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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'.
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby.
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 after England, 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.
Dwayne John Peel is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player. He was the most capped scrum-half for the Wales national rugby union team with 76 caps, until his record was surpassed by Mike Phillips on 16 March 2013.
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.
Haydn Tanner was a Welsh international rugby union player who represented both Wales and the British and Irish Lions. At club level he played for several top-flight teams, including Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea, London Welsh and the Barbarians.
Mike Ruddock, OBE is a Welsh rugby union coach who is currently an interim consultant for Ospreys, having previously coached Lansdowne FC. Ruddock was the Director of Rugby at the Worcester Warriors until his resignation on 28 April 2010. He was the coach of the Welsh national rugby union team from 2004 until February 2006 and Leinster Coach from 1997 to 2000
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.
Richie Pugh is Wales international rugby union player who plays at openside flanker. Pugh was born in Swansea and attended Brynmill primary and Bishop Gore Comprehensive schools before going on to study Sports Science at the University of Wales, Swansea.
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.
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 12 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.
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.
Cwmgwrach Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Cwmgwrach, Swansea, Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.
Morriston Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the village of Morriston, Swansea in West Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.
Birchgrove Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the village of Birchgrove in Swansea, Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.
Edgar Morgan was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Football Club and the British Lions
Fred Jowett was a Welsh rugby union player who represented Wales, and the British Lions. Jowett played club rugby for Swansea, and county rugby for Glamorgan. His first and only cap was on 10 January 1903 at St Helens Ground in Swansea against England. He made his début in an experienced team, with only George Travers of Pill Harriers earning his first cap alongside Jowett. The match was a one sided affair, with Wales winning 21–5, thanks to a hat-trick of tries from Jehoida Hodges. Although playing his part in an excellent victory over England, Jowett was never selected again.
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.
Ian Nicholas Thomas is a Welsh professional rugby union footballer, currently playing for Wasps in Premiership Rugby on loan from Ospreys in the Pro14.
Project Reset is a proposed Welsh Rugby Union reform programme to restructure Welsh regional rugby. Recent years have indicated both regional and club rugby in Wales is in financial crisis, with sides such as Neath RFC closely defeating a liquidation order and Ospreys at risk of losing key players in 2019 and the 2019/20 season ahead.
References
- ↑ "Ospreys Squad – Paul Arnold". Ospreys. Retrieved 4 May 2009.[ dead link ]
- ↑ "Welsh player archive – Paul Arnold". WRU. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
