The Anglo-Welsh Cup ( Welsh : Cwpan Eingl-Gymreig ), was a cross-border rugby union knock-out cup competition that featured the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs and the four Welsh regions. It was a created as a replacement for the RFU Knockout Cup , which featured only English clubs.
107-797: The Scarlets ( Welsh : Y Scarlets ) are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli , Wales . Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. The club was originally named the Llanelli Scarlets but was renamed at the start of the 2008–09 rugby season. The Llanelli Scarlets were founded in 2003, as one of
214-441: A Welsh Language Scheme, which indicates its commitment to the equality of treatment principle. This is sent out in draft form for public consultation for a three-month period, whereupon comments on it may be incorporated into a final version. It requires the final approval of the now defunct Welsh Language Board ( Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg ). Thereafter, the public body is charged with implementing and fulfilling its obligations under
321-594: A Welsh-language edge inscription was used on pound coins dated 1985, 1990 and 1995, which circulated in all parts of the UK prior to their 2017 withdrawal. The wording is Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad (Welsh for 'True am I to my country'), and derives from the national anthem of Wales, " Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ". UK banknotes are in English only. Some shops employ bilingual signage. Welsh sometimes appears on product packaging or instructions. The UK government has ratified
428-626: A banding system. The Professional Rugby Board (PRB) was created between the WRU and clubs to attempt to identify a sustainable path forward. The PRB evaluated numerous options including mergers and relocations of clubs, and by early 2019 felt the preferable option was to merge the Scarlets with west Wales rivals the Ospreys ; the Swansea club having made a made an approach to the Scarlets in late 2018. This
535-663: A census glossary of terms to support the release of results from the census, including their definition of "main language" as referring to "first or preferred language" (though that wording was not in the census questionnaire itself). The wards in England with the most people giving Welsh as their main language were the Liverpool wards of Central and Greenbank ; and Oswestry South in Shropshire . The wards of Oswestry South (1.15%), Oswestry East (0.86%) and St Oswald (0.71%) had
642-435: A defense coach. Wayne Pivac was hired as an assistant coach, but selected as head coach when Simon Easterby left the position to become forwards coach with Ireland . Under Pivac, the Scarlets' performances did not immediately turn around. Centre Jonathan Davies left for Clermont ahead of the 2014–15 season, but Hadleigh Parkes was signed from Auckland, and reunited with former coach Pivac. Mid-table finishes continued for
749-471: A game against a touring Ireland side. This close link with Llanelli RFC has also led to the Scarlets adopting the scarlet red colour for their primary jerseys, with their secondary colours generally being blue. The region was originally named the Llanelli Scarlets, but was renamed at the start of the 2008–09 rugby season to more accurately represent the area covered by the region. From 2003 to
856-492: A loss away to Munster, in which they came back from 35–7 down at half-time. They then secured their second win over South African opposition of the season with a 32–20 win over a Sharks team heavily laden with Springboks. The Scarlets made their way into the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup, after beating Brive 19–7, facing ASM Clermont Auvergne at home. This was the Scarlets first European quarter-final fixture since
963-504: A release for Mooar, and his assistant coach Glenn Delaney was named as his successor. Former Scarlets Dwayne Peel was announced as head coach for the forthcoming season, with Delaney moving to a Director of Rugby role. Peel was at the time contracted to join Cardiff Blues for the following season, as an assistant coach responsible for attack. Following the dismissal of Blues head coach John Mulvihill , former coach Dai Young made
1070-600: A return to the club initially as interim head coach and finally Director of Rugby. Due to this new coaching structure, the Scarlets and Blues came to an agreement allowing for Peel to no longer join Cardiff as an assistant coach, and instead join the Scarlets as head coach. After a poor run of matches, Delaney was relieved of his duties as head coach and departed the club before assuming the Director of Rugby role, with Dai Flanagan stepping in as caretaker head coach. Ahead of
1177-479: A single discourse (known in linguistics as code-switching ). Welsh speakers are largely concentrated in the north and west of Wales, principally Gwynedd , Conwy County Borough , Denbighshire , Anglesey , Carmarthenshire , north Pembrokeshire , Ceredigion , parts of Glamorgan , and north-west and extreme south-west Powys . However, first-language and other fluent speakers can be found throughout Wales. Welsh-speaking communities persisted well into
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#17327799304801284-1041: Is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people . Welsh is spoken natively in Wales , by some in England , and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province , Argentina ). It is spoken by smaller numbers of people in Canada and the United States descended from Welsh immigrants, within their households (especially in Nova Scotia ). Historically, it has also been known in English as "British", "Cambrian", "Cambric" and "Cymric". The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 gave
1391-561: Is available throughout Europe on satellite and online throughout the UK. Since the digital switchover was completed in South Wales on 31 March 2010, S4C Digidol became the main broadcasting channel and fully in Welsh. The main evening television news provided by the BBC in Welsh is available for download. There is also a Welsh-language radio station, BBC Radio Cymru , which was launched in 1977. Anglo-Welsh Cup The competition
1498-688: Is considered to have lasted from then until the 14th century, when the Modern Welsh period began, which in turn is divided into Early and Late Modern Welsh. The word Welsh is a descendant, via Old English wealh, wielisc , of the Proto-Germanic word * Walhaz , which was derived from the name of the Celtic people known to the Romans as Volcae and which came to refer to speakers of Celtic languages, and then indiscriminately to
1605-467: Is in Pemberton . The new stadium cost £23 million to be constructed and holds 14,340 spectators. The first game held at the stadium saw Llanelli RFC play Cardiff RFC on 15 November 2008. The stadium's main stand is located on the south side of the ground, and houses the new Scarlets museum and club shop, as well as a sports bar, the players' changing rooms and a players' gym. Stadium blueprints planned for
1712-511: Is the label attached to the Welsh of the 12th to 14th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This is the language of nearly all surviving early manuscripts of the Mabinogion , although the tales themselves are certainly much older. It is also the language of the existing Welsh law manuscripts. Middle Welsh is reasonably intelligible to a modern-day Welsh speaker. The Bible translations into Welsh helped maintain
1819-732: The Cynfeirdd or "Early Poets" – is generally considered to date to the Primitive Welsh period. However, much of this poetry was supposedly composed in the Hen Ogledd , raising further questions about the dating of the material and language in which it was originally composed. This discretion stems from the fact that Cumbric was widely believed to have been the language used in Hen Ogledd. An 8th-century inscription in Tywyn shows
1926-533: The 2009–10 competition , rebranding the tournament as the LV= Cup until 2015. The structure of the competition was altered at this time. It continued to consist of four pools, each consisting of three English and one Welsh team. However, the new format saw teams guaranteed two home and two away pool matches, with teams in Pools 1 and 4 playing each other and teams in Pools 2 and 3 playing each other. Early rounds of
2033-500: The 2016 Australian census , 1,688 people noted that they spoke Welsh. In the 2011 Canadian census , 3,885 people reported Welsh as their first language . According to the 2021 Canadian census , 1,130 people noted that Welsh was their mother tongue. The 2018 New Zealand census noted that 1,083 people in New Zealand spoke Welsh. The American Community Survey 2009–2013 noted that 2,235 people aged five years and over in
2140-466: The 2021 census , 7,349 people in England recorded Welsh to be their "main language". In the 2011 census, 1,189 people aged three and over in Scotland noted that Welsh was a language (other than English) that they used at home. It is believed that there are as many as 5,000 speakers of Patagonian Welsh . In response to the question 'Does the person speak a language other than English at home?' in
2247-431: The 2021–22 United Rugby Championship , Leinster skills coach Hugh Hogan was brought in as defence coach. The Scarlets finished in 10th place, and narrowly missed out on winning the newly created URC Welsh Shield. Hogan departed after one season, being replaced by Wales assistant coach Gareth Williams. Few signings were made prior to the 2022–23 United Rugby Championship season, with All Blacks utility forward Vaea Fifita
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#17327799304802354-739: The Celtic League . Teams from the English RFU Championship and below played in the Powergen National Trophy . The Welsh clubs' inclusion initially caused them to be expelled from the Celtic League in June 2005. Scottish and Irish officials were angered that the Welsh regions had apparently consented to Powergen Cup fixtures on the same weekend as league matches. By the end of the month, a compromise
2461-560: The Champions Cup , and defeated La Rochelle 29–17 in the quarter-final. The Scarlets fell short of the final, losing to eventual winners Leinster in their semi-final. They again reached the final in the league, having defeated the Cheetahs and Glasgow Warriors in the knock-out rounds, but came up short against Leinster, losing 40–32 in the final despite a late flurry of tries and a hat-trick from Johnny McNicholl. Wayne Pivac
2568-538: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in respect of Welsh. The language has greatly increased its prominence since the creation of the television channel S4C in November 1982, which until digital switchover in 2010 broadcast 70 per cent of Channel 4's programming along with a majority of Welsh language shows during peak viewing hours. The all-Welsh-language digital station S4C Digidol
2675-501: The Llanelli Scarlets . Overall, the 2005–06 cup drew a 12% attendance boost in the group stages over the previous year's competition. Powergen withdrew all of its rugby sponsorship after the conclusion of the first competition. EDF Energy took over as title sponsor for the 2006–07 tournament , renaming the tournament as the EDF Energy Cup in a deal that ran until 2009. Insurers Liverpool Victoria became sponsors for
2782-756: The Polish name for Italians) have a similar etymology. The Welsh term for the language, Cymraeg , descends from the Brythonic word combrogi , meaning 'compatriots' or 'fellow countrymen'. Welsh evolved from Common Brittonic , the Celtic language spoken by the ancient Celtic Britons . Classified as Insular Celtic , the British language probably arrived in Britain during the Bronze Age or Iron Age and
2889-627: The Racecourse Ground in Wrexham . The club's new stadium, Parc y Scarlets (English: Scarlets Park ), was constructed in nearby Pemberton , and opened in November 2008. The Scarlets won the league twice: the initial 2003–04 Celtic League season, and the Pro12 in 2016–17, defeating Munster 46–22 in the 2017 Pro12 Grand Final . In 2003, the WRU elected to reduce the top tier of Welsh professional rugby from nine clubs into five regions during
2996-640: The United States spoke Welsh at home. The highest number of those (255) lived in Florida . Sources: Calls for the Welsh language to be granted official status grew with the establishment of the nationalist political party Plaid Cymru in 1925, the establishment of the Welsh Language Society in 1962 and the rise of Welsh nationalism in the later 20th century. Of the six living Celtic languages (including two revived), Welsh has
3103-657: The introduction of regional rugby union teams in Wales , attempting to mirror the successful formats in Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Initially, it was planned to have a region playing at Stradey Park, with players coming from Llanelli , Swansea and Neath . This was then modified to have Llanelli and Swansea merging, while Neath joined with Bridgend . Llanelli were opposed to both plans and requested standalone status. Eventually, Llanelli and Cardiff were allowed to remain independent. The Llanelli Scarlets brand
3210-542: The "hugely important role", adding, "I look forward to working with the Welsh Government and organisations in Wales in developing the new system of standards. I will look to build on the good work that has been done by the Welsh Language Board and others to strengthen the Welsh language and ensure that it continues to thrive." First Minister Carwyn Jones said that Huws would act as a champion for
3317-596: The 1880s identified a small part of Shropshire as still then speaking Welsh, with the "Celtic Border" passing from Llanymynech through Oswestry to Chirk . The number of Welsh-speaking people in the rest of Britain has not yet been counted for statistical purposes. In 1993, the Welsh-language television channel S4C published the results of a survey into the numbers of people who spoke or understood Welsh, which estimated that there were around 133,000 Welsh-speaking people living in England, about 50,000 of them in
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3424-536: The 1993 Act nor secondary legislation made under it covers the private sector, although some organisations, notably banks and some railway companies, provide some of their information in Welsh. On 7 December 2010, the Welsh Assembly unanimously approved a set of measures to develop the use of the Welsh language within Wales. On 9 February 2011 this measure, the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 ,
3531-615: The 2007–08 season, the Scarlets played most of their home matches at Llanelli's Stradey Park (also the home of Llanelli RFC). However, they have played several games in North Wales, at Wrexham 's Racecourse Ground , to promote the region's geographical representation. The last league game played at the Racecourse Ground was in September 2005. The 2006–07 season was planned to be the last season played at Stradey Park, which
3638-514: The 2019–20 season. The Scarlets won the match 32–30, with a late try by Ryan Conbeer and a match-winning conversion from Sam Costelow three minutes from full-time, propelling them into a home semi-final. The Scarlets lost the resultant semi-final, their final match of the season. The squad saw fifteen players leave the club, owing to the reduced salary caps imposed by the WRU. Notable departures included Rhys Patchell , Leigh Halfpenny , and Aaron Shingler , who spent his entire professional career with
3745-486: The Assembly which confirms the official status of the Welsh language; which creates a strong advocate for Welsh speakers and will improve the quality and quantity of services available through the medium of Welsh. I believe that everyone who wants to access services in the Welsh language should be able to do so, and that is what this government has worked towards. This legislation is an important and historic step forward for
3852-510: The Celtic League. They did, however, find more success in the newly restructured Anglo-Welsh Cup . After finishing at the top of their pool, they defeated Bath by one point in the semi-finals to reach the final against London Wasps at Twickenham ; missing several international players, they lost 26–10. In the Heineken Cup, it was a similar story to the previous season, with the Scarlets winning two of their six fixtures to finish third in
3959-663: The Cheetahs in the return matches to finish top of the pool and set up a round of 16 knockout fixture at home against Brive . The Scarlets followed up on their European victory the following week, beating the Bulls despite missing numerous players to Wales call-ups, and earning their first victory over the Pretoria-based team. During the Six Nations, they secured a bonus-point win against Edinburgh, and two bonus points in
4066-550: The Greater London area. The Welsh Language Board , on the basis of an analysis of the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study, estimated there were 110,000 Welsh-speaking people in England, and another thousand in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In the 2011 census , 8,248 people in England gave Welsh in answer to the question "What is your main language?" The Office for National Statistics subsequently published
4173-478: The Heineken Cup quarter-final with a convincing 35–11 win over Ulster at Ravenhill . The Scarlets went on to become only the fifth team in the history of the competition to win all their pool matches. They beat current holders Munster 24–15 at Stradey Park in the quarter-finals, but were beaten 33–17 in the semis by a strong Leicester Tigers side, putting an end to their hopes of making it 'third time lucky' in Heineken Cup semi-finals. On 30 April 2008, Phil Davies
4280-493: The Heineken Cup, the Scarlets were drawn in Pool 4 along with Northampton Saints , Agen and Borders . The Scarlets won five of their six matches, losing only to Agen, and finished top of their pool before losing to French club Biarritz 27–10 in the quarter-finals. The following season, however, was less successful. Plagued by injuries and retirements, as well as the departure of influential fly-half Stephen Jones to Clermont ,
4387-541: The Scarlets consider their region to represent the three counties of Carmarthenshire , Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire . Largely drawn from the Llanelli RFC side that won the Welsh Cup the preceding year, the Scarlets carried that success forward into their inaugural season. They reached the last eight of the 2003–04 Heineken Cup and finished the Celtic League season as champions by four points over Ulster . In
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4494-463: The Scarlets faced the Barbarians . During the 2011–12 season, the Scarlets were unable to progress to the knockout rounds of the Heineken Cup, but placing second in their pool earned them an automatic drop-down spot in the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup. They lost the resulting fixture against Brive 15–12, despite scoring the only try of the match through Liam Williams. Nigel Davies departed
4601-476: The Scarlets finished a disappointing fifth in the league. They were even less successful in the Heineken Cup, winning just two of their six pool games to finish third behind Northampton and Toulouse . The salvation of their season came in reaching the final of the Celtic Cup , which they lost 26–17 to Munster . The Scarlets again failed to qualify from their Heineken Cup group in 2005–06 and finished sixth in
4708-496: The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, all new signs have Welsh displayed first. There have been incidents of one of the languages being vandalised, which may be considered a hate crime . Since 2000, the teaching of Welsh has been compulsory in all schools in Wales up to age 16; this has had an effect in stabilising and reversing the decline in the language. Text on UK coins tends to be in English and Latin. However,
4815-704: The Welsh Language Scheme. The list of other public bodies which have to prepare Schemes could be added to by initially the Secretary of State for Wales, from 1993 to 1997, by way of statutory instrument . Subsequent to the forming of the National Assembly for Wales in 1997, the Government Minister responsible for the Welsh language can and has passed statutory instruments naming public bodies who have to prepare Schemes. Neither
4922-667: The Welsh language official status in Wales. Welsh and English are de jure official languages of the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd , with Welsh being the only de jure official language in any part of the United Kingdom, with English being merely de facto official. According to the 2021 census , the Welsh-speaking population of Wales aged three or older was 538,300 (17.8%) and nearly three quarters of
5029-526: The Welsh language, though some had concerns over her appointment: Plaid Cymru spokeswoman Bethan Jenkins said, "I have concerns about the transition from Meri Huws's role from the Welsh Language Board to the language commissioner, and I will be asking the Welsh government how this will be successfully managed. We must be sure that there is no conflict of interest, and that the Welsh Language Commissioner can demonstrate how she will offer
5136-426: The Welsh of the 16th century, but they are similar enough for a fluent Welsh speaker to have little trouble understanding it. During the Modern Welsh period, there has been a decline in the popularity of the Welsh language: the number of Welsh speakers declined to the point at which there was concern that the language would become extinct. During industrialisation in the late 19th century, immigrants from England led to
5243-437: The Welsh regions finished bottom of their pools. In May 2018, the Welsh Rugby Union announced that they were going to be setting up a Welsh under-23s competition for their regions and would thus be unable to commit to Anglo-Welsh Cup games. On 10 May, Premiership Rugby Limited, which organises the English top flight, then announced that the Anglo-Welsh Cup would be replaced by the Premiership Rugby Cup, which would be solely for
5350-429: The Welsh-speaking heartlands, with the number dropping to under 50 per cent in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire for the first time. However, according to the Welsh Language Use Survey in 2019–20, 22 per cent of people aged three and over were able to speak Welsh. The Annual Population Survey (APS) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that as of March 2024, approximately 862,700, or 28.0 per cent of
5457-408: The census. In terms of usage, ONS also reported that 14.4 per cent (443,800) of people aged three or older in Wales reported that they spoke Welsh daily in March 2024, with 5.4 per cent (165,500) speaking it weekly and 6.5 per cent (201,200) less often. Approximately 1.7 per cent (51,700) reported that they never spoke Welsh despite being able to speak the language, with the remaining 72.0 per cent of
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#17327799304805564-462: The club at the conclusion of the 2011–12 season, and was replaced by defence coach and longtime Scarlets player, Simon Easterby . In May 2014, it was confirmed that the four Welsh regions would compete in the annual Premiership Sevens Series after a three-year deal was agreed with BT Sport . After the 2013–14 season, the Scarlets had numerous changes in coaching staff. Forwards coach Danny Wilson departed for Bristol, while Byron Hayward joined as
5671-516: The club were Welsh international Ioan Lloyd from Bristol Bears , and former Scarlet Tomi Lewis returning from Jersey Reds . Numerous renewals were also confirmed, such as lock pair Morgan Jones and Jac Price , centres Ioan Nicholas , Joe Roberts , and Eddie James , and prop Kemsley Mathias – all players developed from the Scarlets academy. Sam Wainwright signed a full contract, following on from his short-term deal. Hooker Ryan Elias signed an extension, despite interest from abroad. Also signed
5778-402: The club. Corey Baldwin and Dane Blacker were both released, and subsequently signed for the Dragons. In the backroom, Nigel Ashley-Jones departed the club after two seasons to join Eddie Jones with the Australia national rugby union team . Lee Blackett left following his short-term agreement with the club, joining Bath Rugby . Forwards coach Ben Franks returned to New Zealand. Joining
5885-427: The competition now took place on international fixture dates during the Autumn Internationals and Six Nations Championship , with the aim of allowing teams to develop their squad players. It also saw the final move away from Twickenham for the first time, with Worcester's Sixways Stadium hosting in its place. The final would continue to be played at various pre-arranged club grounds in the following years. There
5992-414: The course of the 20th century this monolingual population all but disappeared, but a small percentage remained at the time of the 1981 census. Most Welsh-speaking people in Wales also speak English. However, many Welsh-speaking people are more comfortable expressing themselves in Welsh than in English. A speaker's choice of language can vary according to the subject domain and the social context, even within
6099-489: The creation of Old Welsh, Davies suggests it may be more appropriate to refer to this derivative language as Lingua Britannica rather than characterising it as a new language altogether. The argued dates for the period of "Primitive Welsh" are widely debated, with some historians' suggestions differing by hundreds of years. The next main period is Old Welsh ( Hen Gymraeg , 9th to 11th centuries); poetry from both Wales and Scotland has been preserved in this form of
6206-408: The decline in Welsh speakers particularly in the South Wales Valleys. Welsh government processes and legislation have worked to increase the proliferation of the Welsh language, for example through education. Welsh has been spoken continuously in Wales throughout history; however, by 1911, it had become a minority language, spoken by 43.5 per cent of the population. While this decline continued over
6313-415: The end of the season, having spent his entire professional career with the club. Also departing the club were two more capped British Lions: Jonathan Davies and Wyn Jones ; Welsh international Scott Williams ; and academy products Dan Jones and Ryan Conbeer . The Scarlets took their name from the nickname of Llanelli RFC, their main feeder club. Llanelli have played in red since 1884 when they played
6420-418: The even more lucrative Heineken Cup competition. As base compensation, all 16 Powergen clubs were guaranteed £250,000 each, with a prize fund of up to £200,000 available to semi-finalists. Interest in the Powergen Cup was high during the first two rounds. Over 100,000 spectators attended matches, while the television audience peaked at 1.2 million on BBC2 for the match between the Newcastle Falcons and
6527-402: The first half. The Scarlets beat Munster in the final with an emphatic 46–22 win. This was the Scarlets second title, their first having come in 2004 during the first Celtic League season. The Scarlets looked to maintain their title the following season in the inaugural Pro14 tournament. Leigh Halfpenny joined from Toulon , replacing outgoing fullback Liam Williams . They topped their pool in
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#17327799304806634-406: The five (now four) regional teams created by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). The Scarlets are affiliated with a number of semi-professional and amateur clubs throughout the area, including Welsh Premier Division sides Llanelli RFC , Carmarthen Quins RFC and Llandovery RFC . Through the 2007–08 season, they played most of their games at Stradey Park in Llanelli, but they have also played matches at
6741-431: The following decades, the language did not die out. The smallest number of speakers was recorded in 1981 with 503,000 although the lowest percentage was recorded in the most recent census in 2021 at 17.8 per cent. By the start of the 21st century, numbers began to increase once more, at least partly as a result of the increase in Welsh-medium education . The 2004 Welsh Language Use Survey showed that 21.7 per cent of
6848-408: The headline acquisition, while Liam Williams departed for Cardiff following his second spell with the club. Longtime prop Rob Evans followed Steffan Hughes , and former Dragon Angus O'Brien to the Dragons , along with backs coach Dai Flanagan, who was named as their new head coach. Following their collapse in October 2022, Wasps head coach Lee Blackett joined as backs coach for the remainder of
6955-411: The highest number of native speakers who use the language on a daily basis, and it is the Celtic language which is considered the least endangered by UNESCO . The Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Government of Wales Act 1998 provide that the Welsh and English languages be treated equally in the public sector, as far as is reasonable and practicable. Each public body is required to prepare for approval
7062-413: The highest percentage of residents giving Welsh as their main language. The census also revealed that 3,528 wards in England, or 46% of the total number, contained at least one resident whose main language is Welsh. In terms of the regions of England , North West England (1,945), London (1,310) and the West Midlands (1,265) had the highest number of people noting Welsh as their main language. According to
7169-400: The history of Welsh, with rather indistinct boundaries: Primitive Welsh, Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, and Modern Welsh. The period immediately following the language's emergence is sometimes referred to as Primitive Welsh, followed by the Old Welsh period – which is generally considered to stretch from the beginning of the 9th century to sometime during the 12th century. The Middle Welsh period
7276-527: The language already dropping inflections in the declension of nouns. Janet Davies proposed that the origins of the Welsh language were much less definite; in The Welsh Language: A History , she proposes that Welsh may have been around even earlier than 600 AD. This is evidenced by the dropping of final syllables from Brittonic: * bardos 'poet' became bardd , and * abona 'river' became afon . Though both Davies and Jackson cite minor changes in syllable structure and sounds as evidence for
7383-431: The language, its speakers and for the nation." The measure was not welcomed warmly by all supporters: Bethan Williams, chairman of the Welsh Language Society, gave a mixed response to the move, saying, "Through this measure we have won official status for the language and that has been warmly welcomed. But there was a core principle missing in the law passed by the Assembly before Christmas. It doesn't give language rights to
7490-449: The language. As Germanic and Gaelic colonisation of Britain proceeded, the Brittonic speakers in Wales were split off from those in northern England, speaking Cumbric, and those in the southwest, speaking what would become Cornish , so the languages diverged. Both the works of Aneirin ( Canu Aneirin , c. 600 ) and the Book of Taliesin ( Canu Taliesin ) were written during this era. Middle Welsh ( Cymraeg Canol )
7597-455: The main stand to be about 20 metres (66 ft) tall. Outside the stadium there is a training barn for the players, as well as a training pitch and athletics track. The remainder of the site is taken up by the Parc Trostre retail park. Props Hookers Locks Back row Scrum-halves Fly-halves Centres Welsh language Welsh ( Cymraeg [kəmˈraːiɡ] or y Gymraeg [ə ɡəmˈraːiɡ] )
7704-483: The merger was "off the table", with Ospreys chairman Mike James resigning, and the club formation ultimately remaining unchanged. New coach Brad Mooar started the 2019 season well, winning five out of the first six matches, but left before settling in, having been selected by new All Blacks coach Ian Foster to join his staff as assistant coach. The Scarlets and the New Zealand Rugby Union agreed to
7811-622: The modern period across the border in England. Archenfield was still Welsh enough in the time of Elizabeth I for the Bishop of Hereford to be made responsible, together with the four Welsh bishops, for the translation of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer into Welsh. Welsh was still commonly spoken there in the first half of the 19th century, and churchwardens' notices were put up in both Welsh and English until about 1860. Alexander John Ellis in
7918-408: The next two seasons. Mark Jones departed in 2015, replaced by long time Scarlets fly-half and London Wasps attack coach Stephen Jones. Ahead of 2016, Tadhg Beirne joined the side. The Irish forward arrived from Leinster , and capable of playing at lock and in the back row, proved to be an influential player in the pack. Recruitment was further bolstered with Crusaders back Johnny McNicholl and
8025-448: The number of Welsh-language speakers to one million by 2050. Since 1980, the number of children attending Welsh-medium schools has increased, while the number going to Welsh bilingual and dual-medium schools has decreased. Welsh is considered the least endangered Celtic language by UNESCO . The language of the Welsh developed from the language of Britons . The emergence of Welsh was not instantaneous and clearly identifiable. Instead,
8132-560: The opposition and benefactors pulling out of the club, it was "extremely unlikely that [the Llanelli Scarlets] could survive to the end of the present season unless other financial assistance is found", which would result in "the loss, probably for all time, of professional rugby in West Wales." Local residents believed, however, that the infrastructure, such as roads and schools, will not cope with 450 new houses being built on
8239-473: The people of Wales in every aspect of their lives. Despite that, an amendment to that effect was supported by 18 Assembly Members from three different parties, and that was a significant step forward." On 5 October 2011, Meri Huws , Chair of the Welsh Language Board , was appointed the new Welsh Language Commissioner. She released a statement that she was "delighted" to have been appointed to
8346-551: The people of the Western Roman Empire . In Old English the term went through semantic narrowing , coming to refer to either Britons in particular or, in some contexts, slaves. The plural form Wēalas evolved into the name for their territory, Wales. The modern names for various Romance-speaking people in Continental Europe (e.g. Walloons , Valaisans , Vlachs / Wallachians , and Włosi ,
8453-432: The pool again, behind Toulouse and Wasps. Despite finishing sixth in the Celtic League, the team qualified for the Heineken Cup for the 2006–07 season as the second-best-placed Welsh team in the league. They also re-signed Stephen Jones, and full-back Barry Davies extended his contract to stay with the Scarlets. The Scarlets' Director of Rugby, Gareth Jenkins , had been appointed as Wales' national team coach, having been with
8560-488: The population in Wales said they had no Welsh language skills. Other estimates suggest that 862,700 people (28.0%) aged three or older in Wales could speak Welsh in March 2024. Almost half of all Welsh speakers consider themselves fluent, while 20 per cent are able to speak a fair amount. 56 per cent of Welsh speakers speak the language daily, and 19 per cent speak the language weekly. The Welsh Government plans to increase
8667-471: The population not being able to speak it. The National Survey for Wales, conducted by Welsh Government, has also tended to report a higher percentage of Welsh speakers than the census, with the most recent results for 2022–2023 suggesting that 18 per cent of the population aged 3 and over were able to speak Welsh, with an additional 16 per cent noting that they had some Welsh-speaking ability. Historically, large numbers of Welsh people spoke only Welsh. Over
8774-502: The population of Wales aged 3 and over, were able to speak the language. Children and young people aged three to 15 years old were more likely to report that they could speak Welsh than any other age group (48.4 per cent, 241,300). Around 1,001,500 people, or 32.5 per cent, reported that they could understand spoken Welsh. 24.7 per cent (759,200) could read and 22.2 per cent (684,500) could write in Welsh. The APS estimates of Welsh language ability are historically higher than those produced by
8881-407: The population of Wales spoke Welsh, compared with 20.8 per cent in the 2001 census , and 18.5 per cent in the 1991 census . Since 2001, however, the number of Welsh speakers has declined in both the 2011 and 2021 censuses to about 538,300 or 17.8 per cent in 2021, lower than 1991, although it is still higher in absolute terms. The 2011 census also showed a "big drop" in the number of speakers in
8988-459: The region since its inception. Phil Davies , then coach of Leeds Tykes , replaced Jenkins at the Scarlets. At the first home game of the 2006–07 season, an information sheet was handed out to supporters with details of the club's financial situation. There was opposition by local residents to plans by the Scarlets to move to a new stadium and sell their current ground for housing development. The information sheet stated that, due to delays caused by
9095-409: The required fresh approach to this new role." Huws started her role as the Welsh Language Commissioner on 1 April 2012. Local councils and the Senedd use Welsh, issuing Welsh versions of their literature, to varying degrees. Road signs in Wales are in Welsh and English. Prior to 2016, the choice of which language to display first was the responsibility of the local council. Since then, as part of
9202-520: The return of Jonathan Davies from France. Fly-half Rhys Patchell was signed from Cardiff Blues , with Steven Shingler moving in the opposite direction. The season started poorly, with the Scarlets losing their first three matches. Improvements throughout the season saw the Scarlets finish in third place in the table, qualifying for the play-offs. The Scarlets beat Leinster away at the RDS Stadium, 27–15, despite winger Steff Evans being sent off in
9309-603: The same for the following season, with home and away fixtures reversed and the club relegated from the Premiership's place taken by the club promoted from the Championship. In addition to increased TV revenue (the revised Powergen Cup had a new broadcasting agreement with BBC Sport ) and a possible boost to matchday income, the Powergen Cup also offered its winner, if they were a Premiership club, qualification to
9416-455: The season, the highlights being a home and away win against local rivals Cardiff , and earning a first win outside of Wales with a victory over Zebre Parma . In the Challenge Cup, they lost every match, and failed to earn a single point on the table. They finished the season with a win, in the annual Judgement Day fixture against the Dragons. During the season, defence coach Gareth Williams
9523-444: The season. The season began poorly for the Scarlets, winning only one URC match prior to the international window. Wales prop Sam Wainwright joined midseason, with Samson Lee remaining sidelined with a long-term injury. Upon regrouping, fortunes had changed, with the team winning both matches in the first two rounds of the 2022–23 EPCR Challenge Cup pool stage, putting themselves at the top of their pool. They then beat Bayonne and
9630-651: The shift occurred over a long period, with some historians claiming that it had happened by as late as the 9th century , with a watershed moment being that proposed by linguist Kenneth H. Jackson , the Battle of Dyrham , a military battle between the West Saxons and the Britons in 577 AD, which split the South Western British from direct overland contact with the Welsh. Four periods are identified in
9737-451: The site. On 28 November 2006, the regions secured investment from Tim Griffiths, a London-based businessman. In the 2006–07 Heineken Cup , the Scarlets recorded one of the most famous victories in their brief history as a region, defeating Toulouse 41–34 away, despite twice trailing by 21 points. This was an unexpected victory, despite the Scarlets having won their first three games of the 2006–07 competition. They later secured their place in
9844-526: The use of Welsh in daily life, and standardised spelling. The New Testament was translated by William Salesbury in 1567, and the complete Bible by William Morgan in 1588. Modern Welsh is subdivided into Early Modern Welsh and Late Modern Welsh. Early Modern Welsh ran from the 15th century through to the end of the 16th century, and the Late Modern Welsh period roughly dates from the 16th century onwards. Contemporary Welsh differs greatly from
9951-409: Was an 18–16 Celtic League defeat to Munster on 28 November 2008. Their first Heineken Cup match at Parc y Scarlets was held on 12 December against Ulster and finished in a 16–16 draw. Both matches were held with reduced capacity, as law requires that a new stadium hold three events at reduced capacity before it is authorised for its full capacity. The official opening ceremony was on 31 January 2009, when
10058-833: Was an open tournament to any club that was a member of the Rugby Football Union . Starting in the 2005–06 season , the Powergen Anglo-Welsh Cup was formed as a successor tournament to the Knockout Cup. It continued to be organised by the RFU, in co-operation with the Welsh Rugby Union , but featured a new format including only the twelve teams from the Guinness Premiership and the four regional Welsh sides which competed in
10165-596: Was announced as Warren Gatland 's successor as Wales coach after the 2019 Rugby World Cup. With him left Stephen Jones and Byron Hayward, who joined Pivac on the Wales coaching staff. Crusaders assistant coach Brad Mooar was announced as the next head coach in December 2018. In 2018, the Welsh Rugby Union sought to reform club rugby in Wales. Salaries had increased as they worked to entice Welsh players abroad to return, and they aimed to streamline costs with
10272-622: Was complete by around AD 550, and labelled the period between then and about AD 800 "Primitive Welsh". This Primitive Welsh may have been spoken in both Wales and the Hen Ogledd ('Old North') – the Brittonic-speaking areas of what are now northern England and southern Scotland – and therefore may have been the ancestor of Cumbric as well as Welsh. Jackson, however, believed that the two varieties were already distinct by that time. The earliest Welsh poetry – that attributed to
10379-570: Was former New Zealand U20 back row Taine Plumtree , who qualified for Wales and was quickly called up to the Welsh squad for World Cup preparations. Added to the restructured Scarlets academy were lock Ed Scragg, and Loughborough duo Charlie Titcombe and Teddy Leatherbarrow. Clermont coach Jared Payne signed as the new attack coach, with Lions coach Albert van den Berg joining as the forwards coach. Shane Carney took over as Head of Athletic Performance, reuniting with Peel, having worked at Ulster together previously. Few wins were seen during
10486-481: Was no competition in the 2015–16 season due to the 2015 Rugby World Cup being played in England, which resulted in the late start to the 2015–16 English Premiership season . The competition returned in the 2016–17 season, known simply as the Anglo-Welsh Cup , with BT Sport taking over the live TV rights from Sky Sports and highlights shown on Channel 5 . In the 2017–18 Anglo-Welsh Cup , all four of
10593-512: Was not the first time a west Wales super club had been mooted; during the 2003 formation of regional rugby, a combination of the Llanelli, Swansea, and Neath forming a unified club was initially proposed. The new combined club would play league matches at Parc y Scarlets, with European fixtures at the Ospreys' Liberty Stadium . Shortly after the proposal was revealed, Scarlets ownership indicated
10700-502: Was officially launched on 7 July 2003. Despite always having been a 100% owned Llanelli RFC subsidiary, the Scarlets were originally conceived as representing the whole of West and North Wales. In the early seasons of regional rugby, the Scarlets played a small number of games at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. While nominally continuing to be the regional franchisee for North Wales, the Scarlets presence there has diminished. As of 2018,
10807-518: Was passed and received Royal Assent, thus making the Welsh language an officially recognised language within Wales. The measure: The measure required public bodies and some private companies to provide services in Welsh. The Welsh government's Minister for Heritage at the time, Alun Ffred Jones , said, "The Welsh language is a source of great pride for the people of Wales, whether they speak it or not, and I am delighted that this measure has now become law. I am very proud to have steered legislation through
10914-517: Was probably spoken throughout the island south of the Firth of Forth . During the Early Middle Ages the British language began to fragment due to increased dialect differentiation, thus evolving into Welsh and the other Brittonic languages. It is not clear when Welsh became distinct. Linguist Kenneth H. Jackson has suggested that the evolution in syllabic structure and sound pattern
11021-443: Was reached and the regions were readmitted, with the Welsh sides giving a "substantial financial contribution" and committing to mid-week league fixtures. In place of the knock-out format, the 16 sides were placed in four pools with three English clubs and one Welsh region in each. The pool stages for this initial format featured one game against each team, followed by semi-finals and a final at Twickenham Stadium . The pools remained
11128-556: Was removed from his position, with Jared Payne moving from attack to replace him, and Peel becoming responsible for the attack. Samson Lee announced his retirement mid-season, having failed to fully recover from a long-standing injury. Johnny McNicholl was released early to return home to New Zealand, joining the Crusaders as cover for former Scarlet Leigh Halfpenny. Notably, former Scarlets and Wales captain Ken Owens retired prior to
11235-607: Was replaced by Nigel Davies after a sixth-place finish in the Celtic League and an end of season slump. The Scarlets moved from Stradey Park at the end of November 2008 to a new ground at Pemberton called Parc y Scarlets . The final Scarlets match played at Stradey Park was on 24 October 2008, against Bristol in the group stage of the Anglo-Welsh Cup. The Scarlets won 27–0 in front of a capacity crowd, which included former Llanelli captains such as Delme Thomas and Phil Bennett . The Scarlets' first match at their new home
11342-557: Was replaced by the Premiership Rugby Cup , involving only the 12 English Premiership clubs, beginning with the 2018–19 season. From 1971 to 2005, English clubs played in the RFU Knockout Cup . At its formation, it was the highest honour that a club could win, as there were no nationally organised leagues until merit leagues were introduced in 1984, followed by the full national league pyramid in 1987. It
11449-436: Was subsequently to be demolished for the building of apartments. The Scarlets played every home game of the 2006–07 season at Stradey Park to commemorate the historic ground. They played their last game at Stradey Park on 24 October 2008 against Bristol, and their first game at Parc y Scarlets on 28 November 2008 against Munster. The new home of the Scarlets and Llanelli RFC, known as Parc y Scarlets (English: Scarlets Park ),
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