Cross Keys RFC
| File:Crosskeys RFC logo.jpg | ||
| Full name | Cross Keys Rugby Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Keys | |
| Founded | 1885[1] | |
| Location | Crosskeys, Wales | |
| Ground | Pandy Park (Capacity: 3,000) | |
| President | Wales Terry Howell | |
| Coach(es) | Wales Morgan Stoddart Wales Greg Woods Wales Gewsyn Price-Jones | |
| Captain | Corey Nicholls | |
| League | Welsh Premier Division | |
| 2024-2025 | Welsh Premier Division, 6th | |
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| Official website | ||
| www | ||
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Cross Keys RFC (Welsh: Clwb Rygbi Pont-y-Cymer) is a rugby union club located in the Welsh village of Crosskeys. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union, and is a feeder club for the Dragons regional team.[2]
History
[edit | edit source]
The club achieved first class-status in 1909, winning the Monmouthshire league three times.[citation needed]
By 1920 the team had their first international player, when Steve Morris won a cap for Wales. Morris would win 19 caps and captained Wales in 1925.[3] Caps followed during the 1920s for Ossie Male and Lonza Bowdler, both returned over several seasons for Wales, facing not only Five Nations Championships but also touring teams.
In 1926 Cross Keys RFC found themselves in dire financial trouble, and requested help from the Welsh Rugby Union. The WRU refused an appeal for a cash loan, but instead agreed to send the Welsh national team to play in an exhibition match at Pandy Park. The sell-out crowd assured Cross Keys future and resulted in an historic win for the home team thirteen points to eight.[4]
Rugby observers have noted the high level of talent in the Cross Keys pack, and criticised the fact they went under represented in the national team during the 1920s[5] and 1930s.[6]
Cross Keys reached the final of the 2011–12 British and Irish Cup, losing to Munster A.[7] Cross Keys won their first Swalec Cup, defeating table topping Pontypridd at the Millennium Stadium in 2012.[8]
Club honours
[edit | edit source]- Welsh Club Champions - 1921–22, 1935–36
- Welsh Division One Champions - 1992–93,[9] 1999–00[9]
- British and Irish Cup Runners-Up - 2011–12
- Swalec Cup Winners - 2011–12
- Swalec Cup Runners-Up - 2013–14
- Welsh Premier Division Runners-Up - 2013–2014
- WRU Admiral Championship East Promotion (3rd) - 2023-24
Current squad
[edit | edit source]Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
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Notable former players
[edit | edit source]The following list is made up of ex-Cross Keys players who have all won international caps as either a rugby union or rugby league player.
- See also Category:Cross Keys RFC players
- Wales George Boots
- Wales Taulupe Faletau 38 Wales caps, 1 British and Irish Lions cap
- Wales Frederick Arthur Bowdler (15 caps)[10]
- Wales Archibald "Archie" Brown
- Wales Lloyd Burns (7 caps)
- Wales Mervyn Hicks (Great Britain Rugby League)
- Wales Ron Herrera (8 caps)[11]
- Wales Jack Hurrell (1 cap)
- Wales Ossie Male (11 caps)[12]
- Wales Steve Morris (19 caps)[12]
- Wales Con Murphy (3 caps)
- Wales Gerwyn Price
- Wales Dai Rees
- Wales Fred Reeves (2 caps)[13]
- Wales Rex Richards (1 cap)[13]
- Wales Russell Taylor (3 caps), 1938 British Lions[14]
- Wales Joe Thompson (1 cap) for Wales (RU).[14] Whilst at Leeds (Great Britain RL 12 caps, Wales RL 8 caps, Other Nationalities RL 5 caps)
- Wales Trevor Williams (8 caps)[15]
- Wales Stanley 'Docker' Winmill (2 caps)[16]
Games played against international opposition
[edit | edit source]| Year | Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 9 October | File:Flag of Fiji.svg Fiji | Loss | 12-26 | 1985 Fiji rugby union tour of Wales and Ireland[17] |
| 2022 | 2 November | File:Flag of Poland.svg Poland | Loss | 37-12 | 2022 Rugby Europe Championship Preparations [18][19] |
Past season performance
[edit | edit source]2006/06-2009/10
| Season | League | Finish | Number of Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | Premiership | 13th | 14 |
| 2007-08 | Premiership | 11th | 15 |
| 2008-09 | Premiership | 9th | 14 |
| 2009-10 | Premiership | 10th | 14 |
2010/11-2019/20
| Season | League | Finish | Number of Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | Premiership | 6th | 14 |
| 2011-12 | Premiership | 6th | 14 |
| 2012-13 | Premiership | 5th | 12 |
| 2013-14 | Premiership | 3rd | 12 |
| 2014-15 | Premiership | 3rd | 12 |
| 2015-16 | Premiership | 4th | 12 |
| 2016-17 | Premiership | 12th | 16 |
| 2017-18 | Premiership | 11th | 16 |
| 2018-19 | Premiership | 14th | 16 |
| 2019-20 | Championship | 7th | 14 |
2020/21-
| Season | League | Finish | Number of Teams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | COVID-19 | ||||||
| 2021-22 | Championship | 7th | 14 | ||||
| 2022-23 | Championship | 8th | 14 | ||||
| 2023-24 | Championship East | 3rd | 12 | ||||
| 2024-25 | Premiership | 6th | 13 | ||||
| 2025-26 | Premiership | TBC | 13 | ||||
| 2026-27 | Premiership | 13 | |||||
| 2027-28 | Premiership | 13 | |||||
| 2028-29 | Premiership | 13 | |||||
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales page 178, John Davies, Nigel Jenkins, Menna Baines and Peredur Lynch (2008) Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ A Century of Welsh Rugby Players 1890-1980, Wayne Thomas; Ansells (1979) pg.61
- ^ The Rugby Clubs of Wales pp149, David Parry-Jones (1989) Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 259.
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 282.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 463.
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 466.
- ^ a b Smith (1980), pg 469.
- ^ a b Smith (1980), pg 471.
- ^ a b Smith (1980), pg 472.
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 473.
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 474.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Bibliography
[edit | edit source]- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).