Welsh rugby today (Saturday) celebrates the 130th anniversary of a ground breaking meeting at the Castle Hotel in Neath.
WALES HONOURS THE ELEVEN CLUBS WHO STARTED IT ALL
Eleven clubs convened at the hotel on March 12, 1881 in an historic meeting which would go on to shape the national sport of Wales.
The meeting at the Castle Hotel, a coaching inn dating from the seventeenth century, involved 11 clubs from a geographical spread which proved the popularity of the relatively new sport.
Those clubs were Swansea, Lampeter, Llandeilo, Cardiff, Newport, Llanelli, Merthyr, Llandovery, Brecon, Pontypool and Bangor. It is a testament to the success of rugby that each one of them still thrives and prospers today in a union which now boasts more than 300 clubs.
To honour the anniversary and their achievements, the WRU has today invited representatives of each one of the eleven clubs to attend the RBS 6 Nations match between Wales and Ireland at the Millennium Stadium.
They will enjoy a true Welsh rugby welcome as the players, coaches and administrators of today reflect on where it all began.
At the meeting in 1881, a vote was cast by the representatives to form what was then called the Welsh Rugby Football Union. The historic meeting is commemorated at the Castle Hotel to this day with an array of rugby memorabilia on view in their Centenary Room including the plaques of each of the 11 clubs.
WRU Chairman David Pickering, who played for both Neath and then Llanelli of the original 11, said: “I am delighted that representatives of all 11 clubs have been invited to attend the RBS 6 Nations encounter between Wales and Ireland in honour of a great Welsh rugby anniversary.
“By the March of 1881 rugby was already gaining a powerful foothold in Wales but the representatives at that famous meeting could never have foreseen how big the game would become.
“Rugby now thrives at the heart of hundreds of communities in Wales and has become embedded in the culture and fabric of our nation.
“The atmosphere today’s game will inspire in our Millennium Stadium will stand as testimony to just how popular and important rugby remains to the men and women of Wales.
“We can be proud of what our sport represents and it is important to remember important milestones like that day our union was formed.”
This year the WRU is celebrating the 130th anniversary with events such as a celebratory international fixture between Wales and the Barbarians at the Millennium Stadium on June 4. Wales will play host to some of the best players in world rugby today to celebrate the history of the national sport of Wales.
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