Pontypool RFC
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| Pontypool RFC | |||
| Full name | Pontypool Rugby Football Club | ||
| Location | Pontypool, Wales | ||
| Ground(s) | Pontypool Park, | ||
| Capacity | 8800 | ||
| League | WRU Division One East | ||
| 2007-08 | 1st[1] | ||
| Official website | |||
| www.pontypoolrugby.co.uk | |||
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Pontypool Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team currently playing in the WRU Division One East Their home ground is Pontypool Park, (Pontypool).
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[edit] Early history
Pontypool RFC was one of the eleven clubs present at the formation of the Welsh Rugby Union in Neath in 1881.[2] During the 1877-78 season, Pontypool were one of six teams that created the South Wales Cup competition away from the larger more established clubs.[3]
During the early 1920s Pontypool was one of several major Welsh clubs to suffer from the emergence of professional rugby in England. In the 1921-22 season Pontypool RFC began with only seven players available to them on their roster as players moved to clubs that paid a wage to play.[4] Pontypool RFC continued to struggle through the 1920s, even though their success on the field was impressive. In 1927 Pontypool were victorious against the Waratahs and the Maoris but were two thousand pounds in debt, and the WRU's refusal to allow them a fixture against the Springboks caused local resentment.[5]
[edit] Post war years
The great days of Pontypool RFC were in the 1970s and 1980s, when Ray Prosser was coach for eighteen years from 1969. An away match at Pontypool was a daunting experience for even the strongest sides during this period. Their best ever season was probably 1987-88, when they won 35 matches out of 36, scoring 1011 points.
The club's strength during its glory days was its forwards, particularly the legendary "Pontypool Front Row" celebrated in song by Max Boyce[6]. The Pontypool Front Row also known as the "Viet Gwent", (motto "We may go down; we may go up; but we never go back") was made up of Graham Price, Bobby Windsor and Charlie Faulkner and played as a unit 19 times for Wales, only finishing on the losing side four times. They also played as a unit for the British and Irish Lions in several midweek matches, though never in a test.
[edit] Notable former players
David Bishop- Eddie Butler
- Ray Cale
- Terry Cobner
- Charlie Faulkner
- Chris Huish
- Mark Jones
- Staff Jones
- Steve Jones
- John Perkins
- Graham Price
- Mark Ring
- Jeff Squire
- Mark Taylor
- Paul Turner
- Bobby Windsor
[edit] Club Honours
- Welsh cup 1983
- 2002-03 Welsh National League Division 1 - Champions
- 2007-08 WRU Division One East - Champions
[edit] References
- ^ WRU official site
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981 pp41, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981 pp43, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981 pp209, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981 pp260, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981, pp443, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
- David Parry-Jones (1989). The rugby clubs of Wales. Stanley Paul. ISBN 0-09-173850-4.
[edit] External links
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