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Cardiff Rugby is one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions.
The Scarlets are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. The club was originally named the Llanelli Scarlets but was renamed at the start of the 2008–09 rugby season.
Dragons RFC are one of the four professional rugby union regional teams in Wales. They are owned by the Welsh Rugby Union and play their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup/European Rugby Challenge Cup. The region they represent covers an area of southeast Wales including Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen with a total population approaching 600,000 and they are affiliated with a number of semi-professional and amateur clubs throughout the area, including Pontypool RFC, Caerphilly RFC, Cross Keys RFC, Ebbw Vale RFC and Newport RFC.
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.
Gethin Jenkins is a Welsh former professional rugby union player who played as a prop for Pontypridd, Celtic Warriors, Cardiff Blues and Toulon. At international level, he won 129 caps for Wales. On his 105th appearance in 2014, he became Wales' most-capped player, overtaking the record held by Stephen Jones; having earned his final cap in November 2016, his record was surpassed by Alun Wyn Jones in September 2019. He is one of a small group of Welsh players to have won three Grand Slams. He also won five caps for the British & Irish Lions on three tours in 2005, 2009 and 2013. He is the sixth most-capped player in rugby union history and the most-capped front-row forward.
Kenneth James Owens is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a hooker for the Scarlets and Wales. He made his debut for the Scarlets in 2006, taking over from Matthew Rees as their first-choice hooker upon Rees' departure for the Cardiff Blues in 2013. He also served as backup to Rees, among others, for Wales following his debut against Namibia at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In 2016, he took over as Wales' first-choice hooker, and in January 2023, following almost a year out with a back injury, he was named as captain for the 2023 Six Nations Championship.
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Nick Macleod is a former professional rugby union player who played for Cardiff Blues, Sale Sharks and Newport Gwent Dragons. Primarily a fly-half, Macleod also played at Fullback.
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Hallam Benjamen Amos is a former Welsh rugby union player who played for Cardiff Rugby and Newport Gwent Dragons. He mostly played as a wing, but he was also capable of playing at fullback and as a centre. Born in Stockport, England, he came through the Newport Gwent Dragons academy and made his professional debut for the region in October 2011 at the age of 17 years and 28 days, briefly making him the youngest player to appear for one of the four Welsh regional sides. After eight years with the Dragons, during which time he made 115 appearances, he moved to the Cardiff Blues in 2019.
Cory Allen is a retired Welsh international rugby union player. A centre or wing, he played for Cardiff Blues and the Ospreys. Allen joined the Dragons in 2021, but did not feature for the side.
Danny Wilson is a professional rugby union coach. He is lineout and contact coach at Harlequins. He was previously a head coach at Glasgow Warriors.
Andrew Leighton Paul Lewis is a former Welsh international rugby union player who went to school at Christ College, Brecon. Lewis made 29 appearances for the national team, and spent his entire club playing career at Cardiff, firstly at Cardiff RFC and then at Cardiff Blues following the introduction of regional rugby in Wales.
Darran Harris is a Welsh rugby union player. He plays for RFU Championship side, Rotherham Titans as a hooker.
Dane Blacker is a Welsh rugby union player who plays for Dragons regional team as a scrum-half. He is a former Wales Under-20 international. Blacker has previously played for Cardiff Rugby and the Scarlets.
Rio Dyer is a Welsh professional rugby union player who primarily plays wing for Dragons in the United Rugby Championship. He has also represented Wales at international level, having made his test debut against New Zealand during the 2022 Autumn Internationals.
Mason Grady is a Welsh international rugby union player, currently playing for URC side Cardiff Rugby as a centre. Grady has represented Wales, making his debut during the 2023 Six Nations Championship.
References
- ↑ Thomas, Simon (27 May 2022). "Wales wing Owen follows famous dad to become a hooker after being cut by region". WalesOnline. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ↑ "Two rising stars wing in for Cardiff Blues". Wales online. 24 January 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- ↑ Gillespie, Graeme (7 September 2022). "Pugh names Wales Sevens World Cup squad - Welsh Rugby Union". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
- ↑ "Jenkins enjoying life with Dragons - Welsh Rugby Union". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ↑ "Jenkins signs long-term Dragons deal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ↑ Thomas, Simon (20 May 2022). "20 players definitely leaving Dragons as mass clearout announced". WalesOnline. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
