Related Research Articles
The Ospreys, formerly the Neath–Swansea Ospreys is one of the four professional rugby union teams from Wales. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team formed as a result of Neath RFC and Swansea RFC combining to create a new merged entity, as part of the new regional structure of Welsh rugby, that began in 2003. They are also affiliated with a number of local semi-professional and amateur clubs, including Welsh Premier Division sides Aberavon RFC, Bridgend Ravens, and original founding clubs Neath and Swansea. The regional area represented by the team has widely become known for rugby purposes as 'Ospreylia'.
Neath Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the Indigo Premiership for Season 2023/24. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The team is known as the All Blacks because of the team colours: black with only a white cross pattée as an emblem. Neath RFC is the oldest rugby club in Wales, having been formed in 1871. They are feeder club to the Ospreys regional team.
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premiership. The club play at St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea and are also known as The Whites, in reference to their home kit colours.
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded on 30 March 1872.
Pontypool Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in the town of Pontypool, which plays in the WRU Premiership. Since the regionalisation of Welsh rugby in 2003, Pontypool RFC is now a feeder club to the Dragons regional team. Pontypool play their home matches at Pontypool Park. Their traditional home kit is a red, white and black-hooped shirt and socks with white shorts, although they did gradually shift to wearing black shorts post-2003.
Lee Byrne is a Welsh former professional rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s.
Alun Wyn Jones is a Welsh former international rugby union player who played as a lock. He played most of his career for Ospreys and for the Wales national team. He is the world's most-capped rugby union player, with 158 caps for Wales and 13 for the British & Irish Lions, and also holds the records for the most Wales caps and the second most Wales caps as captain. He retired from rugby in 2023.
Aled Brew is a former Wales international rugby union player who played as a winger. He made his debut for the Wales national rugby union team against Ireland in the 2007 Six Nations Championship. In his career, as well as playing for Biarritz Olympique and Bath Rugby, he is one of only a handful of players to have played for all four top-level regional teams in Wales.
Joshua Lewis Matavesi is a rugby union player, who currently plays for National 2 (West) side Camborne RFC, and formerly played for the Fiji national team at international level. Matavesi was born in Cornwall, England, to a Cornish mother and Fijian father.
Morgan Andrew Allen is a professional rugby union and rugby league player for Cardiff RFC & West Wales Raiders in the Welsh Premier Division & RFL League 1. He has represented Wales at Under 18 and Under 20 level.
Matthew Morgan is a retired Wales international rugby union player who played for Ospreys and Cardiff Rugby.
Nicky Smith is a Wales international rugby union player. A prop forward, he plays club rugby for the Ospreys regional team, having previously played for Aberavon RFC and Swansea RFC.
Anthony Mark Bennett is a Welsh International rugby union player. He made three appearances for his country, as well as representing Swansea RFC, Cardiff RFC and Neath RFC in the top division of Welsh club rugby, and Bristol RFC in English club rugby. Following his retirement from playing, Bennett became a strength and conditioning coach, holding the position of conditioning coach for the Welsh national team for four years.
Gareth Thomas is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for United Rugby Championship club Ospreys and the Wales national team.
Alfie Moceulutu is a Fijian former rugby union footballer who played for Ospreys regional team as a flanker. He won 34 caps for Fiji, scoring 4 tries.
Morgan Morris is a Welsh rugby union player who plays for Ospreys in the back row.
Rugby league nines at the 2019 Pacific Games was played from 8–9 July 2019 at Apia Park in Samoa. A women's rugby league tournament was introduced for the first time at the Pacific Games.
Max Nagy is an English rugby union player, currently playing for United Rugby Championship side Ospreys as a wing or fullback.
The 2008–09 Ulster Rugby season was Ulster's 15th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and their only full season under head coach Matt Williams.