney Rhymney (; ) is a town and a community (Wales), community in the county borough of Caerphilly (county borough), Caerphilly, South Wales. It is within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshir ...

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 ...

. The senior team presently plays 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 ...

Division Two East league. Rhymney is a member of the

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 the Newport Gwent Dragons.

History

Rugby union was first played in Rhymney in the late 19th century, though the exact date is unverified. The earliest reported match appeared in "The Western Mail" with a match against Pontlottyn on the 23rd of September 1882 at the Rhymney Cricket and Football Field. Rhymney won by 3 goals against 2 touches downs. The earliest international player from the town was Bill Evans, who played for Wales against Ireland in 1882 and Scotland in 1883. The earliest known photograph of a Rhymney team, is dated circa 1887. In 1910, Rhymney RFC applied for and was granted membership of the

, and was allowed to play in competitive matches with other teams in the area, primarily in the Monmouthshire League. Rhymney RFC 1887

Like many Welsh clubs in the depression hit 1920s, Rhymney RFC disbanded in 1924 and lost its WRU membership. In 1933, Rhymney RFC reformed and in 1945 regained WRU status. During the 1945 season, Rhymney lost probably their greatest player, Bob Evans, to the top tier team Newport. Club captain Evans went on to represent

on ten occasions and in 1950 played for the British Lions. A period of growth during the 1950s saw the acquisition of a new playing field, viewing stand and the club's first official clubhouse. In 1976, Rhymney hosted

Slava Moscow Slava Moscow is a Russian rugby union club from Moscow. They participate in the Professional Rugby League, the premier rugby competition of Russia. They play in yellow and red. History Honours * USSR/ Russian Championship (2): 1979, 1982 * Runn ...

, the first time a Russian team played in Great Britain. Rhymney won 10-8.

Notable players

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

(2 caps) * Bob Evans (10 caps)''Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981'' pp465, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980) *

Tom James Thomas James (c. 1573–1629) was an English librarian and Anglican clergyman. Thomas, Tommy or Tom James may also refer to Sports *Tom James (rower) (born 1984), British rower *Tom James (rugby union, born 1987), Welsh rugby union footballer *To ...

(9 caps) * Gareth S. Kearney

References

Rugby union teams in Wales 1882 establishments in Wales Rugby clubs established in 1882 1924 disestablishments in Wales Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1924 1933 establishments in Wales Rugby clubs established in 1933 Sport in Caerphilly County Borough {{Wales-rugbyunion-team-stub