Treorchy Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the village of Treorchy, in the Rhondda Valley, Wales. They formed in 1886 and by 1891 were a strong voice in the Welsh Football Union and were playing in the Rhondda Division.[2]
| Full name | Treorchy Rugby Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Zebras | |
| Founded | 1886 | |
| Location | Treorchy, Wales | |
| Ground(s) | The Oval | |
| Coach(es) | Ian Evans (forwards) Andrew Bishop (backs) | |
| Captain(s) | Nathan Griffiths | |
| League(s) | WRU championship East | |
| 2014-15 | 4th[1] | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| www | ||
Club history
editWith the industrialisation of the Rhondda, the game of rugby spread through the valley as the growing population looked for social activities to become involved in. Although not the first club to form in the Rhondda, Treorchy provided the first international player to represent Wales while still playing for a valley club. In the opening game of the 1886 Home Nations Championship, Treorchy provided the first 'Rhondda forward' when Sam Ramsey was selected to face England. Although Ramsey would only win two caps, and the second took a wait of eight years, Treorchy would provide several players throughout their history, including Billy Cleaver who would eventually play for the British Lions In 1907, Treorchy was accused of throwing a rugby game against Aberdare, which gave Aberdare the Glamorgan League title. The resulting enquiry by the WRU saw the permanent suspension of Treorchy's entire committee.[3]
As Treorchy finished in the top four of the WRU premier division during the 1994/95 season they were given the privilege of hosting that year's touring international team Fiji.[4]
Club honours
edit- 1992/93 WRU Division Three - Champions
- 1993/94 WRU Division Two - Champions
- 2008/09 WRU Division Three South East - Champions
- 2016/17 WRU Division One East Central - Champions
Notable former players
edit- See also Category:Treorchy RFC players
The following players have played for Treorchy and have also been capped at international level.
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Games played against international opposition
edit| Year | Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1 November |  Fiji
|
Loss | 14-70 | 1995 Fiji tour of Wales |
References
edit- ^ WRU Official Site
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980) pg 53 ISBN 0-7083-0766-3
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980) pg 180 ISBN 0-7083-0766-3
- ^ Robert Cole (10 October 1995). "Wales brace themselves for the giants of Fiji". The Independent. Retrieved 10 October 2010.