Cross Keys RFC is a rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 club located in the Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 village of Crosskeys

Crosskeys

Crosskeys is a small village in Caerphilly county borough in Wales.- Location :Crosskeys is seven miles north west of Newport, just past Risca off the A467 road. Located near to the confluence of the Ebbw River and the Sirhowy River, it was originally called Pont-y-cymer...

. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union

Welsh Rugby Union

The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...

 and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons

Newport Gwent Dragons

Newport Gwent Dragons are one of the four professional Rugby Union regional teams in Wales. They are jointly owned by Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union and play all their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup...

.

History

Cross Keys are a team that have a remarkable history of achievements for a small and fairly unfashionable club. They first achieved first class-status in 1909, almost forcing their way into the top flight by winning the Monmouthshire league three times. By 1920 the team had their first international player, when Steve Morris

Steve Morris (rugby union player)

Steve Morris was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Cross Keys. A hard man, Morris was extremely physical in the way he played the game, sometimes over physical and he was unafraid to turn to violence if it was warranted. It is reported that he once knocked out a...

 won a cap for Wales

Wales national rugby union team

The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...

. Morris would win 19 caps and captained Wales in 1925. Caps followed during the 1920s for Ossie Male

Ossie Male

Ossie Male was a Welsh international full back who played club rugby for Cardiff and was capped 11 times for Wales and captained his country on three occasions. In 1924, Male was at the centre of an embarrassing decision made by the Welsh Rugby Union that prevented him facing the French rugby team...

 and Lonza Bowdler

Lonza Bowdler

Frank "Lonza" Bowdler was a Welsh rugby union hooker who played club rugby for Cross Keys and was capped 15 times for Wales...

, both returned over several seasons for Wales, facing not only Five Nations Championships

Six Nations Championship

The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....

 but also touring teams.

In 1926 Cross Keys RFC found themselves in dire financial trouble and requested help from the Welsh Rugby Union

Welsh Rugby Union

The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...

. The WRU refused an appeal for a cash loan, but instead agreed to send the Welsh national team

Wales national rugby union team

The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...

 to play in an exhibition match at Pandy Park. The sell-out crowd assured Cross Keys future and resulted in an historic win for the home team thirteen points to eight.

It has been noted by many observers that the Cross Keys pack during the 1920s and 1930's was extremely talented but undeservedly under represented in the national team.

After a hard fought campaign Crosskeys RFC qualifed for the British & Irish Cup at the end of the 2010-11 season.

Current squad

Notable former players

See also :Category:Cross Keys RFC players

George Boots

George Boots

John George Boots was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby with Monmouthshire. He won 16 caps for Wales....

 Frederick Arthur Bowdler

Lonza Bowdler

Frank "Lonza" Bowdler was a Welsh rugby union hooker who played club rugby for Cross Keys and was capped 15 times for Wales...

 (15 caps) Archibald "Archie" Brown

Archie Brown (rugby)

Archibald "Archie" Brown was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1910s and '20s who at representative level played rugby union for Wales, and at club level for Cross Keys RFC, Risca RFC, and Newport RFC, playing at Scrum-half, i.e...

 Ron Herrera (8 caps) Ossie Male

Ossie Male

Ossie Male was a Welsh international full back who played club rugby for Cardiff and was capped 11 times for Wales and captained his country on three occasions. In 1924, Male was at the centre of an embarrassing decision made by the Welsh Rugby Union that prevented him facing the French rugby team...

 (11 caps) Steve Morris

Steve Morris (rugby union player)

Steve Morris was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Cross Keys. A hard man, Morris was extremely physical in the way he played the game, sometimes over physical and he was unafraid to turn to violence if it was warranted. It is reported that he once knocked out a...

 (19 caps) Con Murphy (3 caps) Dai Rees

Dai Rees (rugby player)

David 'Dai' Rees is a Welsh former rugby union player. He attained four caps for the Wales B side, and was also a National Squad member in 1986....

 Fred Reeves (2 caps) Rex Richards

Rex Richards (rugby player)

Rex Clive Richards was a Wales international rugby union player. He gained his only cap against France at Cardiff on 24 March 1956, Wales winning 5 - 3. He played for Cross Keys RFC until 1955 before heading to Hollywood to try to make his fortune as an actor.He had a number of roles, including...

 (1 cap) Russell Taylor

Russell Taylor (rugby player)

Albert Russell Taylor was a international rugby union player. He was selected for the 1938 British Lions tour to South Africa. Taylor played club rugby for Cross Keys RFC and Abergavenny RFC...

 (3 caps), 1938 British Lions Joseph "Joe" Thompson

Joseph Thompson (rugby)

Joseph "Joe" Francis Thompson was an English born Welsh dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1910s, '20s and '30s who at representative level played rugby union for Wales, and at club level for Cross Keys RFC, playing at Number Eight, and at...

 (1 cap) for Wales (RU)

Wales national rugby union team

The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...

. Whilst at Leeds

Leeds Rhinos

Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...

 (Great Britain RL

Great Britain national rugby league team

The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....

 12 caps, Wales RL

Wales national rugby league team

The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...

 8 caps, Other Nations RL

Other Nationalities rugby league team

The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players...

 5 caps) Trevor Williams (8 caps) S. 'Docker' Winmill (2 caps)

Games played against international opposition

Year	Date	Opponent	Result	Score	Tour
1985	October 9		Loss	12-26	1985 Fiji rugby union tour of Wales and Ireland