Arthur Joseph "Monkey" Gould was a Welsh international rugby union centre and fullback who was most associated as a club player with Newport Rugby Football Club. He won 27 caps for Wales, 18 as captain, and critics consider him the first superstar of Welsh rugby. A talented all-round player and champion sprinter, Gould could side-step and kick expertly with either foot. He never ceased practising to develop his fitness and skills, and on his death was described as "the most accomplished player of his generation".
Pembroke is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 7,552. The names of both the town and the county have a common origin; both are derived from the Cantref of Penfro: Pen, 'head' or 'end', and bro, 'region', 'country', 'land', which has been interpreted to mean either 'Land's End' or 'headland'.
John Peter Rhys Williams was a Welsh rugby union player who represented Wales in international rugby during their Golden Era in the 1970s. He became known universally as J. P. R. Williams four years after his Welsh debut, in 1973 when J. J. Williams joined the Welsh team.
Glanamman is a mining village in the valley of the River Amman in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Glanamman has long been a stronghold of the Welsh language; village life is largely conducted in Welsh. Like the neighbouring village of Garnant it experienced a coal-mining boom in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but the last big colliery closed in 1947 and coal has been extracted fitfully since then.
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 one of the greatest national teams of all time. As of November 2021, they are ranked 8th in the world.
John Albert Gwilliam was a Welsh rugby union player and schoolteacher. As a "No. 8" he played international rugby for Wales and club rugby for Cambridge University, Edinburgh Wanderers, Gloucester, Newport, London Welsh, Llanelli and Wasps. He captained the Wales rugby union team when they achieved Grand Slam victories in the 1950 and 1952 Five Nations Championships.
Daniel Clive Thomas Rowlands OBE was a Welsh rugby union footballer and coach.
Pontyclun is a village and community located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Alltwen is a village in the Swansea Valley in Wales. Alltwen forms part of the community of Cilybebyll and is administered separately from adjoining Pontardawe on the opposite bank of the River Tawe.
Robert Nicholas Jones is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player. He was capped 54 times for Wales during his career, at that time a record. He and Gareth Edwards, Rob Howley, Dwayne Peel and Mike Phillips are the only scrum-halves to have achieved 50 caps or more for Wales.
William Gareth Davies is a former Wales and British and Irish Lions international rugby union player and former chairman of the Welsh Rugby Union.
Bleddyn Bowen is a former international Wales rugby union player.
Arwel Camber Thomas is a Welsh former professional rugby union player who played as a fly-half. Born in Trebanos in the Swansea Valley, he played international rugby for Wales, earning 23 caps between 1996 and 2000. He played club rugby for Swansea, Neath, Bristol, Pau, the Llanelli Scarlets and Harlequins.
Thomas Cooper Graham was an England-born Welsh rugby union international forward who played club rugby for Newport. He won 12 caps for Wales and was seen as intelligent, mobile forward player. Graham is most notable within rugby for his captaincy of Newport, which saw the team through one of their most successful periods, including the 1891–92 "invincible" season.
Bangor Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Bangor, North Wales. Bangor RFC is a founding member of the Welsh Rugby Union. The club fields a Seniors, Youth, Juniors and Ladies teams.
Stephen Thomas "Staff" Jones, is a former Wales rugby union international from Ynysybwl. A Loosehead prop forward product of Ynysybwl RFC, he briefly played for Pontypridd RFC before making 408 appearances for Pontypool RFC in their glory years in the 1980s, often in partnership with Steve Jones and Graham Price to form another formidable front row partnership coached by Ray Prosser.
Alfred James Webb was an English-born international rugby union footballer who played club rugby for Abertillery, and county rugby for Monmouthshire. He won 20 caps for Wales and was part of the 1910 touring British Isles team to South Africa.
Rees Thomas was a Welsh international rugby union back row player who was utilised usually as a flanker or Number 8. Thomas played club rugby for Pontypool and county rugby for Monmouthshire. He won eight caps for Wales and played between 1909 and 1913, representing Wales during two Triple Crown winning seasons.
Justin Tipuric is a former Welsh international rugby union player who played for Wales as an openside flanker.
Rugby union has a long history in Wales. Today it holds tier one status with the IRB. However, compared to Scotland, England, and Ireland, it was a latecomer on the international scene, and was not initially successful. Rugby union is the national sport of Wales, and is a great influence on Welsh culture.
