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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'.
Rugby union in Wales is considered a large part of Welsh national culture. Rugby union is thought to have reached Wales in the 1850s, with the national body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) being formed in 1881. Wales are considered to be one of the most successful national sides in Rugby Union, having won the most Six Nations Championships, as well as having reached 3 World Cup semi finals in 1987, 2011 and 2019, having finished 3rd in the inaugural competition and having finished 4th in 2011 in a repeat of the first third place play-off. The Welsh team of the 1970s is considered to be arguably the greatest national team of all time, prompting many experts in the game to suggest that had the Rugby World Cup existed during this period, Wales would be amongst the list of World Cup winners. As of November 2021, they are ranked 8th in the world.
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.
Dunraven Brewery Field is an 8,000 capacity sports stadium in Bridgend, Wales. It is the home ground of the rugby union team Bridgend Ravens. Bridgend Athletic RFC often use the ground for their home matches, as well as the Ospreys who sometimes play at the ground, including their age grade teams.
Waunarlwydd Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in the village of Waunarlwydd, Swansea. Waunarlwydd are a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and are a feeder club for the Ospreys.
Mumbles Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Mumbles, Swansea, south Wales. Mumbles RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union, and is a feeder club for the Ospreys. They compete in the WRU Division Two West, the fifth tier of rugby in Wales.
David Mefin Davies is a Welsh former rugby union player who played as a hooker for the Ospreys and the Wales national rugby union team.
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.
Clwb Rygbi Cwmgors is a rugby union club that represents the villages of Cwmgors, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and Tairgwaith, South West Wales. Cwmgors RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.
Crynant Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team. It is based in Crynant. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.
South Wales Police Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Bridgend, South Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys. In 2012, they withdrew from the Welsh league system due to lack of players, they will continue to play in police competitions and may return to the Welsh league in the future.
Corus Rugby Football Club was a Welsh rugby union clubs based in Port Talbot. It is now known as Tata Steel RFC, the club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.
Welsh regional rugby is the top tier of professional Welsh club rugby and is composed of the Scarlets, Ospreys, Cardiff Rugby and the Dragons which compete in the United Rugby Championship.
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.
Dan Suter is a Welsh rugby union player who plays for the Dragons regional team as a prop. He was also a Wales under-20 international.
Rhodri Hughes is a Welsh rugby union player who plays for Ospreys regional team as a lock. He was also a Wales under-20 international.
Kevin Hopkins is a retired Welsh International rugby union player. He made seven appearances for his country, as well as representing Cardiff RFC, Swansea RFC and Neath RFC in the top division of Welsh club rugby, and played twice for the Barbarians invitational side. Following his retirement from playing, Hopkins has held numerous coaching positions.
Aled Williams is a Welsh former international rugby union player who made two appearances for the Wales national team, both as a replacement. He played in the top division of Welsh club rugby for Swansea RFC and Bridgend RFC between 1983 and 1997.
Keelan Giles is a Welsh rugby union player, who plays for the Ospreys as a winger. He is a Wales under-20 international and received a call up to the Welsh senior team for their 2016 tour of New Zealand. He made the final three in BBC's Young Sports Personality of the Year 2016 along with Ellie Robinson and Amy Tinkler.
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.