The 'Wales national rugby union team' (also referred to as the 'Welsh rugby union team') represent
Wales in international
rugby union. They compete in the
Rugby World Cup and annually in the
Six Nations Championship. They are governed by the
Welsh rugby union, and first played in
1881 (against
England).
Wales have won the Six Nations 23 times, the last being in
2005. Their best result in the Rugby World Cup is third, which they achieved in
1987. They also hosted the
1999 Rugby World Cup. Welsh players are eligible to play for the
British and Irish Lions.
The
International Rugby Board (IRB) regard Wales as a Tier One rugby nation. In particular, several Welsh players of the
1970s are acknowledged as some of the best in the game's history. Although several poor results in the late
1980s and
1990s hurt the team’s reputation, a resurgence in form in the
2000s and a Six Nations
Grand Slam in 2005 has helped reverse that. Due to this success, Wales became the first team ever to win the Grand Slam while playing more matches away than at home.
History
Early years (1881 - 1919)
Wales' 1905 team that defeated New Zealand.
Rugby union took root in Wales when Reverend
Rowland Williams became Vice-Principal and introduced the sport to
St David's College,
Lampeter, in 1850. The first Welsh club, Neath was formed in 1871, and in 1881 Wales played their first international; against England on
February 19 which England won by seven goals, one drop goal and six tries to nil. Soon after the match on
12 March that year the
Welsh Rugby Union was formed at The Castle Hotel,
Neath.
[1] Two years later the
Home International Championship was first played and Wales did not register a win.
[2]
However, rugby union in Wales quickly developed, and by the 1890s the four three-quarters formation had been developed in Wales. This formation with seven backs, and eight forwards instead of six backs and nine forwards revolutionised the sport, and was eventually adopted nearly universally at international and club level. With the "four three-quarter" formation Wales became Home International Championships for the first time in 1893; in the process winning the ''
triple crown''.
[3] Wales next won the Championship in 1900, and this began the first ''Golden Age'' of Welsh rugby which lasted until 1911.
[4] They won two more triple crowns in 1902 and 1905, and were runners up in 1901, 1903 and 1904.
In late 1905 they played their first Test against opposition from outside the
Home Nations when they faced New Zealand (the ''
All Blacks'') at
Cardiff Arms Park. New Zealand, later known as the
Original All Blacks, were undefeated on their tour of the British Isles, and had already defeated England, Ireland and Scotland in three Tests before facing Wales.
[5] In response to the All Blacks'
haka (a
Maori posture dance) that they performed before their matches, the 47,000 strong crowd sung the Welsh national anthem ''
Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'' (Land of Our Fathers). This was the first time a national anthem had been sung before a sporting fixture.
Wales' er Teddy Morgan scored first to give Wales a 3–0 lead, but later in the match All Black
Bob Deans claimed to have scored a try, only to be dragged behind the line before the referee could arrive. The referee ruled a scrum to Wales, and the score did not change; Wales winning 3–0.
[6] The loss was the All Blacks only loss on their 35 match tour.
Wales again won the International Championship in 1906,
and then played
South Africa (known as the ''Springboks'') for the first time that year. Wales were expected to defeat the South African's but instead South Africa dominated in the forwards and eventually won 11–0.
[7][8] Two years later on
12 December 1908 Wales played
Australia (the ''Wallabies'') fort the first time; defeating them 9–6.
[9]
They won the 1909 International Championship, and then the first ever Five Nations (that included
France) in 1910. In
1911 Wales earned the first official
Grand Slam by winning all their matches in the Five Nations; they would wait nearly forty years for a second.
When England defeated Wales at Cardiff in 1913 it was Wales first loss at home to one of the Home Nations since 1899 (and the first loss at home to England since 1895).
[10] The Great War came in 1914 and rugby was suspended for four seasons.
Post-war years (1920 - 1968)
A 1920 illustration of the
Ireland versus Wales match.
The post-
World War I years saw a big change in Welsh rugby union. Their worst period in international rugby union was during the 20s when the rugby union side seemed to mirror the industrial recession, which was felt particularly hard in South Wales. Of the 42 matches played, only 17 were won and three drawn.
[11] The depression resulted in around half-a-million people leaving Wales to find work elsewhere,
[12] along with them went a host of Welsh rugby union internationals to rugby league.
[13] Between 1923 and 1928, Wales managed only seven victories — five of them against France. However even France managed to defeat Wales that decade; achieving their first ever victory over Wales in 1928.
[14] Welsh selection policy reflected the struggles during the mid 1920s. In 1924 35 different players were selected for Wales' four matches, and their was a different captain for each one; only one person, Charlie Pugh, played in all four matches.
Starting An Attack: painting of the
England versus Wales rugby match at
Twickenham in 1931.
A resurgence of both economy and rugby union followed in the 1930s, and in 1931 Wales won their first championship for nine years. That year, for the first time since World War One, Wales retained the same side for two consecutive Tests when they faced England and Scotland.
[15] Then in 1933, captained by
Watcyn Thomas, Wales defeated England at
Twickenham for the first time.
[16] In
1935 Wales beat the touring All Blacks by 13–12, with
Haydn Tanner making his first appearance. Although the Five Nations championship was suspended due to World War Two,
[17] Wales did play England at Cardiff in 1940 as a
Red Cross charity match, which Wales lost 18–9
[18]
Following the Second World War Wales played a New Zealand Army team (''the Kiwis'') in 1946 which Wales lost 11–3.
[19] The first Five Nations following the Second World War was held in 1947 and Wales shared the title with England. Although Wales suffered their first ever home defeat to France in 1948,
[20] they won their first Five Nations Grand Slam since 1911 in 1950. The next year they lost to the touring South Africans 6–3 despite dominating in the lineouts.
[21] They achieved another Grand Slam in 1952, and this was followed by a 13–8 win over the All Blacks in 1953. It was the next year when St Helens hosted its last international and Cardiff Arms Park was officially adopted as the home of the Welsh team.
[22] In 1956 again won the Five Nations, and they would not regain the title until 1964, and not win it outright until 1965.
Wales conducted their first ever overseas tour in 1964 — travelling to South Africa and playing several games and one Test.
[23] The Test against South Africa in
Durban was lost 24–3; their biggest defeat in 40 years.
[24] At the WRU annual general meeting that year, the outgoing WRU President D. Ewart Davies stated "It was evident from the experience of the South African Tour that a much more positive attitude to the game was required in Wales... Players must be prepared to learn, and indeed re-learn, to the absolute point of mastery, the basic principles of Rugby Union football."
[25] This started the coaching revolution. The WRU Coaching Committee that had been set up in the late fifties was given the task of improving the quality of coaching. In January 1967, Ray Williams was appointed Coaching Organiser.
[26] The first national coach,
David Nash, was appointed in 1967 to coach Wales for the season, but resigned when the WRU refused to allow him to accompany Wales on their 1968 tour of Argentina.
[27] Eventually the WRU reversed the decision and appointed Clive Rowlands to tour as coach. Of the six matches Wales won three, drew two and lost one.
[28]
Second 'Golden Age' (1969 - 1982)
When Wales defeated England in the 1969 Five Nations to win the Triple Crown and the championship it ushered in an era known as the second golden age. Wales toured New Zealand for the first time that year, but were defeated in both Tests. As well as losing the first Test 19–0 and the second 33–12,
[29] they also conceded 24 points to the All Black's
Fergie McCormick in the second Test which was a record at the time.
[30]
As well as sharing the Five Nations with France in 1970, Wales also recorded their best result thus far against South Africa with a 6–6 draw in Cardiff.
[31]
The Welsh team of the 1970s has gone down in history as quite possibly the best of all time. Great in the
Northern Hemisphere and victors against touring
Southern Hemisphere sides, the team's record speaks for itself. Nine of the ten matches against England were won, eight of the ten against the Scots, and the Irish claimed only one win and a draw in nine outings. France was the only side to rival the Welsh, winning three and drawing one of their ten games. By the time England had been put to the sword on 17 March 1979, Wales had won the Five Nations title five times, done the Grand Slam three times, picked up five Triple Crowns and beaten Australia twice. Only an outstanding French side prevented them from dominating even further. That great Welsh team included legends such as
Barry John,
Gareth Edwards,
JPR Williams,
Mervyn Davies and
Phil Bennett.
Clive Rowlands was national team coach for 29 matches between 1968 and 1974. This was a successful period for Wales, including a
Grand Slam in 1971. The 1971 game against Scotland at Murrayfield was one of the greatest and most exciting ever played there, Wales won 19–18 thanks to a last-minute conversion from the touchline by
John Taylor; immortalised as "the greatest conversion since Saint Paul".
In the
1972 Five Nations Championship Wales and Scotland refused to travel to Dublin at the height of
the Troubles after receiving threats, purportedly from the
IRA. The Championship remained unresolved with Wales and Ireland unbeaten.
John Dawes was coach of the Welsh national side from 1974 until 1979. During this time Wales won the Five Nations Championship four times including two Grand Slams.
John Lloyd was coach between 1980 and 82.
John Bevan became coach in 1982 and lasted until 1985 before resigning due to ill health. In 1982,
Scotland finally ended Wales' record 27-match unbeaten run at home in the
Five Nations Championship.
Modern era (1983 - present)
Over the next five years other countries began to catch up with Wales.
Japan came close to an upset, losing by 24–29 at Cardiff in 1983.
Wales were still respected by the time of the first official
Rugby World Cup in
1987. A win against rivals England in the quarter-finals saw Wales face hosts the All Blacks. Although Wales were defeated 49–6 they managed to beat the Australia in the third-fourth play-off game to claim third.
After the World Cup, Wales won the Triple Crown in 1988, but heavy defeats on tour to New Zealand that year saw the end to a number of Welsh rugby union careers. They also went through a succession of national coaches: John Ryan was national coach between 1988 and 90 before resigning;
Ron Waldron then took over as coach between 1990 and 1991 but again resigned due to ill health; Alan Davies took over in 1991 before resigning in 1995 and Alex Evans was caretaker coach for four games in 1995.
A resurgence and refinancing of
rugby league in northern England saw a large number of top players convert to the professional game. The 90s were Wales' darkest period so far in rugby union terms as defections to rugby league and internecine struggles decimated the national side. Wales suffered Five Nations championship
whitewashes in 1990 and 1991, and in the
1991 World Cup were knocked out in the group phase by
Manu Samoa.
Kevin Bowring became Wales' first professional coach in 1995 and there was a small resurgence in the Welsh game as rugby union finally relented and turned professional. Things seemed to have improved with the appointment of coach
Graham Henry in 1998, and the return of several internationals from rugby league. A ten match unbeaten run saw Wales enter as host nation into the
1999 Rugby World Cup with renewed confidence. However, in the quarter final Wales lost a competitive match to the eventual champions Australia.
Defeats to the likes of Argentina and Ireland in 2001 and 2002 led to Henry's resignation in February 2002 and his assistant
Steve Hansen took over. Further defeats led to perhaps the biggest ever shake-up of Welsh rugby union in
2003. Wales managed to distinguish themselves in the
2003 World Cup by running New Zealand, and the eventual winners of the tournament, England, close in two of the best matches of the tournament.
Michael Owen takes a line-out
Wales re-emerged as a force in international rugby in the
2005 Six Nations. Coached by
Mike Ruddock, the Welsh side opened with an 11–9 win over England at the Millennium Stadium thanks to a late long range penalty from
Gavin Henson. After a win over Italy, Wales faced France, and were losing 15–6 at half-time. Wales fought back in the second half to win 24–18 win and the game was named the best of the tournament. Wales then won away to Scotland 46–22, and then in front of a capacity crowd at the Millennium Stadium played their final game against Ireland. Wales 32–20 victory gave them their first competition title since 1994 and their first Grand Slam since 1978.
A 41-3 loss to the All Blacks at Millennium Stadium in 2005 was their biggest ever loss on Welsh soil. This was followed by a win over
Fiji by a single point, then a loss to South Africa, and lastly a win over Australia. The Welsh Rugby Union marked its 125th anniversary by bringing out a limited-edition black jersey, which was worn against Fiji and Australia.
On
14 February 2006, midway through the
Six Nations Championship, Mike Ruddock resigned as the head coach of Wales, citing family reasons.
[32] Australian skills coach Scott Johnson was named caretaker coach,
[33] and was offered the job as head coach, but chose to turn down the position in favour of an assistant coaching job with Australia.
[34] Wales eventually finished fifth in the 2006 Championship before
Gareth Jenkins was appointed head coach on
27 April.
On
10 May 2007, Wales and Australia decided to celebrate 100 years of Test rugby between the two countries with the establishment of the
James Bevan Trophy. It is named after the Australian-born Welsh-raised man who was the first ever captain of the Wales rugby team. Australia won the series 2 - 0, but the Welsh performance was enough for Australian commentators rate the Welsh as a World Cup threat.
[35]
Gareth Jenkins announced his Wales squad for the
2007 Rugby World Cup on
10 August 2007. The squad included stalwarts of the Welsh game, such as Colin Charvis and Martyn Williams, as well as a couple of new faces in the shape of Will James and James Hook, both going into their first Rugby World Cup. Gareth Thomas was named as the Welsh captain for the World Cup, replacing Stephen Jones, who was allegedly not selected as captain due to injury concerns. Both players, however, will be included in a "leadership group" that also includes former vice-captain Michael Owen, Alun Wyn Jones, Jonathan Thomas and Dwayne Peel.
Strip
Wales play in
red jerseys that is embroidered with the
Prince of Wales's feathers,
white shorts, and
red socks. Their away strip (also known as change strip) is iron coloured. The strip is made by
Reebok and the
shirt sponsor is the Cardiff
brewery SA Brain.
[36] Due to legislation concerning advertising of alcohol, when the team plays in France, the "Brains" logo is replaced by "Brawn" (in 2005) and "Brawn Again" (in 2007) in a type style essentially identical to the Brains logo.
[37] For the
2007 Rugby World Cup however, the jersey is only allowed the national union's emblem, the Rugby World Cup logo, and the logo of the jersey's manufacturer on it.
The Prince of Wales's feathers were chosen over another Welsh symbol, the leek, in an effort by the WRU to demonstrate the administration's loyalty to Britain in the nineteenth century.
[38] The motif originally used was replaced with a more stylised version in 1991 to enable the emblem to be patented. Prior to this the motto under the feathers was ''Ich dien'' (German for "I serve") but was replaced with ''WRU''.
[39]
Wales has also donned a black jersey as part of celebrations for the WRU's 125th anniversary. The jersey was worn against Fiji and then Australia in 2005; the match against Australia was the first time Wales had played one of it's traditional rivals not wearing it's red strip.
[40]
Support
Main articles: Rugby union in Wales
Rugby union and Wales' national team hold an important place in Welsh culture and society. Sport historian John Bale has stated that "rugby is characteristically Welsh", and David Andrew said that "To the popular consciousness rugby is as Welsh as coal mining, male voice choirs, '
How Green Was My Valley,'
Dylan Thomas, and
Tom Jones".
[41] Welsh rugby's first ''golden age'' (1910–1911) coincided with the countries' zenith during the 20th century,
[42] and rugby was important in building Wales' modern identity.
[43]
There were record attendances for Welsh home internationals in their home internationals of the 2004-2005 season.
[44] For Wales' 2005 Six Nations match against Scotland in Edinburgh, 40,000 Welsh fans travelled to see the game.
[45] The home attendance record was bettered the next year when over 500,000 fans attended Wales' seven home matches.
[ The rugby might be poor but the profits are good ] The Millennium Stadium regularly sells out of all 74,000 seats.
Grounds
Wales' first home international was played at
St Helen's ground,
Swansea.
[46] The ground continued to be used as an international venue until 1954 when
Cardiff Arms Park became Wales' primary home venue.
[47]
Currently Wales play all their home matches at the
national stadium of Wales, the
Millennium Stadium in
Cardiff, which has a capacity of 74,500 and is the largest stadium in
Wales. The stadium is owned by Millennium Stadium plc which is a
subsidiary company of the WRU. The stadium's first major event was Wales' first ever victory over
South Africa, on
26 June 1999, although the stadium was not complete at this time.
Millennium Stadium was built in 1999 on the site of the old national stadium. The stadium was constructed for use at the
1999 World Cup, which was primarily hosted by Wales, including the final. The construction cost the WRU £126 million, which was funded by private investment, £46 million of public funds from the
National Lottery, the sale of
debentures to supporters (which offered guaranteed tickets in exchange for an interest-free loan), and
loans.
Record
Six Nations
Wales' only annual tournament is the
Six Nations Championship, which is played against five other European nations: England, France, Ireland, Italy, and Scotland. The Six Nations started out as the Home Nations Championship in 1883, and Wales first won it in 1893 when they achieved a
Triple Crown.
Wales have won the tournament outright 23 times, and sharing ten other victories. Their longest wait between championship was 11 years (1994–2005). Wales first won a Five Nations
grand slam in 1911,
and their one and only Six Nations grand slam in 2005.
World Cup
Wales have contested every Rugby World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1987. The 1987 tournament was Wales' most successful; they won all three pool matches and their quarter-final before losing to the All Blacks in their semi-final. They then faced Australia in the third-fourth play-off match which they won 22–21.
[48] In the next two tournaments in 1991 and 1995 Wales failed to progress out of the pool stage — winning one match in each tournament.
[49] Both the 1999 and 2003 tournaments were more successful with Wales qualifying for the quarter-finals both times. Wales hosted the event in 1999 and topped their pool only to lose to eventual winners Australia in their quarter-final.
[50] In 2003 they finished second in their pool to the All Blacks and faced England in their semi-final where they lost to the eventual champions.
[51]
Overall
Wales have won 295 of their 571 Test matches, a win percentage of 51.66 (see table). When the
world rankings were introduced in October 2003 Wales were ranked eighth. They rose to seventh in June 2004 before falling back to eighth in November that year. During the
2005 Six Nations Championship they rose to their highest ranking position; fifth. They fell to ninth by June 2006, and have since risen back to eighth.
[52]
Their Test record against all nations:
[53]
| Against | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | % Won |
|---|
| | 13 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 53.84 |
| | 26 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 34.52 |
| | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 28.57 |
| | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 90.00 |
| | 116 | 51 | 53 | 12 | 43.97 |
| | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| | 84 | 42 | 39 | 3 | 50.00 |
| | 112 | 61 | 45 | 6 | 54.46 |
| | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 78.57 |
| | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| | 23 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 13.04 |
| | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 72.72 |
| | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 50.00 |
| | 112 | 61 | 48 | 3 | 54.46 |
| | 19 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 5.26 |
| | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| 'Total' | '571' | '295' | '249' | '27' | '51.66' |
Players
Current squad
The 30-man
World Cup squad:
[54]
|
|
Notable players
:''See also ''
Nine former Welsh internationals have been inducted into the
International Rugby Hall of Fame;
Phil Bennett,
Gerald Davies,
Mervyn Davies,
Gareth Edwards,
Carwyn James,
Barry John,
Cliff Morgan,
Gwyn Nicholls and
JPR Williams.
Known as the ''prince of three-quarters'', Gwyn Nicholls played 24 Tests for Wales at between 1896 and 1906.
[55] He was the only Welsh player in the British Isles team of 1899, and was the star for Wales during their first golden era. Not only did he captain Wales to three Triple Crowns, but also their famous victory over the All Blacks in 1905.
[56] On
26 December 1949 gates bearing his name at Cardiff Arms Park were officially opened.
[57]
Named the greatest ever Welsh player of the 1950s by the WRU,
Cliff Morgan played 25 Tests for Wales, and four for the British Lions between 1951 and 1955.
[58] Morgan played at and was one of the sports biggest crowd-pullers during his career.
[59] He played during Wales Five Nations grand slam of 1952, and Wales' victory over the All Blacks in 1953, but is most famous for captaining the British Lions in South Africa in 1955.
[60] One of Morgan's great friends was Carwyn James.
[61] Although most notable for his coaching record, James appeared for Wales in two Tests in 1958. He coached the British Lions to their first and only series victory over New Zealand in 1971 with a team including many Welsh players.
[62] He also coached Welsh club Llanelli, and the
Barbarians side that defeated the All Blacks in 1973. Despite this he never coached Wales.
[63]
When Wales faced Australia on
3 December 1966 two future Rugby Hall of Fame members made their Test début; Gerald Davies and Barry John. Davies played 46 Tests for Wales between 1966 and 1978. Although he started out playing centre he was moved to during Wales' 1969 tour to New Zealand and Australia,
[64] and eventually scored 20 Test tries for Wales. As well as Wales Davies also played for the Lions during their 1968 tour to South Africa and 1971 tour to New Zealand.
[65] Although Barry John first played for Wales in 1966 he did not secure his spot in the team until 1968.
[66] Playing at fly-half John helped Wales to a Five Nations grand slam in 1971, and then the Lions to their one and only series win over the All Blacks that same year. He picked up the nickname ''The King'' in New Zealand, and in 1972 quit the sport due to pressure his fame was causing.
[67]
Widely regarded as the greatest rugby union player of all time, Gareth Edwards played 53 Tests for Wales at between 1967 and 1978. Edwards was never dropped from the team and played all 53 of his Tests consecutively. He also played in three Lions tours; including the series victories in New Zealand in 1971, and the unbeaten tour of South Africa in 1974.
[68] Edwards won five triple crowns with Wales and three Five Nations grand slams. He also scored a try for the Barbarians against the All Blacks in 1973 remember as ''that try'' and considered the greatest ever try. In 2003 Edwards was voted the greatest player of all time by ''Rugby World'' magazine.
[69]
In 1969 three Hall of Fame members debuted for Wales; Phil Bennett, Mervyn Davies, and JPR Williams. Bennett played 29 Tests for Wales. He started out playing but after Barry John retired moved to fly-half. As well as representing Wales he played eight Tests for the Lions and captained them on their 1977 tour of New Zealand.
[70] Mervyn Davies was known as ''Merve the Swerve'' and played 38 consecutive Tests for Wales between 1969 and 1976 and only lost eight of them.
[71] After captained Wales in his last nine appearances Davies was forced to retire due to a
brain haemorrhage.
[72] JPR Williams played 55 Tests for Wales between 1969 and 1981. Whilst doing so he won six Triple Crowns and three Five Nations grand slams, and captained Wales for five Tests in 1979.
[73] Playing at fullback he also toured with the Lions in 1971 and 1974 before retiring temporarily in 1980. He made a comeback however and played his final match, against Scotland, in 1981.
[74]
Individual records
Welsh forward
Colin Charvis who has scored more tries then any other forward for Wales.
Former
Neil Jenkins was the first rugby player to surpass 1000 Test points, and holds the Welsh record with 1049. Jenkins also holds the world record for most penalties with 248, and Welsh record for most points in a single Test match with 30.
[75][76] Wales' Test try record is held by
Gareth Thomas (with 38) who is also the most capped player with 95 Test caps.
[77] The record for Welsh tries by a forward is held by
Colin Charvis with 20. Wales most capped forward is former
Gareth Llewellyn who played 92 Tests, but the record for most consecutive appearances is held by
Gareth Edwards who played all 53 of his Tests for Wales between 1967 and 1978 consecutively.
Coaches
Following the unsuccessful tour to South Africa in 1964, the WRU set up a working party on coaching. The party recommended that Welsh clubs accept the principle of coaching. David Nash was appointed as the national team's first coach in 1967, but for the 1968 tour of Argentina the WRU initially planned not to have a coach tour with the team. Following pressure from the Welsh clubs at the WRU's
annual general meeting the decision was reversed and
Clive Rowlands was appointed as coach for the tour. The appointing of a coach for the team coincided with Wales' success in the Five Nations during the 1970s.
List of head coaches:
[78]
See also
★
Six Nations Championship
★
Rugby World Cup
★
Rugby union in Wales
★
South Africa vs Wales at rugby union
★
Wales national rugby union team (sevens)
Bibliography
★
Welsh Indigenous! and British Imperial?—Welsh Rugby, Culture, and Society 1890–1914, , David, Andrews, Journal of Sport History,
★
French Rugby Football - Cultural History, , Philip, Dine, Berg, ,
★
Cool Cymru, rugby union and an imagined community, , John, Harris, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy,
★
Red Dragons of Welsh Rugby, , Terry, McLean, A. H. & A. W. REED, ,
★
Rugby and Revivalism: Sport and Religion in Edwardian Wales, , Gareth, Morgan, The International Journal of the History of Sport,
★
The Rise of French Rugby, , Alex, Potter, A. H. & A. W. REED, ,
★
Century in Black - 100 Years of All Black Test Rugby, , Ron, Palenski, Hodder Moa Beckett Publishers Limited, , ISBN 1-86958-937-8
★
A Game for Hooligans, , Huw, Richards, Mainstream Publishing, 2006, ISBN 1-84596-016-5
★
The Contest for Rugby Supremacy - Accounting for the 1905 All Blacks, , Greg, Ryan, Canterbury University Press, , ISBN 1-877257-36-2
★
Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union, , David, Smith, University of Wales Press, 1980,
References
1. Historical Rugby Milestones 1880s
2. 6 Nations History
3. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SIX NATIONS RUGBY TOURNAMENT
4. Welsh Indigenous! and British Imperial?–Welsh Rugby, Culture, and Society 1890–1914, , David, Andrews, Journal of Sport History, 1991
5. THE 1905/06 'ORIGINALS'
6. 7th All Black Test : 83rd All Black Game
7. Mighty Boks: South African rugby Sean Davies
8. Wales vs South Africa > Games Played
9. Wallaby wonders: Aussie rugby Sean Davies
10. Smith (1980), pg 198.
11. Smith (1980), pg 204.
12. Richards (2006), pg 123.
13. Richards (2006), pg 124.
14. Richards (2006), pg 126.
15. Smith (1980), pg 262.
16. Richards (2006), pg 135.
17. France was readmitted into international rugby union following the Home Nations Championship in 1939.
18. Richards (2006), pg 46.
19. McLean (1969), pg 147.
20. Potter (1961), pg 99.
21. Smith (1980), pg 344.
22. Smith (1980), pg 349.
23. Smith (1980), pg 368.
24. Rugby Chronology
25. Smith (1980), pg 369.
26.
27. Smith (1980), pg 389.
28. Smith (1980), pg 393.
29. McLean (1969), pg 144.
30. McLean (1969), pg 119.
31. Smith (1980), pg 400.
32. "Ruddock steps down as Wales coach", ''bbc.co.uk'', 14 February 2006.
33. "Ruddock brings end to Wales row", ''bbc.co.uk'', 7 April 2006.
34. "Scott Johnson signs with Australia", ''RugbyRugby.com'', 24 March 2006.
35. The Welsh Challenge
36. WRU and Reebok unveil Rugby World Cup shirt
37. Top that!
38. Andrews (1991), pg 346.
39. Welsh rugby union strips talent from England - Cotton Traders.
40. WALES OUT OF RED AND INTO BLACK
41. Andrews (1991), pg 336.
42. Andrews (1991), pg 337.
43. Morgan (2005), pg 434.
44. RECORD PROFITS FOR WRU GROUP
45. Fans celebrate win over Scotland
46. Wales vs England > Game played on 3rd January 1885
47. Liberty Stadium - The Background
48. 1987 Rugby World Cup Results
49.
50. 1999 Rugby World Cup Results
51. 2003 Rugby World Cup Results
52. Ranking archives can be found at the IRB website; www.irb.com/rankings/analysis/index.html
53. Wales > Head to Head Table
54. Thomas to captain Wales at his fourth World Cup
55. Gwyn Nicholls
56. Gwyn Nicholls
57. NICHOLLS, ERITH GWYN
58. Morgan honoured
59. Cliff Morgan
60. Cliff Morgan
61. Lonely prince of coaches David Foot
62. Carwyn James
63. Why has rugby shortchanged the Barbarian legends of '73? Chris Hewett
64. Gerald Davies CBE |date=2002-12-31}}
65. Gerald Davies
66. Barry John
67. Barry John
68. Leader of the backs Paul Kimmage
69. Gareth Edwards
70. Phil Bennett
71. Mervyn Davies
72. Davies, Mervyn
73. JPR Williams
74. J.P.R. WILLIAMS
75. International Individual Records
76. Neil Jenkins
77. This excludes three for the British and Irish Lions.
78. Wales' former rugby coaches
79. Coaching Record - Gareth Jenkins
External links
★
The Welsh Rugby Union
★
Bred In Heaven influential Welsh rugby discussion site
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Scrum V Welsh rugby discussion forum (BBC)
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Welsh rugby news from icwales
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Welsh rugby union news from Planet Rugby
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Welsh Rugby Fans New website dedicated to Welsh rugby fans
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Sports Council of Wales Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
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