 |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 2007 |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Country |  South Africa  Wales |
| Holders | South Africa (2023) |
| Most titles | South Africa (9 titles) |
The Prince William Cup was created in 2007 by the Welsh Rugby Union and celebrates 100 years of rugby union history between Wales and South Africa. It is named after the Vice Royal Patron of the WRU, the Prince of Wales, who presented the cup, at the inaugural match, held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 24 November 2007.
The trophy was chosen by Prince William, from three different designs presented by specialist jewellers. Mari Thomas from Llanelli and Nicola Palterman from Neath won the commission to create the cup. [1] The pair, who have exhibited their jewellery around the world from London to New York City, claim the creation of the 55 cm high, 1.5 mm gauge trophy as their biggest and most elaborate creation to date. The Prince William Cup is inspired by the landscapes of South Africa and Wales. [1] The trophy is silver lined with 23 carat gold plate and is cone shaped tapering from 16 cm at the rim to 8 cm at its base. [2] The trophy is the ninth of its type in world rugby and was presented to the winner of the first clash by Prince William himself. [3]
The naming of the cup after Prince William has caused controversy in Wales. Opponents to the name called on the WRU to rename the trophy in honour of Welsh international rugby star Ray Gravell, who died on 31 October 2007. [4] During a tribute to Gravell at the inaugural match the stadium announcer asked the crowd to remember Ray as 'gwir dywysog Cymru', a true prince of Wales. Gravell's funeral was attended by over 10,000 people, including Rhodri Morgan, First Minister of Wales. Following The Cambrian, calling for the cup to be renamed in tribute to Gravell, it was raised in the National Assembly for Wales [5] by Plaid Cymru AM Bethan Jenkins, although the Welsh Government stated it has no view nor responsibility over the issue. [6] Amongst MPs, Labour MP Paul Flynn and Plaid's Adam Price MP also called for the WRU to honour Ray Gravell, as did an online petition. [4] [7]
| Details | P | South Africa | Wales | D | South Africa points | Wales points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 193 | 126 |
| Wales | 11 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 216 | 199 |
| Neutral venue | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 22 |
| Overall | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 429 | 347 |
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, 20 miles (32 km) west of Cardiff and 20 miles (32 km) east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Ogmore. The River Ewenny also flows through the town. The population was 49,597 in 2021. Bridgend is within the Cardiff Capital Region which in 2019 had a population of approximately 1.54 million.
Adam Robert Price is a Welsh politician who served as Leader of Plaid Cymru from September 2018 to May 2023. He has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr since 2016, having previously been a Member of Parliament (MP) for the same Westminster constituency from 2001 to 2010.
The Wales national rugby union team represents the Welsh Rugby Union in men's international rugby union. Its governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played their first international against England. The team plays its home matches at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, which replaced Cardiff Arms Park as the national stadium of Wales in 1999.
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.
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded on 30 March 1872.
Raymond William Robert Gravell was a Welsh rugby union centre who played club rugby for Llanelli RFC. At international level, Gravell earned 23 caps for Wales and was selected for the 1980 British Lions tour to South Africa.
Robin Currie McBryde, is a rugby union former player and coach. He gained 37 caps for Wales. He played hooker.
Gareth John James Jenkins is a Welsh former rugby union player and coach. Born in Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, he played for Llanelli RFC for 17 years from his debut in September 1969. He was appointed coach of the club in 1982. In 2003, he was appointed as coach of the newly formed Llanelli Scarlets regional side, guiding them to the Celtic League title in their first season. Following the resignation of Steve Hansen as coach of the Wales national team, Jenkins applied for the position and was one of two finalists only for Mike Ruddock to be appointed without applying. Jenkins finally took over as Wales coach when Ruddock resigned during the 2006 Six Nations, but his tenure was unsuccessful, winning just six of his 20 games in charge. He was sacked on 30 September 2007, the day after Wales failed to qualify for the quarter-finals of the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He returned to the Scarlets as their head of regional development and recruitment in June 2008.
Welsh republicanism or republicanism in Wales is the political ideology that advocates for Wales to be governed by a republican system, as opposed to the monarchy of the United Kingdom.
Bethan Sayed is a Welsh politician. She represented the South Wales West region for Plaid Cymru as a Member of the Senedd from 2007 to 2021.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 2007 to Wales and its people.
Leanne Wood is a Welsh politician who served as the leader of Plaid Cymru from March 2012 to September 2018, and served as a Member of the Senedd (MS) from 2003 to 2021.
Welsh independence is the political movement advocating for Wales to become a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom.
Llandeilo Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the town of Llandeilo, in Carmarthenshire, west Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Scarlets.
Ysgol Gyfun y Strade is a Welsh-medium comprehensive school and sixth form in the town of Llanelli, Wales. It opened in September 1977 as a mixed gender school. In 2022 there were 1,209 pupils enrolled at the school.
RGC 1404, formerly "Gogledd Cymru", is a rugby union team founded in 2008 and based in Colwyn Bay, Conwy. They currently play in the Welsh Premier Division; after winning Division 1 East at the first attempt in 2012–13, they spent three seasons in the Welsh Championship before earning promotion to the Premier Division in 2015–16. They finished fourth in their first season in the top flight, but also won the WRU Challenge Cup for the first time. They play at Eirias Stadium, which has a capacity of just over 6,000.
The 2007 National Assembly for Wales election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the National Assembly for Wales. It was the third general election. On the same day local elections in England and Scotland, as well as the Scottish Parliament election took place. This election was preceded by the previous Assembly election in 2003.
The Welsh Rugby Union logo is the emblem used by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and has become associated with Wales. The emblem is based on the Prince of Wales's feathers, a heraldic badge associated with the Prince of Wales since the early 17th century by British holders of the title, however the badge's English origin has prompted calls by some Welsh people for the WRU to change their logo for a design more historically linked to Wales. The use of the feathers by the WRU date back to its founding, with a stylistic modification of the logo taking place in the 1990s.
| History | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | |||||||||||
| Home stadiums | |||||||||||
| Competitions and trophies | |||||||||||
| Related teams | |||||||||||
| Matches |
| ||||||||||
| Tours |
| ||||||||||
| See also | |||||||||||
