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Wales National Rugby Union Team

March 14, 2022 2 min read

Wales has always been at the forefront of rugby, its first national club being formed just a few years after the first ever official rugby union. The Welsh team has a long history filled with records and firsts, and the team has earned its place in the world of rugby. Wales has only grown stronger over the years, reaching number 1 in the rankings in 2019.

1875 - the South Wales Football Club is founded as a conduit for the teams in the area to play matches.

1878 - the South Wales Football Club is overtaken by the South Wales Football Union, which sought to bring more regulation to the game and to select teams to represent Wales internationally.

1880 - Richard Mullock, secretary of the Newport Athletic Club, decides to schedule a match between England and Wales without the backing of the SWFU because he had grown tired of the union’s poor administration. It is after this match that many Welsh teams meet with the vision of a reformed rugby union, and the Welsh Football Union is born.

1883 - Wales competes in the first Six Nations Championship.

1886 - the WFU, along with Scotland and Ireland, form the International Rugby Football Board, now known as World Rugby.

Between March of 1907 and January of 1910, Wales wins 11 consecutive matches in their golden age, a record that stood for over a century.

1912 - the WFU helps to fund the redevelopment of Cardiff Arms Park, the field it calls home from 1953 to 1999.

1934 - the union adopts the name Welsh Rugby Union.

1953 - the Wales National Rugby Union Team moves its home operations from Swansea to Cardiff Arms Park.

Between 1969 and 1980, Wales wins eight Six Nations Championships.

1987 - Wales competes in the first Rugby World Cup. The team has participated in every World Cup since.

1999 - the Wales National Rugby Union Team begins playing its home matches at Millenium Stadium in Cardiff. This same year, Wales hosts the Rugby World Cup.

2005 - The WRU celebrates its 125th year, the Wales National Rugby Union Team sporting commemorative black jerseys.

Rugby Player in 125th Wales commemorative rugby jersey

2011 - Wales finishes fourth at the Rugby World Cup.

Between March of 2018 and March of 2019, Wales wins 14 consecutive matches.

2019 - Wales finishes fourth at the Rugby World Cup, and in August of 2019 Wales reaches number 1 in the World Rugby Rankings for the first time.

Wales plays in white shorts, red socks, and red jerseys with the WRU logo embroidered on them. The logo is based on the symbol of the Prince of Wales feathers. Wales alternate strip includes green jerseys, white shorts, and green socks.