Pontyclun RFC
Encyclopedia
Pontyclun Rugby Football Club is a Welsh
rugby union
team based in Pontyclun
, Wales
. Pontyclun RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union
and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues
.
was called off after crowd trouble in 1884, it is thought the rugby club was not created until 1886. The club accepts its creation date as 1887 as proof that Pontyclun played as a RFC during the 1887/88 season, recorded in the Pontypridd Chronicle on November 11, 1887. The match was recorded as Pontypridd Juniors against Pontyclown (a common misspelling of the town during the late 1800s) which Pontyclun won. There is also a report in the South Wales Daily News, November 12, 1888, of a match between Bridgend and Pontyclown which was news-worthy due to Pontyclun taking offence at the referee, resulting in the team leaving the pitch eight minutes before the end of the match.
In September 1887 Pontyclun RFC applied for membership to the Welsh Rugby Union along with Llandovery
, Chepstow
and Brecon
. The membership was granted in a meeting held at the Queen's Hotel in Cardiff later that year. Unfortunately for Pontyclun in 1886 the WRU appointed a new secretary, Walter E. Rees
, and he brought an element of financial stability to an organisation that was once wasteful. Where clubs were once able to miss membership subscription fees with little reprise, Rees ensured that this was no longer the case and Pontylcun lost their WRU membership in 1888 due to missed subscriptions.
Pontyclun RFC re-applied for Welsh Rugby Union membership in 1919 along with Llanharan
and Taffs Well
. All three clubs were awarded membership on 22 August of that year, but were told to "put your grounds in order".
The club first played on a field which is now the site of local school, Y Pant School (Ysgol y Pant)
; until moving to Mill Fields.
(4 caps) Cliff Jones
(13 caps)
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...
team based in Pontyclun
Pontyclun
Pontyclun is a village in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is served by the South Wales Main Line and has its own local rugby union club...
, 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...
. Pontyclun 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 Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, the team have played at Cardiff City Stadium since the start of the 2009/2010 season and are owned by Cardiff Rugby Football Club....
.
Early history
Although it is believed that rugby had been played in Pontyclun from the early 1880s; a game between a team from Pontyclun and PentyrchPentyrch RFC
Pentyrch Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in Pentyrch in Wales. Pentyrch RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues....
was called off after crowd trouble in 1884, it is thought the rugby club was not created until 1886. The club accepts its creation date as 1887 as proof that Pontyclun played as a RFC during the 1887/88 season, recorded in the Pontypridd Chronicle on November 11, 1887. The match was recorded as Pontypridd Juniors against Pontyclown (a common misspelling of the town during the late 1800s) which Pontyclun won. There is also a report in the South Wales Daily News, November 12, 1888, of a match between Bridgend and Pontyclown which was news-worthy due to Pontyclun taking offence at the referee, resulting in the team leaving the pitch eight minutes before the end of the match.
In September 1887 Pontyclun RFC applied for membership to the Welsh Rugby Union along with Llandovery
Llandovery RFC
Llandovery RFC are a Welsh rugby union club based in Llandovery in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The club is an inaugural member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Scarlets.-Early history:...
, Chepstow
Chepstow RFC
Chepstow Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the town of Chepstow, in Monmouthshire, Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.-History:...
and Brecon
Brecon RFC
Brecon Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club from the town of Brecon, South Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues.The club was one of the eleven founding members of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881...
. The membership was granted in a meeting held at the Queen's Hotel in Cardiff later that year. Unfortunately for Pontyclun in 1886 the WRU appointed a new secretary, Walter E. Rees
Walter E. Rees
Captain Walter Enoch Rees was a Welsh rugby union administrator who was the longest serving secretary of the Welsh Rugby Union and joint manager of the 1910 British Lions tour of South Africa.-Career as rugby administrator:...
, and he brought an element of financial stability to an organisation that was once wasteful. Where clubs were once able to miss membership subscription fees with little reprise, Rees ensured that this was no longer the case and Pontylcun lost their WRU membership in 1888 due to missed subscriptions.
Pontyclun RFC re-applied for Welsh Rugby Union membership in 1919 along with Llanharan
Llanharan RFC
Llanharn Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Llanharan, South Wales. Llanharan RFC were formally established in 1891-92 when Llanharan was little more than an agricultural hamlet. The earliest photograph on the club house wall is dated 1898...
and Taffs Well
Taffs Well RFC
Taffs Well Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club based in Taff's Well in south Wales. Taffs Well RFC were founded in 1887 and applied for and were successful in gaining membership to the Welsh Rugby Union in 1900...
. All three clubs were awarded membership on 22 August of that year, but were told to "put your grounds in order".
The club first played on a field which is now the site of local school, Y Pant School (Ysgol y Pant)
Y Pant School
Y Pant School is an English medium 11–18 mixed comprehensive school in the village of Pontyclun near Llantrisant, maintained by the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, serving the areas of Pontyclun, Talbot Green, Llantrisant and Llanharry, in Wales.Since the original school being built...
; until moving to Mill Fields.
Notable former players
Tommy ReesTommy Rees
Thomas 'Tommy' Edgar Rees was a Welsh international rugby fullback who played rugby union at club level for London Welsh...
(4 caps) Cliff Jones
Cliff Jones (rugby player)
Clifford 'Cliff' William Jones OBE was a Welsh international rugby union fly-half who played club rugby for many teams but is most associated with Cardiff and Cambridge University...
(13 caps)