Wales national rugby union team
Encyclopedia
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 26 wins. Wales most recent championship win came in 2008
. They also compete in the Rugby World Cup
every four years. The International Rugby Board
(IRB) regards Wales as a Tier One rugby nation, and ranks
them fourth in the world as of 9 October 2011.
The governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union
(WRU), was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played their first international against England. Wales' performances in the Home Nations Championship (now the Six Nations) continued to improve, experiencing their first 'golden age' between 1900 and 1911. They first played New Zealand, known as the All Blacks
, in 1905, when they defeated them 3–0 in a famous match at Cardiff Arms Park. Welsh rugby struggled between the first and second World Wars, but experienced a second 'golden age' between 1969 and 1980 when they won eight Five Nations Championships
(including 3 shared wins). They played in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987
where they achieved their best ever result of third. Following the professionalisation of rugby in 1995, Wales hosted the 1999 World Cup
and, in 2005, won their first Six Nations Grand Slam which was followed by a second in 2008. Their 2005 Grand Slam is notable for being the first ever team to gain the accolade playing more matches away from home.
Wales play in red jerseys embroidered with the Prince of Wales's feathers
. Their home ground is the Millennium Stadium, completed in 1999 to replace the National Stadium at Cardiff Arms Park
. Ten former Welsh players have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame
, and three have been inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame
.
, Lampeter
, where he introduced the sport. The first Welsh club, Neath
was formed in 1871. On 19 February 1881, Wales played their first international, organised by Newport's Richard Mullock
, in a game against England; England won by seven goals, one drop goal and six tries to nil.
On 12 March 1881, the Welsh Rugby Union
was formed at The Castle Hotel, Neath
. Two years later, the Home Nation Championship
was first played and Wales did not register a win.
However, rugby union in Wales quickly developed and, by the 1890s, the Welsh had developed the four three-quarters formation. This formation – with seven backs and eight forwards, instead of six backs and nine forwards – revolutionised the sport and was eventually adopted almost universally at international and club level. With the "four three-quarter" formation Wales became Home International Champions for the first time in 1893
; in the process winning the Triple Crown
. Wales next won the Championship in 1900
, heralding the first 'golden age' of Welsh rugby which was to last until 1911. They won two more Triple Crowns in 1902
and 1905
, and were runners up in 1901
, 1903
and 1904
.
In late 1905 Wales faced New Zealand's All Blacks
at Cardiff Arms Park
. New Zealand, later known as the Original All Blacks, were undefeated on their tour of the British Isles, already defeating England, Ireland and Scotland in three Tests before facing Wales. Before the match, the All Blacks' performed the haka
(a Maori
posture dance); the 47,000-strong crowd responded with the Welsh national anthem – Hen Wlad fy Nhadau
("Land of Our Fathers") – the first time a national anthem had been sung before a sporting fixture. Wales' winger Teddy Morgan
scored first to give Wales a 3–0 lead, but later in the match All Black Bob Deans
claimed to have scored a try, only to be dragged behind the line before the referee could arrive. The referee ruled a scrum to Wales and the score did not change; Wales winning 3–0. The loss was the All Blacks' only loss on their 35-match tour.
In 1906, Wales again won the Home Championship, later that year playing the South African national side, the Springboks
for the first time. Wales were expected to defeat the South Africans but instead South Africa dominated in the forwards and eventually won 11–0. Two years later, on 12 December 1908, Wales played her first match against Australia's national side, the Wallabies
, defeating them 9–6.
In 1909
, Wales won the Home Championship and then, in 1910, the first-ever Five Nations (which now included France
as the fifth nation). In 1911, Wales took the first official Grand Slam
by winning all their matches in the Five Nations; France were heavily defeated by Wales at St Helens in 1910 (49–14) and Ivor Morgan
scored two tries in the match. It would be nearly forty years before they took it again. England's defeat of Wales at Cardiff in 1913 was Wales' first home loss to one of the Home Nations since 1899
(and the first loss at home to England since 1895). The Great War came in 1914 and rugby was suspended for the duration.
The post-First World War years marked a decline in Welsh rugby. The worst period was during the 1920s when the team's lacklustre performance seemed to mirror the industrial recession, which hit South Wales particularly hard. Of the 42 matches played, only 17 were won and three drawn. The depression resulted in around half-a-million people leaving Wales to find work elsewhere, including many Welsh rugby union internationals who moved to rugby league. Between 1923 and 1928, Wales managed only seven victories – five of them against France. However, even France managed to defeat Wales that decade; achieving their first victory over Wales in 1928. Welsh selection policy reflected the upheavals of the mid-1920s. In 1924, 35 different players were selected for Wales' four matches, with a different captain for each; and only Edward Watkins in the backs and Charlie Pugh
in the forwards, playing in all four matches.
A resurgence of both economy and rugby union followed in the 1930s and, in 1931, Wales won their first championship for nine years. That year, for the first time since the First World War, Wales retained the same side for two consecutive Tests when they faced England and Scotland. Then, in 1933, captained by Watcyn Thomas
, Wales defeated England at Twickenham
for the first time. In 1935, Wales beat the touring All Blacks by 13–12, with Haydn Tanner
making his first appearance. Although the Five Nations Championship was suspended during the Second World War, Wales did play a Red Cross charity match against England at Cardiff in 1940, which Wales lost 18–9
Following the Second World War, Wales played a New Zealand Army team (the Kiwis) in 1946, which Wales lost 11–3. The Five Nations (suspended during the war) resumed in 1947 when Wales shared the title with England. Although Wales suffered their first home defeat to France in 1948, they won their first Five Nations Grand Slam since 1911 in 1950. The next year, they lost to the touring South Africans 6–3 despite dominating in the line-outs. They achieved another Grand Slam in 1952, followed by a 13–8 win over the All Blacks in 1953. In 1954, St Helens
in Swansea (a Welsh international venue since 1882) hosted its last international and Cardiff Arms Park officially became the home of the Welsh team. In 1956, Wales again won the Five Nations, but they would not regain the title until 1964 and would not win it outright until 1965.
Wales conducted their first overseas tour in 1964
, playing several games and one Test in South Africa. They lost the Test against South Africa in Durban
24–3, their biggest defeat in 40 years. At the WRU annual general meeting that year, the outgoing WRU President D. Ewart Davies declared that "it was evident from the experience of the South African Tour that a much more positive attitude to the game was required in Wales... Players must be prepared to learn, and indeed re-learn, to the absolute point of mastery, the basic principles of Rugby Union football." This started the coaching revolution. The WRU Coaching Committee – set up in the late 1950s – was given the task of improving the quality of coaching and, in January 1967, Ray Williams was appointed Coaching Organiser. The first national coach, David Nash
, was appointed in 1967 to coach Wales for the season, but resigned when the WRU refused to allow him to accompany Wales on their 1968 tour of Argentina. Eventually, the WRU reversed their decision, appointing Clive Rowlands to tour as coach. Of the six matches, Wales won three, drew two and lost one.
, J.P.R. Williams, Gerald Davies
, Barry John
, and Mervyn Davies
, Wales would, over the next decade, dominate Northern Hemisphere rugby, and attain an incredible winning record, losing only five times in the Five Nations Championship. When Wales defeated England in the 1969 Five Nations to win the Triple Crown and the championship, it ushered in the second 'golden age'. Wales toured New Zealand
for the first time that year, but were defeated in both Tests. As well as losing the first Test 19–0, and the second 33–12, they also conceded 24 points to the All Blacks' fullback Fergie McCormick
in the second Test; a record at the time.
In 1970, Wales shared the Five Nations with France, and recorded a 6–6 draw against South Africa in Cardiff. In 1971, Wales recorded their first Five Nations Grand Slam since 1952. Using only 16 players in four games, the 1971 side is considered one of the greatest in Welsh rugby history. Their most notable victory of the tournament was their victory over Scotland. After a last minute try by Gerald Davies
to reduce Scotland's lead to 18–17, flanker
John Taylor
kicked a conversion from the sideline described as "the greatest conversion since St Paul" to give Wales a 19–18 win. Wales contributed more players than any other team to the British and Irish Lions
that toured New Zealand that year. Those Lions became the first and only to win a series over the All Blacks.
In the 1972 Five Nations Championship
, Wales and Scotland refused to travel to Dublin at the height of the Troubles
after receiving threats, purportedly from the IRA
. The Championship remained unresolved with Wales and Ireland unbeaten. Although the Five Nations was a five way tie in 1973, the Welsh did defeat Australia 24–0 in Cardiff.
Wales next won the Five Nations outright in 1975, after sharing it with the four other countries in 1973. In 1976, Wales won their second Grand slam of the decade. Just like the first in 1971, they only used 16 players over their four matches. They repeated the feat in 1978 and, in the process, became the first team to win three consecutive Triple Crowns. Following their final Five Nations match of 1978, both Phil Bennett
and Gareth Edwards
retired from rugby. Later that year, Wales played the All Blacks at Cardiff Arms Park, losing 13–12 after a late penalty goal by the replacement All Black fullback, Brian McKechnie
. The penalty was controversial because All Black lock Andy Haden
had dived out of a line-out
in an attempt to earn a penalty. Haden admitted in November 1989 – on the eve of that year's Wales match against New Zealand at Cardiff Arms Park – that he and Frank Oliver had pre-agreed this foul tactic should the All Blacks find themselves in difficulties. Although the incident looks obvious from the videotape (and referee Roger Quittenton was roasted by the press for failing to notice it), at the time the only journalist to comment was Clem Thomas
. Visibility was not ideal but Quittenton later claimed (with mixed success) that he had actually given the penalty against Welsh lock Geoff Wheel
for jumping off the shoulder of Frank Oliver
. Whom one believes tends to reflect whom one supports though Welsh fans claim a moral victory that day. Haden later admitted that he was both surprised and delighted that his ploy worked. The All Blacks went on to secure their first Home Nations Grand Slam.
Wales won the 1979 Five Nations with a Triple Crown and, in 1980, celebrated the WRU's centenary year by facing the All Blacks in Cardiff. Wales lost the match by 23–3 after the All Blacks scored four tries to nil.
and 1986
, and in 1983 were nearly upset by Japan
; winning 29–24 at Cardiff. In 1984, Australia defeated Wales 28–9 at Cardiff Arms Park. This was the most points scored against Wales at Cardiff by a team from outside the Five Nations, and the first time they conceded a push-over try there; Australia went on to win their first Grand Slam.
Despite just one win that year's Five Nations, Wales were still respected by the time of the first official Rugby World Cup
in 1987
. After defeating England in the quarter-finals, Wales faced hosts the All Blacks. Although the All Blacks won 49–6, Wales managed to beat Australia in the third place play-off game to claim third. The next year Wales won the Triple Crown for the first time since 1979, but heavy defeats on tour to New Zealand later that year saw the end of a number of Welsh players' careers, as many converted to rugby league.
In 1990, Wales suffered their first Five Nations championship whitewash
and, in 1991 narrowly avoided the same fate by earning one point for a draw with Ireland at Cardiff Arms Park. In the 1991 World Cup, Wales lost their first group phase game against Manu Samoa
. They subsequently beat Argentina's Pumas
but lost heavily to eventual champions Australia and were thus knocked out before reaching the quarter-finals. After winning two Five Nations games in 1992, and one in 1993, Wales won the Championship in 1994. After again not qualifying for the World Cup quarter-finals in 1995, Kevin Bowring became Wales' first professional coach when he replaced Alex Evans that year.
Wales' performances improved with the appointment of coach Graham Henry
in 1998, and the return of several internationals from rugby league. Henry coached Wales to a record run of ten consecutive victories, including Wales' first ever victory over the then-world champions, South Africa, by 29–19 in the opening match of the Millennium Stadium
, and was nicknamed "the great redeemer" by the Welsh media. Hosting the 1999 World Cup
, Wales qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time since 1987, but lost 9–24 to eventual champions Australia. Defeats to Argentina and Ireland in 2001 and 2002 led to Henry's resignation in February 2002; his assistant Steve Hansen
took over. Further defeats led to perhaps Wales' biggest ever shake-up in 2003. At the 2003 World Cup
, Wales scored four tries in their 53–37 loss to New Zealand and also lost (28–17) to the eventual tournament winners, England, in their quarter-final, despite outscoring them by three tries to one.
Coached by Mike Ruddock
, Wales won their first Six Nations Grand Slam in 2005
. They opened with an 11–9 win over England at the Millennium Stadium, thanks to a late long range penalty from Gavin Henson
. After a 38–8 win over Italy, Wales faced France, and were losing 15–6 at half-time. Wales fought back in the second half to win 24–18, and the game was arguably one of the most exciting of that year's tournament. Wales beat Scotland away (46–22) and then, in front of a capacity crowd at the Millennium Stadium, played their final game against Ireland. Wales' 32–20 victory gave them their first championship title since 1994 and their first Grand Slam since 1978. The 41–3 loss to the All Blacks at the Millennium Stadium later that year was their biggest loss on Welsh soil. This was followed by a single-point win over Fiji
, then a loss to South Africa, and lastly a win over Australia.
On 14 February 2006, midway through the Six Nations
, Mike Ruddock resigned as the head coach of Wales, for family reasons. Scott Johnson
took over as caretaker coach for the remaining games, and Wales eventually finished fifth in the 2006 Championship before Gareth Jenkins
was appointed as head coach on 27 April. On 10 May 2007, Wales and Australia decided to celebrate 100 years of Test rugby between the two countries with the establishment of the James Bevan Trophy
. It is named after the Australian-born Welsh-raised man who was Welsh team's first captain; Australia won the series 2–0.
At the 2007 World Cup
, Wales failed to reach the quarter-finals after being knocked out in the pool stages
. This time, Fiji defeated Wales in their final pool match after they had already lost to Australia. Subsequently, Gareth Jenkins lost his job. On 8 October, the WRU and South African Rugby Union
established the Prince William Trophy to commemorate 100 years of rugby between Wales and South Africa.
Warren Gatland
, a New Zealander and former All Black
, was appointed as Wales' new head coach on 9 November 2007. He had previously been the head coach of Waikato
, leading them to success in the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup
. Gatland took up the position on 1 December. His first match as coach was Wales' first match in the 2008 Six Nations Championship
, against England at Twickenham on 2 February 2008. England, finalists in the 2007 Rugby World Cup
, were favourites and led by 13 points at half-time, before Wales fought back to record a 26–19 win, their first at Twickenham since 1988. Wales' next two matches were at home to Scotland and Italy, which Wales won 30–15 and 47–8 respectively. Wales went on to clinch the Triple Crown beating Ireland 16–12 in Dublin and in the final game of the championship,
Wales sealed their second Six Nations Grand Slam in four championships by beating France 29–12 at the Millennium Stadium. Wales conceded only two tries in the entire tournament, halving the previous record of four tries conceded by England in both 2002
and 2003
.
In the Autumn Internationals of that year, they were defeated by both New Zealand and South Africa, but claimed wins over Canada, and perhaps more importantly, Australia. Wales' 21–18 victory made them the only Northern Hemisphere nation to defeat a Tri-Nations country in 2008, and sent them up to fifth in the world rankings and later fourth. Wales however failed to retain their Six Nations Championship
in 2009
after losing 17–15 to Ireland on the last day. This defeat in fact left them fourth on points difference behind England and France who also won three games. The other defeat for Wales came in the first Friday Six Nations match against France whilst Wales defeated England, Scotland and Italy.
At the 2011 World Cup
, Wales defeated Fiji, Namibia and Samoa, only losing to South Africa at the pool stages. In the quarterfinals, they faced Ireland
, beating them 22-10, hence reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 1987. It was at the semi-final stage that Wales came up short by the narrowest of margins, losing 9-8 to France
after a red card for captain Sam Warburton in the 18th minute. A few missed penalties allowed France to hold their lead.
), white shorts and white socks. Their change strip (also known as alternative strip) is dark blue jerseys, shorts and socks. In international rugby union, the home team traditionally wears their change strip if there is a colour clash; hence the name change strip rather than away strip. The strip is currently made by Under Armour
. The shirt sponsor is Cardiff based Insurance firm, Admiral, the only Welsh company to feature in the FTSE 100. For the Rugby World Cup
, however, the jersey is only allowed the national union's emblem, the Rugby World Cup logo, and the logo of the jersey's manufacturer on it.
The Prince of Wales' feathers were chosen in the 19th century by the WRU over another Welsh symbol, the leek to demonstrate the principality's loyalty to Britain. In 1991, to enable the device to be trademarked, the original generic motif was replaced with a more stylised version. The original motto beneath the feathers was Ich dien (German for "I serve") but was replaced with WRU in the new version.
Wales wore black jerseys as part of celebrations for the WRU's 125th anniversary in 2005. The jersey was worn against Fiji and then Australia that year; the Australia match was the first time Wales had not played in their red jersey against one of their traditional rivals. Former change strips worn by Wales have included a green jersey with red collar and cuffs and white shorts, which was worn during the 1980s, most notably against Tonga and Canada in pool matches during the 1987 Rugby World Cup.
,' Dylan Thomas
, and Tom Jones
". Welsh rugby's first 'golden age' (1910–1911) coincided with the country's zenith during the 20th century, and rugby was important in building Wales' modern identity.
The 2004–05 season saw record attendances for Welsh home internationals. For Wales' 2005 Six Nations match against Scotland in Edinburgh, 40,000 Welsh fans travelled to see the game. The home attendance record was bettered the next year when over 500,000 fans attended Wales' seven home matches. The Millennium Stadium regularly sells out all of its 74,500 seats.
Wales' first home international was played at St Helen's ground
, Swansea
in 1882. In the 1880s and 1890s, home Welsh internationals were played at Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Llanelli. Swansea continued to be used as an international venue until 1954, when Cardiff Arms Park
became Wales' primary home venue. Cardiff Arms Park first had a stand erected in 1881, and continued to expand its seating that decade. Crowds continued to grow and in 1902 in Wales' match against Scotland a world record 40,000 spectators paid to see the match. In 1911, the owners of the Arms Park, the Marquess of Bute
's family, confirmed Wales' tenure and the 1920s and 1930s, Wales gradually gained increasing control. A new stand was built at the park in the 1933–34 season, which increased the grounds capacity to 56,000.
By 1958, the WRU had concluded that a new national ground was needed due to flooding that often plagued Arms Park. After debate and disputes between the WRU and various other parties, including Cardiff RFC
, in the 1960s, it was decided that a new national stadium would be built with a new ground for the Cardiff club backing onto it. The National Stadium, as it was known, was officially opened in 1970.
Currently, Wales play all their home matches at the Millennium Stadium
, Cardiff, which is also Wales' national stadium. The Millennium Stadium has a capacity of 74,500, and is the largest stadium in Wales
, as well as the fourth-most capacious in the entire United Kingdom, behind Wembley
, Twickenham
and Old Trafford
. The Millennium Stadium was first conceived in 1994, when a group redevelopment committee was set up. It was decided to replace the National Stadium at Cardiff Arms Park after a review found it was out of date; new legislation also required stadia to be all seated. Construction began in September 1997, and was completed by June 1999, in time for the Rugby World Cup. The construction cost the WRU £126 million, which was funded by private investment, £46 million of public funds from the National Lottery
, the sale of debenture
s to supporters (which offered guaranteed tickets in exchange for an interest-free loan), and loan
s. While the new ground was being built, Wales used the old Wembley Stadium for their home matches, a deal reciprocated during construction of the new Wembley, when FA Cup finals were held at the Millennium Stadium.
, which is played against five other European nations: England, France, Ireland, Italy, and Scotland. The Six Nations started as the Home Nations Championship in 1883, as a contest between the four component nations of the United Kingdom. Wales first won it in 1893, when they achieved a Triple Crown
. Wales have won the tournament outright 24 times, and shared eleven other victories. Their longest wait between championships was 11 years (1994–2005). Wales first won a Five Nations Grand Slam
in 1911, and their first Six Nations Grand Slam in 2005. Their latest Grand Slam was won against France on 15 March 2008.
, Wales reached the the semi-finals for the first time since 1987. Playing the semi-finals against France, Wales lost 9-8, in a game conditioned by the controversial red card given to Wales' captain Sam Warburton
after a dangerous tacke against Vincent Clerc
, after just 18 minutes of play.
were introduced in October 2003, Wales were ranked eighth. They rose to seventh in June 2004, before falling back to eighth in November that year. Following a Grand Slam win of the 2005 Six Nations Championship
, they rose to a ranking position of fifth. They fell to ninth by June 2006, and, after rising back to eighth by September, fell to tenth after the 2007 World Cup. A second Grand Slam in 2008 Six Nations Championship
promoted them to sixth in the IRB World Rankings, following three successive losses to South Africa in the June tour and the first of the 2008 Autumn Internationals
Wales slipped to seventh. Victories over Canada and Australia, coupled with losses for England against the Tri-Nations teams resulted in Wales gaining fifth position in the rankings, followed by a further climb to fourth position after a four-try win over Scotland at Murrayfield in their first match of the 2009 Six Nations Championship
.
Their Test record against all nations:
Ten former Welsh internationals have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame
, while three have been inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame
.
Somerset-born Frank Hancock
changed the game of rugby when he was played as a fourth threequarter for Cardiff
. When given the captaincy of Wales in 1886
he trialed the system against opponents Scotland, the very first international match to see four threequarters play. Although the system was abandoned during the match, it was readopted by Wales in 1888 and was quickly absorbed by the other Home Nation countries. It is now the standard formation in world rugby.
Known as the Prince of three-quarters, Gwyn Nicholls
played 24 Tests for Wales at centre between 1896 and 1906. He was the only Welsh player in the British Isles team of 1899, and was the star for Wales during their first golden era. Not only did he captain Wales to three Triple Crowns, but also led them to their famous victory over the All Blacks in 1905. On 26 December 1949, gates bearing his name at Cardiff Arms Park were officially opened.
Named the greatest Welsh player of the 1950s by the WRU, Cliff Morgan
played 29 Tests for Wales, and four for the British Lions between 1951 and 1958. Morgan played at fly-half and was one of the sport's biggest crowd-pullers during his career. He played during Wales Five Nations Grand Slam of 1952, and Wales' victory over the All Blacks in 1953, but he is most famous for captaining the British Lions in South Africa in 1955. One of Morgan's great friends was Carwyn James. Although most notable for his coaching record, James appeared for Wales in two Tests in 1958. He coached the British Lions to their first and only series victory over New Zealand in 1971, with a team including many Welsh players. He also coached Welsh club Llanelli, and the Barbarians
side that defeated the All Blacks in 1973. Despite this, he never coached Wales. Morgan, inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 1997, was further honoured with induction into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2009.
When Wales faced Australia on 3 December 1966, two future Rugby Hall of Fame members made their Test debuts; Gerald Davies
and Barry John
. Davies played 46 Tests for Wales between 1966 and 1978. Although he started out playing in the centre, he was moved to the wing during Wales' 1969 tour of New Zealand and Australia, and eventually scored 20 Test tries for Wales. Davies also played for the Lions during their 1968 tour of South Africa and 1971 tour of New Zealand. Although Barry John first played for Wales in 1966, he did not secure his spot in the team until 1968. Playing at fly-half, John helped Wales to a Five Nations Grand Slam in 1971, and then the Lions to their one and only series win over the All Blacks that same year. His exploits on the Lions tour of 1971 were rewarded with the nickname of The King by the New Zealand press, though the pressure of expectation and fame saw him quit rugby the following year.
Widely regarded as the greatest rugby union player of all time, Gareth Edwards
played 53 Tests for Wales at scrum-half between 1967 and 1978. Edwards was never dropped from the team and played all 53 of his Tests consecutively. He also played in three Lions tours; including the series victories in New Zealand in 1971, and the unbeaten tour of South Africa in 1974. Edwards won five Triple Crowns with Wales and three Five Nations Grand Slams. He also scored a try for the Barbarians against the All Blacks in 1973, remembered as that try and considered the greatest ever try. In 2003, Edwards was voted the greatest player of all time by Rugby World
magazine. In 2007, Edwards earned an additional honour with his induction into the IRB Hall of Fame.
In 1969, three Hall of Fame members debuted for Wales; Phil Bennett
, Mervyn Davies
, and JPR Williams
. Bennett played 29 Tests for Wales. He started out playing at fullback, but after Barry John retired, he was moved to fly-half. As well as representing Wales, he played eight Tests for the Lions and captained them on their 1977 tour of New Zealand. Mervyn Davies was known as Merve the Swerve and played 38 consecutive Tests for Wales between 1969 and 1976, losing only eight of them. After captaining Wales in his last nine appearances, Davies was forced to retire due to a brain haemorrhage. JPR Williams played 55 Tests for Wales between 1969 and 1981. Whilst doing so, he won six Triple Crowns, three Five Nations Grand Slams, and captained Wales for five Tests in 1979. Playing at full-back, he also toured with the Lions in 1971 and 1974, before retiring temporarily in 1980. He made a brief comeback, however, in 1981, when he played his final match, against Scotland.
Ieuan Evans
played for Wales between 1987 and 1998, and in the process earned 72 Welsh caps whilst Wales was transcending the amateur and professional eras. Playing mainly on the wing, Evans scored 33 tries for Wales, a record until surpassed by Gareth Thomas in 2004. As well as that, he was awarded seven Lions caps from the 1989, 1993 and 1997 tours.
In November 2008, Shane Williams
and Ryan Jones
became the first Welsh players to be nominated in a group of five players for the IRB International Player of the Year
award, first awarded in 2001. Shane Williams was duly selected as the 2008 International Player of the Year.
Neil Jenkins
was the first rugby player to surpass 1000 Test points. He holds several records for the Wales team, including the most points scored for Wales with 1049, the most successful penalty kicks for Wales with 248, and the Wales record for most points in a single Test match with 30. The record for drop-goals for Wales is held by Jonathan Davies with 13. Wales' record try scorer is Shane Williams
, who has scored 57 Test tries for Wales. Colin Charvis
holds the Welsh record for tries by a forward with 22.
Stephen Jones
is the nations most capped player with 104 Wales international caps. Martyn Williams
is Wales' most-capped forward having played in 99 Tests. The record for the most consecutive appearances is held by Gareth Edwards
who played all 53 of his Tests for Wales consecutively between 1967 and 1978. The youngest player ever capped
for Wales is Tom Prydie
, who made his debut in Wales' 2010 Six Nations
finale against Italy
at age , beating the record set by Norman Biggs
in 1888.
:
This includes the following players:
as of 22 Oct 2011.
Players still active at international level are in bold.
as of 22 Oct 2011.
Players still active at international level are in bold.
, the decision was reversed and Clive Rowlands
was appointed as coach for the tour. The appointing of a coach for the team coincided with Wales' success in the Five Nations during the 1970s.
List of head coaches:
^ Includes Wales vs. Barbarians 04/06/2011 (28-31)
Welsh rugby union players
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...
in international 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...
tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship
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....
with England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
, France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
, Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
, Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
and Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with 26 wins. Wales most recent championship win came in 2008
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
. They also compete in the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
every four years. The International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
(IRB) regards Wales as a Tier One rugby nation, and ranks
IRB World Rankings
The IRB World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in rugby union, managed by the International Rugby Board , the sport's governing body. The teams of the IRB's member nations are ranked based on their game results, with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
them fourth in the world as of 9 October 2011.
The governing body, 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...
(WRU), was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played their first international against England. Wales' performances in the Home Nations Championship (now the Six Nations) continued to improve, experiencing their first 'golden age' between 1900 and 1911. They first played New Zealand, known as the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
, in 1905, when they defeated them 3–0 in a famous match at Cardiff Arms Park. Welsh rugby struggled between the first and second World Wars, but experienced a second 'golden age' between 1969 and 1980 when they won eight 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....
(including 3 shared wins). They played in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987
1987 Rugby World Cup
The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two...
where they achieved their best ever result of third. Following the professionalisation of rugby in 1995, Wales hosted the 1999 World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
and, in 2005, won their first Six Nations Grand Slam which was followed by a second in 2008. Their 2005 Grand Slam is notable for being the first ever team to gain the accolade playing more matches away from home.
Wales play in red jerseys embroidered with the Prince of Wales's feathers
Prince of Wales's feathers
The Prince of Wales's feathers is the heraldic badge of the Heir Apparent to the British and Commonwealth Realms thrones. It consists of three white feathers emerging from a gold coronet. A ribbon below the coronet bears the motto Ich dien...
. Their home ground is the Millennium Stadium, completed in 1999 to replace the National Stadium at Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
. Ten former Welsh players have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame
International Rugby Hall of Fame
The International Rugby Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for rugby union. It was created in 1997 in New Zealand and is run as a charitable trust with an address at Chiswick in London. Most of the trustees are also inductees. IRHOF accepts new inductees every two years...
, and three have been inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame
IRB Hall of Fame
The IRB Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Rugby Board that recognises special achievement and contribution to the sport of rugby union. The IRB Hall of Fame covers players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other individuals...
.
History
Rugby union took root in Wales in 1850, when Reverend Rowland Williams became Vice-Principal at St David's CollegeUniversity of Wales, Lampeter
University of Wales, Lampeter is a university in Lampeter, Wales. Founded in 1822 by royal charter, it is the oldest degree awarding institution in Wales and may be the third oldest in England and Wales after Oxford and Cambridge...
, Lampeter
Lampeter
Lampeter is a town in Ceredigion, South West Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Teifi and the Afon Dulas.-Demographics:At the 2001 National Census, the population was 2894. Lampeter is therefore the smallest university town in both Wales and the United Kingdom...
, where he introduced the sport. The first Welsh club, Neath
Neath RFC
Neath Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The first team is known as the Welsh All Blacks because of the team colours: black with only a white cross pattée as an emblem...
was formed in 1871. On 19 February 1881, Wales played their first international, organised by Newport's Richard Mullock
Richard Mullock
Richard Mullock was a Welsh sporting administrator and official, who is most notable for organising the first Welsh rugby union international game and was instrumental in the creation of the Welsh Football Union, which became the Welsh Rugby Union in 1934...
, in a game against England; England won by seven goals, one drop goal and six tries to nil.
Early years (1850–1919)
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...
was formed at The Castle Hotel, Neath
Neath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
. Two years later, the Home Nation Championship
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....
was first played and Wales did not register a win.
However, rugby union in Wales quickly developed and, by the 1890s, the Welsh had developed the four three-quarters formation. This formation – with seven backs and eight forwards, instead of six backs and nine forwards – revolutionised the sport and was eventually adopted almost universally at international and club level. With the "four three-quarter" formation Wales became Home International Champions for the first time in 1893
1893 Home Nations Championship
The 1893 Home Nations Championship was the eleventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 17 January and 11 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales...
; in the process winning the Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
. Wales next won the Championship in 1900
1900 Home Nations Championship
The 1900 Home Nations Championship was the eighteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 6 January and 17 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
, heralding the first 'golden age' of Welsh rugby which was to last until 1911. They won two more Triple Crowns in 1902
1902 Home Nations Championship
The 1902 Home Nations Championship was the twentieth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 11 January and 15 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
and 1905
1905 Home Nations Championship
The 1905 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-third series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 14 January and 18 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
, and were runners up in 1901
1901 Home Nations Championship
The 1901 Home Nations Championship was the nineteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 5 January and 16 March...
, 1903
1903 Home Nations Championship
The 1903 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-first series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 10 January and 21 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
and 1904
1904 Home Nations Championship
The 1904 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-second series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 9 January and 19 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
.
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
at Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
. New Zealand, later known as the Original All Blacks, were undefeated on their tour of the British Isles, already defeating England, Ireland and Scotland in three Tests before facing Wales. Before the match, the All Blacks' performed the haka
Haka of the All Blacks
The Haka is a traditional Maori war dance from New Zealand. There are thousands of Haka that are performed by various tribes and cultural groups throughout New Zealand. The best known Haka of them all is called "Ka Mate". It has been performed by countless New Zealand teams both locally and...
(a Maori
Maori culture
Māori culture is the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, an Eastern Polynesian people, and forms a distinctive part of New Zealand culture. Within the Māori community, and to a lesser extent throughout New Zealand as a whole, the word Māoritanga is often used as an approximate synonym for Māori...
posture dance); the 47,000-strong crowd responded with the Welsh national anthem – Hen Wlad fy Nhadau
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is the national anthem of Wales. The title – taken from the first words of the song – means "Old Land of My Fathers", usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by Evan James and the tune composed by his son, James James, both residents...
("Land of Our Fathers") – the first time a national anthem had been sung before a sporting fixture. Wales' winger Teddy Morgan
Teddy Morgan
Edward "Teddy" Morgan was a Welsh international rugby union player. He was a member of the winning Wales team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks and is remembered for scoring the winning try...
scored first to give Wales a 3–0 lead, but later in the match All Black Bob Deans
Bob Deans
Bob Deans was a former All Black and Canterbury rugby union player....
claimed to have scored a try, only to be dragged behind the line before the referee could arrive. The referee ruled a scrum to Wales and the score did not change; Wales winning 3–0. The loss was the All Blacks' only loss on their 35-match tour.
In 1906, Wales again won the Home Championship, later that year playing the South African national side, the Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
for the first time. Wales were expected to defeat the South Africans but instead South Africa dominated in the forwards and eventually won 11–0. Two years later, on 12 December 1908, Wales played her first match against Australia's national side, the Wallabies
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
, defeating them 9–6.
In 1909
1909 Home Nations Championship
The 1909 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-seventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 16 January and 20 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
, Wales won the Home Championship and then, in 1910, the first-ever Five Nations (which now included France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
as the fifth nation). In 1911, Wales took the first official Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
by winning all their matches in the Five Nations; France were heavily defeated by Wales at St Helens in 1910 (49–14) and Ivor Morgan
Ivor Morgan
Ivor Morgan was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea and county rugby for Glamorgan.-Club career:...
scored two tries in the match. It would be nearly forty years before they took it again. England's defeat of Wales at Cardiff in 1913 was Wales' first home loss to one of the Home Nations since 1899
1899 Home Nations Championship
The 1899 Home Nations Championship was the seventeenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 5 January and 18 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
(and the first loss at home to England since 1895). The Great War came in 1914 and rugby was suspended for the duration.
Post-war years (1920–1968)
Charlie Pugh
Charles Henry Pugh was a Welsh international rugby union player who played rugby for three notable Welsh clubs, Aberavon, Maesteg and Neath...
in the forwards, playing in all four matches.
Watcyn Thomas
Watcyn Thomas was a Welsh rugby union player who captained Wales in the early 1930s.Thomas was born in Llanelli and educated at Llanelli County School and at University College, Swansea. While still at school he was the first captain of the newly formed Welsh Secondary Schools XV in 1924. He then...
, Wales defeated England at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
for the first time. In 1935, Wales beat the touring All Blacks by 13–12, with Haydn Tanner
Haydn Tanner
Haydn Tanner was a Welsh international rugby union player who also played for the British and Irish Lions and the Barbarians....
making his first appearance. Although the Five Nations Championship was suspended during the Second World War, Wales did play a Red Cross charity match against England at Cardiff in 1940, which Wales lost 18–9
Following the Second World War, Wales played a New Zealand Army team (the Kiwis) in 1946, which Wales lost 11–3. The Five Nations (suspended during the war) resumed in 1947 when Wales shared the title with England. Although Wales suffered their first home defeat to France in 1948, they won their first Five Nations Grand Slam since 1911 in 1950. The next year, they lost to the touring South Africans 6–3 despite dominating in the line-outs. They achieved another Grand Slam in 1952, followed by a 13–8 win over the All Blacks in 1953. In 1954, St Helens
St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground
St. Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground is a spectator venue in Swansea, Wales. It is used for both rugby and cricket.It is owned and operated by the City and County of Swansea council and is also used to host the local annual Guy Fawkes night fireworks display.-History:Since the ground opened in...
in Swansea (a Welsh international venue since 1882) hosted its last international and Cardiff Arms Park officially became the home of the Welsh team. In 1956, Wales again won the Five Nations, but they would not regain the title until 1964 and would not win it outright until 1965.
Wales conducted their first overseas tour in 1964
1964 Wales rugby union tour
The 1964 Wales rugby union tour of Africa was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the Wales national rugby union team to Africa. The tour also took in five matches against African regional and invitational teams with one test against South Africa. This was the first official...
, playing several games and one Test in South Africa. They lost the Test against South Africa in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
24–3, their biggest defeat in 40 years. At the WRU annual general meeting that year, the outgoing WRU President D. Ewart Davies declared that "it was evident from the experience of the South African Tour that a much more positive attitude to the game was required in Wales... Players must be prepared to learn, and indeed re-learn, to the absolute point of mastery, the basic principles of Rugby Union football." This started the coaching revolution. The WRU Coaching Committee – set up in the late 1950s – was given the task of improving the quality of coaching and, in January 1967, Ray Williams was appointed Coaching Organiser. The first national coach, David Nash
David Nash (rugby coach)
David Nash is a former Wales international rugby union player. A number 8 forward, he attained 6 caps for Wales between 1960 and 1961. Nash was selected for the 1962 British Lions tour of South Africa. He played his club rugby for Ebbw Vale.In 1967 Nash was appointed as the first national coach of...
, was appointed in 1967 to coach Wales for the season, but resigned when the WRU refused to allow him to accompany Wales on their 1968 tour of Argentina. Eventually, the WRU reversed their decision, appointing Clive Rowlands to tour as coach. Of the six matches, Wales won three, drew two and lost one.
Second 'golden age' (1969–1980)
During this era, the Welsh team, especially that of 1969–79, were and still are considered to be one of the greatest rugby teams of all time. With world-class players such as Gareth EdwardsGareth Edwards
Gareth Owen Edwards CBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey"....
, J.P.R. Williams, Gerald Davies
Gerald Davies
Thomas Gerald Reames Davies CBE is one of the acknowledged greats of Welsh rugby, playing for the side between 1966 and 1978.-Biography:...
, Barry John
Barry John
Barry John is a former Welsh rugby union fly-half who played, during the amateur era of the sport, in the 1960s and early 1970s. John began his rugby career as a schoolboy playing for his local team Cefneithin RFC before switching to first-class west Wales team Llanelli RFC in 1964...
, and Mervyn Davies
Mervyn Davies
Thomas Mervyn "Merv the Swerve" Davies , is a former Welsh rugby union player who won 38 caps for Wales as a No. 8.Davies was born in Swansea, where he attended Penlan County School....
, Wales would, over the next decade, dominate Northern Hemisphere rugby, and attain an incredible winning record, losing only five times in the Five Nations Championship. When Wales defeated England in the 1969 Five Nations to win the Triple Crown and the championship, it ushered in the second 'golden age'. Wales toured New Zealand
1969 Wales rugby union tour
The 1969 Wales rugby union tour was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the Wales national rugby union team to Australia, Fiji and New Zealand. The tour took in four matches against regional and invitational teams and three tests; two to New Zealand and one to Australia...
for the first time that year, but were defeated in both Tests. As well as losing the first Test 19–0, and the second 33–12, they also conceded 24 points to the All Blacks' fullback Fergie McCormick
Fergie McCormick
Fergie McCormick is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer who played for the All Blacks and Canterbury. McCormick first played representative rugby for Canterbury in 1958 when he played first five-eighth against Wellington...
in the second Test; a record at the time.
In 1970, Wales shared the Five Nations with France, and recorded a 6–6 draw against South Africa in Cardiff. In 1971, Wales recorded their first Five Nations Grand Slam since 1952. Using only 16 players in four games, the 1971 side is considered one of the greatest in Welsh rugby history. Their most notable victory of the tournament was their victory over Scotland. After a last minute try by Gerald Davies
Gerald Davies
Thomas Gerald Reames Davies CBE is one of the acknowledged greats of Welsh rugby, playing for the side between 1966 and 1978.-Biography:...
to reduce Scotland's lead to 18–17, flanker
Flanker (rugby union)
A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards...
John Taylor
John Taylor (rugby player)
John Taylor is a Welsh former rugby union player and current commentator. Nicknamed "Basil Brush" thanks to his wild hair and beard, he played as a flanker for London Welsh , and represented Wales 26 times between 1967 and 1973.-Rugby career:Perhaps his most famous moment was in the Five Nations...
kicked a conversion from the sideline described as "the greatest conversion since St Paul" to give Wales a 19–18 win. Wales contributed more players than any other team to the British and Irish Lions
1971 British Lions tour to New Zealand
In 1971 the British Lions toured New Zealand, also playing two matches in Australia. Despite losing the first match to Queensland the tour was a great success, the Lions winning the test series against the All Blacks. They are still the only Lions side to have won a test series in New Zealand...
that toured New Zealand that year. Those Lions became the first and only to win a series over the All Blacks.
In the 1972 Five Nations Championship
1972 Five Nations Championship
The 1972 Five Nations Championship was the forty-third series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the seventy-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. The championship was not...
, Wales and Scotland refused to travel to Dublin at the height of the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
after receiving threats, purportedly from the IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
. The Championship remained unresolved with Wales and Ireland unbeaten. Although the Five Nations was a five way tie in 1973, the Welsh did defeat Australia 24–0 in Cardiff.
Wales next won the Five Nations outright in 1975, after sharing it with the four other countries in 1973. In 1976, Wales won their second Grand slam of the decade. Just like the first in 1971, they only used 16 players over their four matches. They repeated the feat in 1978 and, in the process, became the first team to win three consecutive Triple Crowns. Following their final Five Nations match of 1978, both Phil Bennett
Phil Bennett
Phillip Bennett was a Welsh international rugby union fly half from 1969 to 1978. His flair and range of tricks, including his famous sidestep and swerve, meant he was a firm favourite with crowds.-Rugby career:...
and Gareth Edwards
Gareth Edwards
Gareth Owen Edwards CBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey"....
retired from rugby. Later that year, Wales played the All Blacks at Cardiff Arms Park, losing 13–12 after a late penalty goal by the replacement All Black fullback, Brian McKechnie
Brian McKechnie (cricketer)
-External links:*...
. The penalty was controversial because All Black lock Andy Haden
Andy Haden
Andrew Maxwell Haden is a former New Zealand rugby union player, who was a lock-forward for Auckland and New Zealand in the 1970s and 1980s.-Life and career:...
had dived out of a line-out
Line-out
A line-out is the means by which, in rugby union, the ball is put back into play after it has gone into touch. It is the equivalent of the throw-in in soccer. Rugby league abolished line-outs in 1897...
in an attempt to earn a penalty. Haden admitted in November 1989 – on the eve of that year's Wales match against New Zealand at Cardiff Arms Park – that he and Frank Oliver had pre-agreed this foul tactic should the All Blacks find themselves in difficulties. Although the incident looks obvious from the videotape (and referee Roger Quittenton was roasted by the press for failing to notice it), at the time the only journalist to comment was Clem Thomas
Clem Thomas
Richard Clement Charles "Clem" Thomas was a international rugby union player. A flanker, he represented Cambridge University R.U.F.C. in the Varsity Match in 1949 and played for Brynamman, Swansea, London Welsh and Harlequins. He earned 26 caps for Wales, between 1949 and 1959 and captained Wales...
. Visibility was not ideal but Quittenton later claimed (with mixed success) that he had actually given the penalty against Welsh lock Geoff Wheel
Geoff Wheel
Geoff Wheel is a former Wales international rugby union player who attained 32 international caps. A lock-forward, he played club rugby for Swansea RFC....
for jumping off the shoulder of Frank Oliver
Frank Oliver (rugby player)
Francis James "Frank" Oliver was a New Zealand rugby union player. He was born in Dunedin on December 24, 1948, making his provincial debut for Southland in 1969. He later also played for Otago and Manawatu....
. Whom one believes tends to reflect whom one supports though Welsh fans claim a moral victory that day. Haden later admitted that he was both surprised and delighted that his ploy worked. The All Blacks went on to secure their first Home Nations Grand Slam.
Wales won the 1979 Five Nations with a Triple Crown and, in 1980, celebrated the WRU's centenary year by facing the All Blacks in Cardiff. Wales lost the match by 23–3 after the All Blacks scored four tries to nil.
Barren Years (1981–2003)
Wales won two matches in each Five Nations championship between 19801980 Five Nations Championship
The 1980 Five Nations Championship was the fifty-first series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the eighty-sixth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
and 1986
1986 Five Nations Championship
The 1986 Five Nations Championship was the fifty-seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the ninety-second series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
, and in 1983 were nearly upset by Japan
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
; winning 29–24 at Cardiff. In 1984, Australia defeated Wales 28–9 at Cardiff Arms Park. This was the most points scored against Wales at Cardiff by a team from outside the Five Nations, and the first time they conceded a push-over try there; Australia went on to win their first Grand Slam.
Despite just one win that year's Five Nations, Wales were still respected by the time of the first official Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
in 1987
1987 Rugby World Cup
The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two...
. After defeating England in the quarter-finals, Wales faced hosts the All Blacks. Although the All Blacks won 49–6, Wales managed to beat Australia in the third place play-off game to claim third. The next year Wales won the Triple Crown for the first time since 1979, but heavy defeats on tour to New Zealand later that year saw the end of a number of Welsh players' careers, as many converted to rugby league.
In 1990, Wales suffered their first Five Nations championship whitewash
Whitewash
Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a very low-cost type of paint made from slaked lime and chalk . Various other additives are also used...
and, in 1991 narrowly avoided the same fate by earning one point for a draw with Ireland at Cardiff Arms Park. In the 1991 World Cup, Wales lost their first group phase game against Manu Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
. They subsequently beat Argentina's Pumas
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
but lost heavily to eventual champions Australia and were thus knocked out before reaching the quarter-finals. After winning two Five Nations games in 1992, and one in 1993, Wales won the Championship in 1994. After again not qualifying for the World Cup quarter-finals in 1995, Kevin Bowring became Wales' first professional coach when he replaced Alex Evans that year.
Wales' performances improved with the appointment of coach Graham Henry
Graham Henry
Graham Henry is a New Zealand Rugby Union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks. He played rugby union for Canterbury and cricket for Otago in the Plunket Shield. Henry was heavily criticized following the All Blacks quarterfinal exit at the 2007 Rugby World...
in 1998, and the return of several internationals from rugby league. Henry coached Wales to a record run of ten consecutive victories, including Wales' first ever victory over the then-world champions, South Africa, by 29–19 in the opening match of the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
, and was nicknamed "the great redeemer" by the Welsh media. Hosting the 1999 World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
, Wales qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time since 1987, but lost 9–24 to eventual champions Australia. Defeats to Argentina and Ireland in 2001 and 2002 led to Henry's resignation in February 2002; his assistant Steve Hansen
Steve Hansen
Steve Hansen is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player.He was the head coach of the Welsh national team. He became the ninth Welsh coach in 13 years, after Graham Henry parted company with the Welsh Rugby Union in 2002. During his first game in charge, Wales performed well but lost by...
took over. Further defeats led to perhaps Wales' biggest ever shake-up in 2003. At the 2003 World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
, Wales scored four tries in their 53–37 loss to New Zealand and also lost (28–17) to the eventual tournament winners, England, in their quarter-final, despite outscoring them by three tries to one.
Revival (2004–present)
Mike Ruddock
Mike Ruddock, OBE is a Welsh rugby union coach, currently coach of the Ireland Under-20 Rugby Union Team and Lansdowne FC . Ruddock was the coach of the Worcester Warriors until his resignation on 28 April 2010 following their relegation from the Guinness Premiership...
, Wales won their first Six Nations Grand Slam in 2005
2005 Six Nations Championship
The 2005 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the sixth series of the Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
. They opened with an 11–9 win over England at the Millennium Stadium, thanks to a late long range penalty from Gavin Henson
Gavin Henson
Gavin Lloyd Henson is a Welsh rugby union player, born in Pencoed, South Wales, currently playing for Cardiff Blues.He attracted much media attention as part of a Wales national team which achieved Grand Slams in the Six Nations Championship in 2005 and 2008...
. After a 38–8 win over Italy, Wales faced France, and were losing 15–6 at half-time. Wales fought back in the second half to win 24–18, and the game was arguably one of the most exciting of that year's tournament. Wales beat Scotland away (46–22) and then, in front of a capacity crowd at the Millennium Stadium, played their final game against Ireland. Wales' 32–20 victory gave them their first championship title since 1994 and their first Grand Slam since 1978. The 41–3 loss to the All Blacks at the Millennium Stadium later that year was their biggest loss on Welsh soil. This was followed by a single-point win over Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
, then a loss to South Africa, and lastly a win over Australia.
On 14 February 2006, midway through the Six Nations
2006 Six Nations Championship
The 2006 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
, Mike Ruddock resigned as the head coach of Wales, for family reasons. Scott Johnson
Scott Johnson (rugby coach)
Scott Johnson , is an Australian rugby union coach.-Playing career:Playing as a fly half or a centre, Johnson played for Parramatta Two Blues and Eastwood, and was captain of both the New South Wales Waratahs and Australian Under 21s...
took over as caretaker coach for the remaining games, and Wales eventually finished fifth in the 2006 Championship before Gareth Jenkins
Gareth Jenkins
Gareth Jenkins is a former Welsh rugby union footballer, and former head coach of the Welsh national team. After a long and distinguished career at Llanelli RFC, Jenkins was appointed Wales coach in 2006, succeeding Mike Ruddock...
was appointed as head coach on 27 April. On 10 May 2007, Wales and Australia decided to celebrate 100 years of Test rugby between the two countries with the establishment of the James Bevan Trophy
James Bevan Trophy
The James Bevan Trophy is a rugby union trophy which was created in 2007, and named after James Bevan, the Welsh Australian who was the first ever captain of the Wales rugby union team. The trophy was established after a decision on 10 May 2007 by the Welsh and Australian rugby unions to celebrate...
. It is named after the Australian-born Welsh-raised man who was Welsh team's first captain; Australia won the series 2–0.
At the 2007 World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
, Wales failed to reach the quarter-finals after being knocked out in the pool stages
Group stage
A group stage is the round-robin stage of many sporting championships, particularly a sports' World Cup. The name implies that there is also a knock out stage to follow...
. This time, Fiji defeated Wales in their final pool match after they had already lost to Australia. Subsequently, Gareth Jenkins lost his job. On 8 October, the WRU and South African Rugby Union
South African Rugby Union
The South African Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to the International Rugby Board...
established the Prince William Trophy to commemorate 100 years of rugby between Wales and South Africa.
Warren Gatland
Warren Gatland
Warren David Gatland is a former New Zealand rugby footballer and the current head coach of the Wales national team.Gatland was born in Hamilton, New Zealand and educated at Hamilton Boys' High School and Waikato University...
, a New Zealander and former All Black
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
, was appointed as Wales' new head coach on 9 November 2007. He had previously been the head coach of Waikato
Waikato Rugby Union
The Waikato Rugby Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the Waikato area in the North Island of New Zealand. Its senior representative team competes in the ITM Cup , and won the inaugural Air New Zealand Cup in 2006.Waikato Rugby Union was founded in 1921...
, leading them to success in the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup
2006 Air New Zealand Cup
The 2006 Air New Zealand Cup is a provincial rugby union competition involving 14 teams from New Zealand. Matches started on Friday 28 July 2006, and the Grand Final was won by Waikato on 21 October 2006....
. Gatland took up the position on 1 December. His first match as coach was Wales' first match in the 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
, against England at Twickenham on 2 February 2008. England, finalists in the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
, were favourites and led by 13 points at half-time, before Wales fought back to record a 26–19 win, their first at Twickenham since 1988. Wales' next two matches were at home to Scotland and Italy, which Wales won 30–15 and 47–8 respectively. Wales went on to clinch the Triple Crown beating Ireland 16–12 in Dublin and in the final game of the championship,
Wales sealed their second Six Nations Grand Slam in four championships by beating France 29–12 at the Millennium Stadium. Wales conceded only two tries in the entire tournament, halving the previous record of four tries conceded by England in both 2002
2002 Six Nations Championship
The 2002 Six Nations Championship was the third series of the Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
and 2003
2003 Six Nations Championship
The 2003 Six Nations Championship was the fourth series of the Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-ninth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
.
In the Autumn Internationals of that year, they were defeated by both New Zealand and South Africa, but claimed wins over Canada, and perhaps more importantly, Australia. Wales' 21–18 victory made them the only Northern Hemisphere nation to defeat a Tri-Nations country in 2008, and sent them up to fifth in the world rankings and later fourth. Wales however failed to retain their Six Nations Championship
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....
in 2009
2009 Six Nations Championship
The 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2009 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the tenth Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
after losing 17–15 to Ireland on the last day. This defeat in fact left them fourth on points difference behind England and France who also won three games. The other defeat for Wales came in the first Friday Six Nations match against France whilst Wales defeated England, Scotland and Italy.
At the 2011 World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
, Wales defeated Fiji, Namibia and Samoa, only losing to South Africa at the pool stages. In the quarterfinals, they faced Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
, beating them 22-10, hence reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 1987. It was at the semi-final stage that Wales came up short by the narrowest of margins, losing 9-8 to France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
after a red card for captain Sam Warburton in the 18th minute. A few missed penalties allowed France to hold their lead.
Playing strip
Wales play in red jerseys (embroidered with the Prince of Wales's feathersPrince of Wales's feathers
The Prince of Wales's feathers is the heraldic badge of the Heir Apparent to the British and Commonwealth Realms thrones. It consists of three white feathers emerging from a gold coronet. A ribbon below the coronet bears the motto Ich dien...
), white shorts and white socks. Their change strip (also known as alternative strip) is dark blue jerseys, shorts and socks. In international rugby union, the home team traditionally wears their change strip if there is a colour clash; hence the name change strip rather than away strip. The strip is currently made by Under Armour
Under Armour
Under Armour is an American sports clothing and accessories company. The company is a supplier of a wide range of sportswear and casual apparel mainly focusing on hi-tech sportswear for professional athletes...
. The shirt sponsor is Cardiff based Insurance firm, Admiral, the only Welsh company to feature in the FTSE 100. For the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
, however, the jersey is only allowed the national union's emblem, the Rugby World Cup logo, and the logo of the jersey's manufacturer on it.
The Prince of Wales' feathers were chosen in the 19th century by the WRU over another Welsh symbol, the leek to demonstrate the principality's loyalty to Britain. In 1991, to enable the device to be trademarked, the original generic motif was replaced with a more stylised version. The original motto beneath the feathers was Ich dien (German for "I serve") but was replaced with WRU in the new version.
Wales wore black jerseys as part of celebrations for the WRU's 125th anniversary in 2005. The jersey was worn against Fiji and then Australia that year; the Australia match was the first time Wales had not played in their red jersey against one of their traditional rivals. Former change strips worn by Wales have included a green jersey with red collar and cuffs and white shorts, which was worn during the 1980s, most notably against Tonga and Canada in pool matches during the 1987 Rugby World Cup.
Support
Rugby union and Wales' national team hold an important place in Welsh culture and society. Sport historian John Bale has stated that "rugby is characteristically Welsh", and David Andrew said that "To the popular consciousness, rugby is as Welsh as coal mining, male voice choirs, 'How Green Was My ValleyHow Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, telling the story through narration of the main character, of his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed to have based the book on his own knowledge of the Gilfach Goch area, but this was proven...
,' Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
, and Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
". Welsh rugby's first 'golden age' (1910–1911) coincided with the country's zenith during the 20th century, and rugby was important in building Wales' modern identity.
The 2004–05 season saw record attendances for Welsh home internationals. For Wales' 2005 Six Nations match against Scotland in Edinburgh, 40,000 Welsh fans travelled to see the game. The home attendance record was bettered the next year when over 500,000 fans attended Wales' seven home matches. The Millennium Stadium regularly sells out all of its 74,500 seats.
Grounds
St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground
St. Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground is a spectator venue in Swansea, Wales. It is used for both rugby and cricket.It is owned and operated by the City and County of Swansea council and is also used to host the local annual Guy Fawkes night fireworks display.-History:Since the ground opened in...
, 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...
in 1882. In the 1880s and 1890s, home Welsh internationals were played at Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Llanelli. Swansea continued to be used as an international venue until 1954, when Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
became Wales' primary home venue. Cardiff Arms Park first had a stand erected in 1881, and continued to expand its seating that decade. Crowds continued to grow and in 1902 in Wales' match against Scotland a world record 40,000 spectators paid to see the match. In 1911, the owners of the Arms Park, the Marquess of Bute
Marquess of Bute
Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute.-Family history:...
's family, confirmed Wales' tenure and the 1920s and 1930s, Wales gradually gained increasing control. A new stand was built at the park in the 1933–34 season, which increased the grounds capacity to 56,000.
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
, in the 1960s, it was decided that a new national stadium would be built with a new ground for the Cardiff club backing onto it. The National Stadium, as it was known, was officially opened in 1970.
Currently, Wales play all their home matches at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
, Cardiff, which is also Wales' national stadium. The Millennium Stadium has a capacity of 74,500, and is the largest stadium in 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...
, as well as the fourth-most capacious in the entire United Kingdom, behind Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
and Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
. The Millennium Stadium was first conceived in 1994, when a group redevelopment committee was set up. It was decided to replace the National Stadium at Cardiff Arms Park after a review found it was out of date; new legislation also required stadia to be all seated. Construction began in September 1997, and was completed by June 1999, in time for the Rugby World Cup. The construction cost the WRU £126 million, which was funded by private investment, £46 million of public funds from the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
, the sale of debenture
Debenture
A debenture is a document that either creates a debt or acknowledges it. In corporate finance, the term is used for a medium- to long-term debt instrument used by large companies to borrow money. In some countries the term is used interchangeably with bond, loan stock or note...
s to supporters (which offered guaranteed tickets in exchange for an interest-free loan), and loan
Loan
A loan is a type of debt. Like all debt instruments, a loan entails the redistribution of financial assets over time, between the lender and the borrower....
s. While the new ground was being built, Wales used the old Wembley Stadium for their home matches, a deal reciprocated during construction of the new Wembley, when FA Cup finals were held at the Millennium Stadium.
Six Nations
Wales compete annually in the Six Nations ChampionshipSix Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
, which is played against five other European nations: England, France, Ireland, Italy, and Scotland. The Six Nations started as the Home Nations Championship in 1883, as a contest between the four component nations of the United Kingdom. Wales first won it in 1893, when they achieved a Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
. Wales have won the tournament outright 24 times, and shared eleven other victories. Their longest wait between championships was 11 years (1994–2005). Wales first won a Five Nations Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
in 1911, and their first Six Nations Grand Slam in 2005. Their latest Grand Slam was won against France on 15 March 2008.
World Cup
Wales have contested every Rugby World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1987. The 1987 tournament was Wales' most successful; they won all three pool matches and their quarter-final, before losing to the All Blacks in the semi-finals. They then faced Australia in the third place play-off match, which they won 22–21. In the next two tournaments in 1991 and 1995, Wales failed to progress beyond the pool stage, winning just one match in each tournament. Both the 1999 and 2003 tournaments were more successful, with Wales qualifying for the quarter-finals both times. Wales hosted the event in 1999 and topped their pool only to lose to eventual winners Australia in the quarter-finals. In 2003, they finished second in their pool to the All Blacks and faced England in the quarter-finals, where they lost to the eventual champions, despite scoring more tries than their opponents. In the 2007 World Cup, Wales again failed to progress from the pool stage. After a loss to Australia, and two wins against Japan and Canada, they lost by four points to Fiji, despite scoring more tries than their opponents. In the 2011 World Cup2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
, Wales reached the the semi-finals for the first time since 1987. Playing the semi-finals against France, Wales lost 9-8, in a game conditioned by the controversial red card given to Wales' captain Sam Warburton
Sam Warburton
Sam Kennedy-Warburton , commonly known as Sam Warburton, is a Welsh rugby union player. Warburton plays regional rugby for the Cardiff Blues and was first capped for Wales in 2009...
after a dangerous tacke against Vincent Clerc
Vincent Clerc
Vincent Clerc is a French rugby union player who plays on the wing.-Biography:Born in the city of Échirolles, suburb of the south of Grenoble , Clerc first played rugby at FC Grenoble, helping them reach the Top 16 before moving to Toulouse in 2002, where he has been playing ever since...
, after just 18 minutes of play.
Overall
Wales have won 322 of their 628 Test matches, a win percentage of 51.27 (see table). When the IRB World RankingsIRB World Rankings
The IRB World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in rugby union, managed by the International Rugby Board , the sport's governing body. The teams of the IRB's member nations are ranked based on their game results, with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
were introduced in October 2003, Wales were ranked eighth. They rose to seventh in June 2004, before falling back to eighth in November that year. Following a Grand Slam win of the 2005 Six Nations Championship
2005 Six Nations Championship
The 2005 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the sixth series of the Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
, they rose to a ranking position of fifth. They fell to ninth by June 2006, and, after rising back to eighth by September, fell to tenth after the 2007 World Cup. A second Grand Slam in 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
promoted them to sixth in the IRB World Rankings, following three successive losses to South Africa in the June tour and the first of the 2008 Autumn Internationals
2008 end of year rugby tests
The 2008 end of year rugby tests, also known as the Autumn internationals saw Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, the Pacific Islanders and Canada tour the northern hemisphere. The tour ended with the traditional 'final challenge' Barbarians match, against Australia, which was the...
Wales slipped to seventh. Victories over Canada and Australia, coupled with losses for England against the Tri-Nations teams resulted in Wales gaining fifth position in the rankings, followed by a further climb to fourth position after a four-try win over Scotland at Murrayfield in their first match of the 2009 Six Nations Championship
2009 Six Nations Championship
The 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2009 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the tenth Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
.
Their Test record against all nations:
| Against | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 History of rugby union matches between Argentina and Wales -Overall summary:... |
8 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 30 | 10 | 19 | 1 | ||
| 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | ||
| East Africa East Africa rugby union team Established in 1950, The East Africa rugby union team is a multi-national rugby union team drawing players from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, though the vast majority of these came from Kenya which has traditionally been the strongest rugby playing nation in this part of the world... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 122 History of rugby union matches between England and Wales England and Wales have played each other at rugby union since 1881. A total of 122 matches have been played, with England having won 56 times, Wales having won 54 times and twelve matches having been drawn.-Overall summary:- Results :-Breakdown:... |
54 | 56 | 12 | ||
| 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 89 History of rugby union matches between France and Wales France and Wales have played each other at rugby union since 1908. A total of 91 matches have been played, with Wales winning 44 times, France winning 44 times and 3 matches drawn.-Overall summary:-Results:... |
43 | 43 | 3 | ||
| 117 History of rugby union matches between Ireland and Wales Ireland and Wales have played each other at rugby union since 1882. A total of 117 matches have been played, with Wales winning 64 matches, Ireland winning 47 matches and six matches drawn.-Overall summary:-Results:... |
64 | 47 | 6 | ||
| 18 History of rugby union matches between Italy and Wales Italy and Wales have played each other at rugby union since 1996. A total of 14 matches have been played, with Wales winning 11, Italy winning two and one drawn match.-Overall summary:... |
15 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 28 History of rugby union matches between New Zealand and Wales The All Blacks have played against Wales 28 times, winning 25 of them, and Wales winning the other three. The first Test match between the two sides was played in 1905 at Cardiff Arms Park, with Wales winning 3 – 0.-Overall summary:-Results:... |
3 | 25 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 116 History of rugby union matches between Scotland and Wales Scotland and Wales have played each other at rugby union since 1883. A total of 114 matches have been played, with Wales winning 63 matches, Scotland winning 48 matches and three matches drawn.... |
65 | 48 | 3 | ||
| 25 | 1 | 23 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 628 | 322 | 278 | 28 |
Current squad
On 20 November 2011, Wales named a 28-man squad for the match versus Australia on 3 December 2011. . Rhodri Jones was subsequently added to the squad- * Withdrew from squad
Notable players
- See also Wales rugby union captainsWales rugby union captainsThe following article is a list of Wales national rugby union players who have captained the national team in recognised competitions. The players are listed in chronological order from the first time they were selected as captain....
, Wales international rugby union players and List of Wales national rugby union players
Ten former Welsh internationals have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame
International Rugby Hall of Fame
The International Rugby Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for rugby union. It was created in 1997 in New Zealand and is run as a charitable trust with an address at Chiswick in London. Most of the trustees are also inductees. IRHOF accepts new inductees every two years...
, while three have been inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame
IRB Hall of Fame
The IRB Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Rugby Board that recognises special achievement and contribution to the sport of rugby union. The IRB Hall of Fame covers players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other individuals...
.
Somerset-born Frank Hancock
Frank Hancock
Francis Escott "Frank" Hancock was an English-born rugby union centre who played club rugby for Somerset and Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Hancock is best known as being the sport's first fourth threequarter player, which changed the formation of rugby union play that lasts to the...
changed the game of rugby when he was played as a fourth threequarter for Cardiff
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
. When given the captaincy of Wales in 1886
1886 Home Nations Championship
The 1886 Home Nations Championship was the fourth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Five matches were played between 2 January and 13 March 1886. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales...
he trialed the system against opponents Scotland, the very first international match to see four threequarters play. Although the system was abandoned during the match, it was readopted by Wales in 1888 and was quickly absorbed by the other Home Nation countries. It is now the standard formation in world rugby.
Known as the Prince of three-quarters, Gwyn Nicholls
Gwyn Nicholls
Erith Gwyn Nicholls was a Welsh rugby union player who gained 24 caps for Wales as a centre. Nicholls was known as the "Prince of Threequarters"....
played 24 Tests for Wales at centre between 1896 and 1906. He was the only Welsh player in the British Isles team of 1899, and was the star for Wales during their first golden era. Not only did he captain Wales to three Triple Crowns, but also led them to their famous victory over the All Blacks in 1905. On 26 December 1949, gates bearing his name at Cardiff Arms Park were officially opened.
Named the greatest Welsh player of the 1950s by the WRU, Cliff Morgan
Cliff Morgan
Cliff Morgan is a former Welsh rugby union player who played for Cardiff RFC and earned 29 caps for Wales between 1951 and 1958.-Rugby career:...
played 29 Tests for Wales, and four for the British Lions between 1951 and 1958. Morgan played at fly-half and was one of the sport's biggest crowd-pullers during his career. He played during Wales Five Nations Grand Slam of 1952, and Wales' victory over the All Blacks in 1953, but he is most famous for captaining the British Lions in South Africa in 1955. One of Morgan's great friends was Carwyn James. Although most notable for his coaching record, James appeared for Wales in two Tests in 1958. He coached the British Lions to their first and only series victory over New Zealand in 1971, with a team including many Welsh players. He also coached Welsh club Llanelli, and the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
side that defeated the All Blacks in 1973. Despite this, he never coached Wales. Morgan, inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 1997, was further honoured with induction into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2009.
When Wales faced Australia on 3 December 1966, two future Rugby Hall of Fame members made their Test debuts; Gerald Davies
Gerald Davies
Thomas Gerald Reames Davies CBE is one of the acknowledged greats of Welsh rugby, playing for the side between 1966 and 1978.-Biography:...
and Barry John
Barry John
Barry John is a former Welsh rugby union fly-half who played, during the amateur era of the sport, in the 1960s and early 1970s. John began his rugby career as a schoolboy playing for his local team Cefneithin RFC before switching to first-class west Wales team Llanelli RFC in 1964...
. Davies played 46 Tests for Wales between 1966 and 1978. Although he started out playing in the centre, he was moved to the wing during Wales' 1969 tour of New Zealand and Australia, and eventually scored 20 Test tries for Wales. Davies also played for the Lions during their 1968 tour of South Africa and 1971 tour of New Zealand. Although Barry John first played for Wales in 1966, he did not secure his spot in the team until 1968. Playing at fly-half, John helped Wales to a Five Nations Grand Slam in 1971, and then the Lions to their one and only series win over the All Blacks that same year. His exploits on the Lions tour of 1971 were rewarded with the nickname of The King by the New Zealand press, though the pressure of expectation and fame saw him quit rugby the following year.
Widely regarded as the greatest rugby union player of all time, Gareth Edwards
Gareth Edwards
Gareth Owen Edwards CBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey"....
played 53 Tests for Wales at scrum-half between 1967 and 1978. Edwards was never dropped from the team and played all 53 of his Tests consecutively. He also played in three Lions tours; including the series victories in New Zealand in 1971, and the unbeaten tour of South Africa in 1974. Edwards won five Triple Crowns with Wales and three Five Nations Grand Slams. He also scored a try for the Barbarians against the All Blacks in 1973, remembered as that try and considered the greatest ever try. In 2003, Edwards was voted the greatest player of all time by Rugby World
Rugby World
Rugby World is the world's top-selling rugby union magazine. It is published monthly by IPC Media and edited by Paul Morgan. Long considered a leader in the industry, the magazine has benefited from a worldwide rise in interest in rugby following the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup.-See also:* Bill...
magazine. In 2007, Edwards earned an additional honour with his induction into the IRB Hall of Fame.
In 1969, three Hall of Fame members debuted for Wales; Phil Bennett
Phil Bennett
Phillip Bennett was a Welsh international rugby union fly half from 1969 to 1978. His flair and range of tricks, including his famous sidestep and swerve, meant he was a firm favourite with crowds.-Rugby career:...
, Mervyn Davies
Mervyn Davies
Thomas Mervyn "Merv the Swerve" Davies , is a former Welsh rugby union player who won 38 caps for Wales as a No. 8.Davies was born in Swansea, where he attended Penlan County School....
, and JPR Williams
J. P. R. Williams
Mr John Peter Rhys Williams, MBE, FRCS , is a British surgeon who was a very successful rugby union player. He was known universally as J.P.R. Williams . He played for Wales between 1969 and 1981...
. Bennett played 29 Tests for Wales. He started out playing at fullback, but after Barry John retired, he was moved to fly-half. As well as representing Wales, he played eight Tests for the Lions and captained them on their 1977 tour of New Zealand. Mervyn Davies was known as Merve the Swerve and played 38 consecutive Tests for Wales between 1969 and 1976, losing only eight of them. After captaining Wales in his last nine appearances, Davies was forced to retire due to a brain haemorrhage. JPR Williams played 55 Tests for Wales between 1969 and 1981. Whilst doing so, he won six Triple Crowns, three Five Nations Grand Slams, and captained Wales for five Tests in 1979. Playing at full-back, he also toured with the Lions in 1971 and 1974, before retiring temporarily in 1980. He made a brief comeback, however, in 1981, when he played his final match, against Scotland.
Ieuan Evans
Ieuan Evans
Ieuan Evans is a former rugby union footballer who played on the wing for Wales. He is regarded as one of the best Welsh wingers of all time, despite playing through a disappointing era of Welsh rugby. A prolific try scorer at International level, Evans is listed 19th in the world on the all-time...
played for Wales between 1987 and 1998, and in the process earned 72 Welsh caps whilst Wales was transcending the amateur and professional eras. Playing mainly on the wing, Evans scored 33 tries for Wales, a record until surpassed by Gareth Thomas in 2004. As well as that, he was awarded seven Lions caps from the 1989, 1993 and 1997 tours.
In November 2008, Shane Williams
Shane Williams
Shane Mark Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Ospreys and who can also play scrum-half. Williams is the record try scorer for the Wales national team and he is third on the international list of leading Rugby union Test try scorers behind Daisuke Ohata...
and Ryan Jones
Ryan Jones
Ryan Paul Jones is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays at number eight for the Ospreys. He is able to cover blindside flanker and second row; he played second row in his younger days as he was kept out of his preferred number 8 role by Gareth Delve.-Early life:Jones played junior...
became the first Welsh players to be nominated in a group of five players for the IRB International Player of the Year
IRB International Player of the Year
IRB Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by the International Rugby Board. It is awarded to the player who is adjudged to have been the best performer in rugby union internationals in the preceding season IRB Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by the International...
award, first awarded in 2001. Shane Williams was duly selected as the 2008 International Player of the Year.
Individual records
Neil Jenkins
Neil Jenkins MBE is a former rugby union football player and current coach. He played fly-half, centre, or full back for Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors, Wales and the British and Irish Lions. Jenkins is Wales' highest ever points-scorer and is the third highest on the List of leading Rugby...
was the first rugby player to surpass 1000 Test points. He holds several records for the Wales team, including the most points scored for Wales with 1049, the most successful penalty kicks for Wales with 248, and the Wales record for most points in a single Test match with 30. The record for drop-goals for Wales is held by Jonathan Davies with 13. Wales' record try scorer is Shane Williams
Shane Williams
Shane Mark Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Ospreys and who can also play scrum-half. Williams is the record try scorer for the Wales national team and he is third on the international list of leading Rugby union Test try scorers behind Daisuke Ohata...
, who has scored 57 Test tries for Wales. Colin Charvis
Colin Charvis
Colin Charvis is a former captain of the Welsh national rugby union team and also played for the British and Irish lions. A back row forward, Charvis was equally adept as a flanker or as the no...
holds the Welsh record for tries by a forward with 22.
Stephen Jones
Stephen Jones (rugby player)
Stephen Michael Jones is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays primarily at fly-half for Wales, the British and Irish Lions and Scarlets....
is the nations most capped player with 104 Wales international caps. Martyn Williams
Martyn Williams
Martyn Elwyn Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player. A flanker, he plays for Cardiff Blues and the Wales national rugby union team as an open-side flanker...
is Wales' most-capped forward having played in 99 Tests. The record for the most consecutive appearances is held by Gareth Edwards
Gareth Edwards
Gareth Owen Edwards CBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey"....
who played all 53 of his Tests for Wales consecutively between 1967 and 1978. The youngest player ever capped
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for Wales is Tom Prydie
Tom Prydie
Tom Prydie is a Welsh rugby union player. A fullback who can also play on the wing, Prydie is the youngest player in the history of Europe's top club competition in the sport, the Heineken Cup, and the youngest player ever to represent the Wales national team.-Early life:Born in Porthcawl, a...
, who made his debut in Wales' 2010 Six Nations
2010 Six Nations Championship
The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition between the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
finale against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
at age , beating the record set by Norman Biggs
Norman Biggs
Norman Witchell Biggs was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Cardiff and county rugby for Glamorgan. Both Biggs and his brother Selwyn played international rugby for Wales, though they never played together in the same match for Wales...
in 1888.
Welsh Sports Hall Of Fame
The following Welsh players have been inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of FameWelsh Sports Hall of Fame
The Welsh Sports Hall of Fame is a charitable organization created to commemorate the sporting achievements and preserve the artifacts of Welsh athletes. It was established in 1980 from the memorabilia collection of Welsh radio announcer G. V. Wynne-Jones...
:
- 1990 Ken Jones
- 1991 Cliff JonesCliff 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...
, Cliff MorganCliff MorganCliff Morgan is a former Welsh rugby union player who played for Cardiff RFC and earned 29 caps for Wales between 1951 and 1958.-Rugby career:... - 1992 Gerald DaviesGerald DaviesThomas Gerald Reames Davies CBE is one of the acknowledged greats of Welsh rugby, playing for the side between 1966 and 1978.-Biography:...
- 1994 J.P.R. Williams
- 1997 Bleddyn WilliamsBleddyn WilliamsBleddyn Williams MBE , was a Welsh rugby union centre. He played in 22 internationals for Wales, captaining them five times, winning each time, and captained the British Lions in 1950 for some of their tour of Australia and New Zealand...
- 1998 Gareth EdwardsGareth EdwardsGareth Owen Edwards CBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey"....
, Lewis Jones - 1999 Carwyn JamesCarwyn JamesCarwyn Rees James was a Welsh rugby union player and coach. He won two Welsh international caps but is most famous for his coaching achievements for both Llanelli and the British Lions.-Personal history:...
, Barry JohnBarry JohnBarry John is a former Welsh rugby union fly-half who played, during the amateur era of the sport, in the 1960s and early 1970s. John began his rugby career as a schoolboy playing for his local team Cefneithin RFC before switching to first-class west Wales team Llanelli RFC in 1964... - 2000 David Watkins
- 2001 Mervyn DaviesMervyn DaviesThomas Mervyn "Merv the Swerve" Davies , is a former Welsh rugby union player who won 38 caps for Wales as a No. 8.Davies was born in Swansea, where he attended Penlan County School....
- 2002 Gwyn NichollsGwyn NichollsErith Gwyn Nicholls was a Welsh rugby union player who gained 24 caps for Wales as a centre. Nicholls was known as the "Prince of Threequarters"....
- 2003 Jonathan Davies, Willie DaviesWillie DaviesWillie Davies was a Welsh international dual-code rugby fly half who played rugby union for Swansea and rugby league for Bradford Northern. He won six caps for the Wales rugby union team and nine caps for the Wales rugby league side...
, John DawesJohn DawesSydney John Dawes OBE is a former Welsh rugby union player, playing at centre, and later coach. He captained London Welsh, Wales, the Barbarians and the British Lions... - 2005 John GwilliamJohn GwilliamJohn Albert Gwilliam was a Welsh rugby union 'No 8' who played international rugby for Wales and club rugby for Cambridge University, Edinburgh Wanderers, Gloucester, Newport, London Welsh, Llanelli and Wasps...
- 2007 Arthur Gould, Phil BennettPhil BennettPhillip Bennett was a Welsh international rugby union fly half from 1969 to 1978. His flair and range of tricks, including his famous sidestep and swerve, meant he was a firm favourite with crowds.-Rugby career:...
- 2008 Billy TrewBilly TrewBilly Trew was a Welsh international centre, outside half and wing who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Football Club. He won 29 caps for Wales and is seen as one of the key players of the first Golden Age of Welsh rugby union...
- 2009 J.J. WilliamsJ.J. WilliamsJohn James Williams , known universally as J.J. Williams, is a former Welsh rugby union player who gained thirty caps for Wales as a winger....
50 Cap Club
The WRU awards a commemorative cap to players that attain 50 caps.This includes the following players:
as of 22 Oct 2011.
Players still active at international level are in bold.
| # | Name | Career | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Jones Stephen Jones (rugby player) Stephen Michael Jones is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays primarily at fly-half for Wales, the British and Irish Lions and Scarlets.... |
1998–2011 | 104 |
| 2 | Gareth Thomas Gareth Thomas (rugby player) Gareth Thomas , known as Alfie, is a retired Welsh professional rugby footballer who played rugby league for the Crusaders RL in the Super League. He also previously played rugby union for the Cardiff Blues and as a fullback, wing or centre.On 26 May 2007, Thomas surpassed Gareth Llewellyn as the... |
1995–2007 | 100 |
| 3 | Martyn Williams Martyn Williams Martyn Elwyn Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player. A flanker, he plays for Cardiff Blues and the Wales national rugby union team as an open-side flanker... |
1996–2011 | 99 |
| 4 | Colin Charvis Colin Charvis Colin Charvis is a former captain of the Welsh national rugby union team and also played for the British and Irish lions. A back row forward, Charvis was equally adept as a flanker or as the no... |
1996–2007 | 94 |
| 5 | Gareth Llewellyn Gareth Llewellyn Gareth Llewellyn was born 27 February 1969 in St. David's Hospital Cardiff whilst his father was serving in Cardiff with the Army, is a Welsh rugby union player who gained a record 92 caps for Wales as a lock. His record for Wales caps has since been surpassed by Gareth Thomas, Colin Charvis,... |
1989–2004 | 92 |
| 6 | Neil Jenkins Neil Jenkins Neil Jenkins MBE is a former rugby union football player and current coach. He played fly-half, centre, or full back for Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors, Wales and the British and Irish Lions. Jenkins is Wales' highest ever points-scorer and is the third highest on the List of leading Rugby... |
1991–2002 | 87 |
| 7 | Shane Williams Shane Williams Shane Mark Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Ospreys and who can also play scrum-half. Williams is the record try scorer for the Wales national team and he is third on the international list of leading Rugby union Test try scorers behind Daisuke Ohata... |
2000–2011 | 86 |
| 8 | Gethin Jenkins Gethin Jenkins Gethin Jenkins is a Wales and British Lions international rugby union player, currently playing for Cardiff Blues. He is the most capped prop-forward for Wales.-Early career:... |
2002–2011 | 82 |
| 9 | Dwayne Peel Dwayne Peel Dwayne John Peel is a Welsh rugby union player who plays for Sale Sharks and Wales. He is the most capped scrum-half for the Wales national rugby union team.... |
2001–2011 | 76 |
| 10 | Adam Jones Adam Rhys Jones Adam Rhys Jones is a Welsh international rugby union player, currently playing for the Ospreys in the RaboDirect Pro12. His usual position is at tighthead prop... |
2003–2011 | 75 |
| 11 | Ieuan Evans Ieuan Evans Ieuan Evans is a former rugby union footballer who played on the wing for Wales. He is regarded as one of the best Welsh wingers of all time, despite playing through a disappointing era of Welsh rugby. A prolific try scorer at International level, Evans is listed 19th in the world on the all-time... |
1987–1998 | 72 |
| 12 | Tom Shanklin Tom Shanklin Tomos George L. Shanklin is a former Welsh rugby union player who played Outside Centre for Cardiff Blues and Wales. He is Wales' most-capped centre... |
2001–2010 | 70 |
| 13 | Jonathan Thomas Jonathan Thomas Jonathan Thomas is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays at flanker for the Ospreys. He has also played at number eight and lock.... |
2003–2011 | 67 |
| 14 | Ian Gough Ian Gough Ian Gough is a Welsh rugby union footballer, currently playing for the Ospreys in the Celtic League. His usual position is at lock. He has also played for the Welsh national team, making his debut against South Africa in 1998, and has been a regular since, including playing in the 2006 Six Nations... |
1997–2010 | 64 |
| 15 | Mike Phillips Mike Phillips (rugby player) William Michael "Mike" Phillips is a Welsh international rugby union rugby player who plays at scrum-half for Bayonne.-Personal life:... |
2003–2011 | 60 |
| 16 | Robert Howley | 1996–2002 | 59 |
| = | James Hook James Hook (rugby player) James William Hook is a Welsh rugby union player for USA Perpignan. Hook is widely regarded as one of the most talented players in world rugby.... |
2006–2011 | 59 |
| = | Alun Wyn Jones Alun Wyn Jones Alun Wyn Jones is a Welsh international rugby union rugby player, currently playing for the Ospreys in the Celtic League. Having previously represented Wales at under-21 level, he made his Test debut for Wales in June 2006 against Argentina. Originally playing as a blindside flanker, he has shown... |
2006–2011 | 59 |
| 19 | Garin Jenkins Garin Jenkins Garin Jenkins is a former Wales international rugby union player. He is the most capped Welsh hooker having attained 58 caps. Jenkins played in the Rugby Union World Cup three times : 1991, 1995 and 1999 and at the time played for Swansea RFC, a club he captained.Jenkins currently works as a... |
1991–2002 | 58 |
| 20 | Duncan Jones | 2001–2009 | 57 |
| = | Ryan Jones Ryan Jones Ryan Paul Jones is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays at number eight for the Ospreys. He is able to cover blindside flanker and second row; he played second row in his younger days as he was kept out of his preferred number 8 role by Gareth Delve.-Early life:Jones played junior... |
2004–2011 | 57 |
| 22 | J.P.R. Williams | 1969–1981 | 55 |
| 23 | Robert Jones Robert Jones (rugby player) Robert Nicholas Jones is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player. He was capped 54 times for Wales during his career, at that time a record... |
1986–1995 | 54 |
| 24 | Gareth Edwards Gareth Edwards Gareth Owen Edwards CBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey".... |
1967–1978 | 53 |
| = | Scott Gibbs Scott Gibbs Scott Gibbs is a former rugby footballer who represented Wales and the Lions in rugby union and Wales and Great Britain in rugby league... |
1991–2001 | 53 |
| 26 | Scott Quinnell Scott Quinnell Scott Quinnell is a former Welsh international rugby league and rugby union player, who was a number 8 for Wales, Llanelli RFC, the Llanelli Scarlets and the Lions. He scored 11 tries for Wales and captained his country on 7 occasions in rugby union.-Biography:Scott is the son of former Welsh... |
1993–2002 | 52 |
| = | Mark Taylor Mark Taylor (rugby player) Mark Taylor is a former Wales international rugby union player who played at centre. He is a former captain of Wales and was the first person to score a try at the newly built Millennium Stadium against South Africa in 1999. He signed for Sale Sharks from Llanelli Scarlets in April 2005 and in... |
1994–2005 | 52 |
| 28 | Dai Young Dai Young David "Dai" Young is a Welsh former rugby union and rugby league player, presently Director of Rugby at London Wasps.Born in Aberdare in 1967, Young lived in Penywaun for many years, and was regularly seen training with his father on the local sports field, now occupied by the Welsh-language... |
1987–2001 | 51 |
Top try scorers
The following players are the top 11 try scorersas of 22 Oct 2011.
Players still active at international level are in bold.
| # | Name | Tries | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shane Williams Shane Williams Shane Mark Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Ospreys and who can also play scrum-half. Williams is the record try scorer for the Wales national team and he is third on the international list of leading Rugby union Test try scorers behind Daisuke Ohata... |
57 | 86 |
| 2 | Gareth Thomas Gareth Thomas (rugby player) Gareth Thomas , known as Alfie, is a retired Welsh professional rugby footballer who played rugby league for the Crusaders RL in the Super League. He also previously played rugby union for the Cardiff Blues and as a fullback, wing or centre.On 26 May 2007, Thomas surpassed Gareth Llewellyn as the... |
40 | 100 |
| 3 | Ieuan Evans Ieuan Evans Ieuan Evans is a former rugby union footballer who played on the wing for Wales. He is regarded as one of the best Welsh wingers of all time, despite playing through a disappointing era of Welsh rugby. A prolific try scorer at International level, Evans is listed 19th in the world on the all-time... |
33 | 72 |
| 4 | Colin Charvis Colin Charvis Colin Charvis is a former captain of the Welsh national rugby union team and also played for the British and Irish lions. A back row forward, Charvis was equally adept as a flanker or as the no... |
22 | 94 |
| 5 | Gerald Davies Gerald Davies Thomas Gerald Reames Davies CBE is one of the acknowledged greats of Welsh rugby, playing for the side between 1966 and 1978.-Biography:... |
20 | 46 |
| = | Gareth Edwards Gareth Edwards Gareth Owen Edwards CBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey".... |
20 | 53 |
| = | Tom Shanklin Tom Shanklin Tomos George L. Shanklin is a former Welsh rugby union player who played Outside Centre for Cardiff Blues and Wales. He is Wales' most-capped centre... |
20 | 70 |
| 8 | Rhys Williams Rhys Williams (rugby player) Gethin Rhys Williams is a Welsh rugby union player who played for Cardiff Blues and won 44 caps for the Wales national rugby union team as a full-back and winger... |
18 | 44 |
| 9 | Reggie Gibbs Reggie Gibbs Reginald "Reggie" Arthur Gibbs was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Penarth and Cardiff. He was capped 16 times for his country and captained his team on one occasion... |
17 | 16 |
| = | Ken Jones | 17 | 44 |
| = | Johnnie Williams Johnnie Williams Johnnie Williams was a Welsh international wing who played club rugby for Cardiff Rugby Club. A three times Triple Crown winner, out of seventeen appearances for Wales he was on the losing side only twice.... |
17 | 17 |
Coaches
Following the unsuccessful tour to South Africa in 1964, the WRU set up a working party on coaching. The party recommended that Welsh clubs accept the principle of coaching. David Nash was appointed as the national team's first coach in 1967, but for the 1968 tour of Argentina, the WRU initially planned not to have a coach tour with the team. Following pressure from the Welsh clubs at the WRU's annual general meetingAnnual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
, the decision was reversed and Clive Rowlands
Clive Rowlands
Clive Rowlands OBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer and later coach.A teacher by profession, Rowlands played club rugby at scrum-half for Abercraf, Pontypool, Llanelli and Swansea...
was appointed as coach for the tour. The appointing of a coach for the team coincided with Wales' success in the Five Nations during the 1970s.
List of head coaches:
| Name | Nationality | Years | Tests | Won | Drew | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Nash David Nash (rugby coach) David Nash is a former Wales international rugby union player. A number 8 forward, he attained 6 caps for Wales between 1960 and 1961. Nash was selected for the 1962 British Lions tour of South Africa. He played his club rugby for Ebbw Vale.In 1967 Nash was appointed as the first national coach of... |
 |
1967 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 20.0 |
| Clive Rowlands Clive Rowlands Clive Rowlands OBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer and later coach.A teacher by profession, Rowlands played club rugby at scrum-half for Abercraf, Pontypool, Llanelli and Swansea... |
|
1968–1974 | 29 | 18 | 4 | 7 | 62.1 |
| John Dawes John Dawes Sydney John Dawes OBE is a former Welsh rugby union player, playing at centre, and later coach. He captained London Welsh, Wales, the Barbarians and the British Lions... |
|
1974–1979 | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 75.0 |
| John Lloyd John Lloyd (rugby coach) David John Lloyd is a former Welsh international rugby union player who captained the Wales team in 1972. He played club rugby for Bridgend, county rugby for Glamorgan and invitational rugby for the Barbarians... |
|
1980–1982 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 42.9 |
| John Bevan John Bevan (rugby player born 1948) John David Bevan was a Welsh international Rugby Union player, one of two John Bevans who played for Wales during the 1970s.Bevan was born in Neath. He played for Aberavon RFC, the British Lions and The Barbarians.... |
|
1982–1985 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 46.7 |
| Tony Gray Tony Gray (rugby coach) Anthony John "Tony" Gray , is a former Wales international rugby union player and former Head Coach of the Wales national rugby union team. A flanker, he played his club rugby for Newbridge and London Welsh.... |
|
1985–1988 | 18 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 50.0 |
| John Ryan John Ryan (rugby coach) John Ryan is a rugby union coach. Following success as a coach with Newport RFC and Cardiff RFC he was appointed Head Coach of the Wales national rugby union team from 1988 to 1990. At the time he was the first Wales coach to have not played for the national team.-External links:*... |
|
1988–1990 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 22.2 |
| Ron Waldron Ron Waldron Ronald "Ron" Gwyn Waldron is a former Welsh rugby union international player. He later took up coaching and is best known as the former head coach of Neath RFC during the late 1980s when Neath dominated British rugby for a number of seasons. Waldron built a team of senior international players... |
|
1990–1991 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 20.0 |
| Alan Davies Alan Davies (rugby coach) Alan Davies is a rugby union coach. He was coach of the Wales national rugby union team, from 1991 to 1995, winning 18 of their 35 matches. Davies also coached Bristol RFC.-External links:*... |
|
1991–1995 | 35 | 18 | 0 | 17 | 51.4 |
| Alex Evans Alex Evans (rugby union coach) Alex Evans is an Australian rugby union coach. Evans was coach to Cardiff RFC and was later appointed caretaker coach of Wales national rugby union team following the departure of Alan Davies... |
 |
1995 (caretaker coach) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25.0 |
| Kevin Bowring Kevin Bowring Kevin Bowring is a Welsh former rugby union player and coach. Bowring attended Neath Grammar School for Boys. A flanker, he played for London Welsh and captained the team. He also represented the Barbarians and Middlesex County .... |
|
1995–1998 | 29 | 15 | 0 | 14 | 51.7 |
| Dennis John Dennis John Dennis John is a former rugby union coach and player, most notably with Pontypridd RFC. John was appointed caretaker coach to the Wales national rugby union team for 2 matches in 1998 following the departure of Kevin Bowring.-External links:**... |
|
1998 (caretaker coach) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.0 |
| Graham Henry Graham Henry Graham Henry is a New Zealand Rugby Union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks. He played rugby union for Canterbury and cricket for Otago in the Plunket Shield. Henry was heavily criticized following the All Blacks quarterfinal exit at the 2007 Rugby World... |
 |
1998–2002 | 34 | 20 | 1 | 13 | 58.8 |
| Lynn Howells Lynn Howells Lynn Howells is a former rugby union player – most notably with Pontypridd RFC – but better known as a rugby union coach.Howells was born in the Rhondda Valleys.-Coaching career:... |
|
2001 (caretaker coach) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0 |
| Steve Hansen Steve Hansen Steve Hansen is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player.He was the head coach of the Welsh national team. He became the ninth Welsh coach in 13 years, after Graham Henry parted company with the Welsh Rugby Union in 2002. During his first game in charge, Wales performed well but lost by... |
|
2002–2004 | 29 | 10 | 0 | 19 | 34.5 |
| Mike Ruddock Mike Ruddock Mike Ruddock, OBE is a Welsh rugby union coach, currently coach of the Ireland Under-20 Rugby Union Team and Lansdowne FC . Ruddock was the coach of the Worcester Warriors until his resignation on 28 April 2010 following their relegation from the Guinness Premiership... |
|
2004–2006 | 20 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 65.0 |
| Scott Johnson Scott Johnson (rugby coach) Scott Johnson , is an Australian rugby union coach.-Playing career:Playing as a fly half or a centre, Johnson played for Parramatta Two Blues and Eastwood, and was captain of both the New South Wales Waratahs and Australian Under 21s... |
|
2006 (caretaker coach) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Gareth Jenkins Gareth Jenkins Gareth Jenkins is a former Welsh rugby union footballer, and former head coach of the Welsh national team. After a long and distinguished career at Llanelli RFC, Jenkins was appointed Wales coach in 2006, succeeding Mike Ruddock... |
|
2006–2007 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 30.0 |
| Nigel Davies | |
2007 (caretaker coach) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Robin McBryde Robin McBryde Robin Currie McBryde , is a former rugby union player who gained 37 rugby union caps for Wales as a hooker between 1994 and 2005.... |
|
2009 (caretaker coach) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0 |
| Warren Gatland Warren Gatland Warren David Gatland is a former New Zealand rugby footballer and the current head coach of the Wales national team.Gatland was born in Hamilton, New Zealand and educated at Hamilton Boys' High School and Waikato University... ^ |
|
2007–present | 46 | 23 | 1 | 22 | 50.0 |
^ Includes Wales vs. Barbarians 04/06/2011 (28-31)
See also
- List of Wales national rugby union team results
- South Africa vs Wales at rugby unionSouth Africa vs Wales at rugby unionSouth Africa and Wales have competed against each other in rugby union since 1906. Of the 23 matches played to date, South Africa have won 21, with one draw and one loss. Since 2007, the winner has been awarded the Prince William Cup, which was created to celebrate 100 years of rugby between the...
- New Zealand vs Wales at rugby unionHistory of rugby union matches between New Zealand and WalesThe All Blacks have played against Wales 28 times, winning 25 of them, and Wales winning the other three. The first Test match between the two sides was played in 1905 at Cardiff Arms Park, with Wales winning 3 – 0.-Overall summary:-Results:...
- Wales national rugby union team (sevens)Wales national rugby union team (sevens)The Wales national rugby union sevens team is the international rugby sevens side for Welsh rugby union players. They currently compete in the IRB Sevens World Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens and in the Commonwealth Games....
Welsh rugby union players
- Welsh Rugby Players AssociationWelsh Rugby Players AssociationThe Welsh Players Association , founded in 2003, is the representative body for professional rugby union players in Wales. Its General Secretary is Neil Maclean-Smith, who succeeded previous General Secretary, Dean Sheehan and former Chief Executive, Richard Harry. Rhys Williams, former Wales and...
- Wales national rugby league teamWales national rugby league teamThe 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...