Gorseinon RFC
Encyclopedia
Gorseinon RFC is a Welsh
rugby union
club representing the town of Gorseinon
, Swansea
, South Wales
. Gorseinon RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union
and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.
Up until World War I
they played on the Welfare Ground then called Kings Holme sharing the field with both cricket
and football
teams. At the outbreak of the 1914-18 war the team was disbanded.
After the World War the club reformed, but under a new name and with a new playing field. The club played under the name of St Catherine's Church in the lower part of Gorseinon, at the rear of Whittington Terrace. The ground was called Pencefnarda and the changing rooms were at the back of the 'Institute'.
Between 1918 and 1931 the ground was redeveloped by the owners of the local works Messrs. Lewis and sons. In 1931 the club started playing under the name of 'Grovesend Welfare'. Although reformed in 1931 under the works name it was not until 1936 that they were re-admitted into the Welsh Rugby Union. In the early 1950s an application was made to change the name back to Gorseinon and its original title.
(3 caps) Onllwyn Brace
(9 caps) Tom Day
(13 caps) Norman Gale
Lewis Jones Leigh Halfpenny
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...
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 representing the town of Gorseinon
Gorseinon
Gorseinon is a town in southwest Wales, near the Loughor estuary. It was a small village until the late 19th century when it grew around the coal mining and tinplate industries. It is situated in the north west of Swansea, around north west of the city centre...
, Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, South Wales
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...
. Gorseinon RFC 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 Ospreys.
History
Gorseinon RFC were formed in 1888 and they were successful in their application to the Welsh Rugby Union in 1895.Up until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
they played on the Welfare Ground then called Kings Holme sharing the field with both cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
teams. At the outbreak of the 1914-18 war the team was disbanded.
After the World War the club reformed, but under a new name and with a new playing field. The club played under the name of St Catherine's Church in the lower part of Gorseinon, at the rear of Whittington Terrace. The ground was called Pencefnarda and the changing rooms were at the back of the 'Institute'.
Between 1918 and 1931 the ground was redeveloped by the owners of the local works Messrs. Lewis and sons. In 1931 the club started playing under the name of 'Grovesend Welfare'. Although reformed in 1931 under the works name it was not until 1936 that they were re-admitted into the Welsh Rugby Union. In the early 1950s an application was made to change the name back to Gorseinon and its original title.
Notable former players
See also :Category:Gorseinon RFC players Len BlythLen Blyth
Leonard 'Len' Blyth was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Swansea. He captained Swansea and played in three international games for Wales which saw him become a Grand Slam winner....
(3 caps) Onllwyn Brace
Onllwyn Brace
Onllwyn Brace was a Welsh international scrum-half who played club rugby for Newport and Aberavon. He won nine caps for Wales and would captain the team twice in the early 1960s...
(9 caps) Tom Day
Tom Day (rugby player)
Tom Day was a Wales international rugby union player who played club rugby for Swansea. He was awarded 13 caps for Wales and was part of the Welsh side that won the 1931 Five Nations Championship....
(13 caps) Norman Gale
Norman Gale (rugby player)
Norman Gale was a Welsh rugby union player. A hooker, he captained the Wales national rugby union team on two occasions in 1967-68. Gale played his club rugby for Llanelli RFC and Swansea RFC, but it was with the Scarlets of Llanelli that he is most associated...
Lewis Jones Leigh Halfpenny
Leigh Halfpenny
Stephen Leigh Halfpenny is a Welsh international rugby union footballer who plays for the Cardiff Blues regional side.-Biography:...