Newport RFC
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| Newport RFC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Newport Rugby Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Black & Ambers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1874[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Union | Welsh Rugby Union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Newport, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground(s) | Rodney Parade, Newport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 10,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  Will Godfrey |
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| Coach | Ian Hembrow |
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| League | Welsh Premier Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007/08 | 7th[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Official website | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| www.blackandambers.co.uk | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Newport Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in the city of Newport, South Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Premier Division. Based on the east bank of the River Usk, at Rodney Parade, the rugby section of Newport Athletic Club gained itself a world wide reputation in the twentieth century.
Every major touring team to visit Wales has graced the turf of Rodney Parade, and all of them had their colours lowered in the twentieth century by a side who, in 1951, played in the match at Cardiff that attracted what was, then, a world record crowd of 48,500 for a rugby union match between two clubs.[3]
In addition to matches against all the major national sides a highlight of the Newport season was the annual match against the Barbarians, ensuring that the Newport fans had a regular diet of world class players to supplement the Welsh internationals who were a common feature of the 'Black and Ambers'.
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[edit] History
[edit] 1874–1914
Newport RFC were formed in 1874 under the financial backing of the Phillips brewing family, and the playing talents of former pupils of Monmouth School,[4] a public school which had adopted rugby union in 1873.[5] Newport was originally intended as an Association Football club, but was unable to find any opponents, but they managed to organise a rugby match against Cardiff RFC, and in 1875 played Cardiff in both club's first ever game.[4]
Newport’s early success was remarkable, winning every single match in their first four seasons between 1875 and 1879.[6] They were also successful in other tournaments winning the first two South Wales Cup competitions.[7] The club’s strength was reflected at international level, providing more players to the Welsh national team than any other club in the nineteenth century, including four captains. In 1881 Newport was one of the eleven clubs present at the forming of the Welsh Rugby Football Union,[8] and provided six players in the first Welsh international match, more than any other club.[9]
Partially due to their geographical location Newport also played against more established clubs from England and in 1878 a game was arranged against Manchester Athletic followed by games against Birmingham, Clifton, Gloucester and Swindon. Their dominance led Newport’s club secretary, Richard Mulloch to arrange a match against the English domestic champions Blackheath Rugby Club. With a record attendance of 5000 spectators Newport were out-classed by their English opponents, losing four goals and eight tries to nil. Though it should be noted that Newport had played two games in the previous five days and Blackheath brought in outside players to bolster their squad.[10]
In October 1879 Newport played Cardiff RFC in a floodlit game at Rodney Parade; the first ground to have floodlights installed in Wales.[10]
In 1912 Newport hosted the touring South Africa national team, and beat them 9 points to 3.[11]
[edit] 1919–1939
- Invincible in 1922/3
- Welsh Club Champions 1920,1923.
- Provided 5 Welsh, 1 English and 1 Irish captains.
- Provided 6 British Lions.
- Golden era of Wetter, Uzzell, Griffiths, Morley, Travers etc.
[edit] 1945–2003
- Golden era of Jones, Burnett, Thomas, Meredith, Price, Watkins, Jarrett etc.
- Beat Australia 1957, NZ 1963, SA 1969, Tonga 1974.
- Welsh Club Champions 1951, 1956, 1962, 1969.
- Won Welsh Merit Table and Anglo-Welsh Merit Table.
- Provided 7 Welsh, 1 Czech Rep, 2 Canadian, 1 Fijian captains.
- Provided 15 British Lions.
- Introduced 7’s to Wales and won Snellings 10 times and R/U 9 times.
- One of pioneers of floodlights in Wales.
- Introduced squad systems / players playing on rota in Wales.
- Won Welsh Cup twice, R/U 3 times.
- Welsh Premier League winners and R/U – twice.
....to date have supplied over 150 Welsh players and players to England, Scotland, Ireland, SA, Czech Rep, Canada, Fiji as well as ca 80 Barbarians.
[edit] Club honours
- South Wales Cup 1878, 1879, 1881, 1882, 1884, 1890.[12]
- Welsh Cup 1977, 2001.
- Welsh Premier League Winners 2004.
[edit] Notable former players
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[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Bibliography
- Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3.
[edit] References
- ^ The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. John Davies, Nigel Jenkins, Menna Baines and Peredur Lynch (2008) pp782 ISBN 9780708319536
- ^ WRU:Principality Premiership: 2007–2008. wru.co.uk (2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
- ^ Parry-Jones, David (1989). The Rugby Clubs of Wales, 96. ISBN 0091738504.
- ^ a b Smith (1980), pg 25.
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 23.
- ^ Interesting Facts. historyofnewport.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 34.
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 41.
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 40.
- ^ a b Smith (1980), pg 35.
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 189.
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 485.
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