44-619: The Welsh Rugby Union Division Three West (also called the SWALEC Division Three West for sponsorship reasons) is a rugby union league in Wales . There are 12 clubs in the WRU Division Three West. During the course of a season (which lasts from September to May) each club plays the others twice, once at their home ground and once at that of their opponents for a total of 22 games for each club, with
88-774: A 13-day release facility for squad training before the Six Nations and Autumn series games. The new agreement does state that the national team head coach, currently Warren Gatland , will be the sole person to decide who gets a National Dual Contract, with a long-term aim of only selecting players based in Wales. The limit on foreign players in Regional squads has been capped at a maximum of six while each Region will be allowed two so-called time serving players who will be available for Welsh selection after three years residency (rising to five years, effective from 31 December 2020). In 2008
132-508: A 133-page review was completed highlighting "bullying and misogyny" in the WRU. A three-person chair of Dame Anne Rafferty , Quentin Smith and Maggie Alphonsi was appointed for an investigation. The review involved conducting 50 interviews with groups or individuals, and it assembled a 5,000-page document of evidence, the findings were the WRU was suffering a general "failure of governance". However,
176-623: A domestic, Welsh Premier League game, which was typical of the Welsh Premier League. After Neath became a municipal borough in 1835, the borough council was based at Neath Town Hall in Church Place before relocating to Gwyn Hall in Orchard Street in 1888. Neath District Council, which was formed in 1974, was absorbed into the larger unitary authority of Neath Port Talbot on 1 April 1996. The town encompasses
220-626: A large Roman marching camp that would have accommodated thousands of troops. These finds indicate some of the unusual measures the Romans took during the resistance of the native Silures . The fort at Neath was abandoned around 125 AD for fifteen years and again around 170 AD for a century before the final Roman withdrawal around 320 AD. The Antonine Itinerary ( c. 2nd century ) names Nido (or Nidum ) as one of nine places in Roman Wales . St Illtyd visited
264-443: A total of 132 games in each season. Teams receive four points for a win and two point for a draw, an additional bonus point is awarded to either team if they score four tries or more in a single match. No points are awarded for a loss though the losing team can gain a bonus point for finishing the match within seven points of the winning team. Teams are ranked by total points, then the number of tries scored and then points difference. At
308-616: Is a market town and community situated in the Neath Port Talbot County Borough , Wales . The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,258 in 2011. Historically in Glamorgan , the town is located on the River Neath , seven miles (eleven kilometres) east-northeast of Swansea . The town's English name ultimately derives from " Nedd "
352-516: Is appropriate for the WRU to receive any further public money until these changes are made. We need certainty that women are safe from horrific misogyny in rugby, as well as across society." Ieuan Evans is set to answer questions on the matter at the Senedd on 2 February 2023 from the Senedd's Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee. As of November 2023,
396-584: Is at Victoria Gardens, a five-minute walk from the railway station. National Express services call at the railway station. From Victoria Gardens, First Cymru provides direct inter-urban services to nearby Swansea and Port Talbot in addition to South Wales Transport who provide many similar local services. The A465 skirts the town to the north east and provides a link to the M4 . In 2008 plans were announced to regenerate around 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of land in and around Neath town centre. The site once occupied by
440-552: Is evident by a number of Celtic hill forts , surrounding the town. The Romans also recognised the area's strategic importance and built an Auxiliary Fort on the river's Western bank around 74 AD. Much of the site is on the grounds of Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive School but archaeological digs have also found gate-towers that extended out beyond the fort's walls (a feature unique in Roman Britain) and
484-608: Is that there is no written evidence, just oral repetition. On 12 March 1881, eleven clubs met in the Castle Hotel, Neath to form what would be accepted as a Welsh rugby union. After a humiliating defeat in the first Wales international rugby game, the Neath meeting was organised by Mullock to form a union that could organise regular international matches. The founding clubs of the Welsh Football Union (WFU), as it
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#1732794394253528-523: Is the governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales , recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby . The WRU is responsible for the running of rugby in Wales, overseeing 320 member clubs, the Welsh national team and National Leagues and Cups. The WRU is headed by the President ( Terry Cobner ), chairman (Richard Collier-Keywood) and CEO ( Abi Tierney ). The roots of
572-557: The Pro14 , European Professional Club Rugby ( Champions Cup and Challenge Cup ) and Anglo-Welsh Cup competitions. Each region may call up players from a set of club teams within their area. These top club sides play in the 14-strong Welsh Premier Division . In August 2008 WRU chief Roger Lewis confirmed that the body was looking at a proposal to reinstate a fifth Welsh region, based in North Wales. Lewis admitted that he regretted
616-548: The Provincial League but, because of local problems, a number of the "home" fixtures were raced at St Austell . The Dragons introduced the Australian rider Charlie Monk to British speedway. After a season at Long Eaton Archers , Monk went on to have considerable success at Glasgow . The team also featured South African Howdy Cornell. In the early 1960s there was also stock car racing held at Neath Abbey, opposite
660-599: The Welsh Language Society wrote to the WRU outlining a "lack of commitment to the Welsh language " and later held meetings to discuss the matter. In a statement to BBC Wales, a WRU spokesman said that it was reviewing its website and would be having more Welsh on the site. The current logo of the Welsh Rugby Union is based on the Prince of Wales's feathers . There have been multiple calls for
704-696: The electoral wards of Neath East , Neath North , Neath South and Cimla . For the House of Commons at Westminster, Neath and the surrounding area are part of the Neath constituency. As of 2021 , its Member of Parliament (MP) is Christina Rees of the Labour Party . In the Senedd , the Neath Senedd constituency is represented by Jeremy Miles ( Labour ), and by the wider South Wales West electoral region which returns four additional Members of
748-594: The English kings Henry II , John , and Edward I visited. Neath was a market town that expanded with the arrival of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century with new manufacturing industries of iron , steel and tinplate . The Mackworth family , who owned the Gnoll Estate were prominent in the town's industrial development. Coal was mined extensively in the surrounding valleys and
792-650: The Gnoll Park, and Neath Indoor Market . Neath hosted the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1918, 1934 and 1994. The Welsh Rugby Union was formed at a meeting held at the Castle Hotel in 1881. Neath Rugby Football Club , the famous and successful "Welsh All Blacks", play at The Gnoll . Motorcycle speedway was staged at the Abbey Stadium in Neath in 1962. The Welsh Dragons, led by New Zealander Trevor Redmond , raced with some success in
836-580: The Neath area and established a settlement in what is now known as Llantwit on the northern edge of the town. The church of St Illtyd was built at this settlement and was enlarged in Norman times. The Norman and pre-Norman church structure remains intact and active to day within the Church in Wales . The Welsh language name for Neath is Castell-nedd , referring to the Norman Neath Castle,
880-508: The Senedd (MSs). As with the rest of the British Isles , Neath experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters, often high winds, and low sunshine levels. Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive School is situated on the outskirts of the town, opposite a campus of NPTC Group (which was previously Neath Port Talbot College . Cefn Saeson Comprehensive School is in the village of Cimla . Two other comprehensive schools serve
924-587: The WRU to use a logo "more relevant to Wales" as the feathers are associated by some with the "English crown". Pro-independence group YesCymru created mock-up WRU logos using a leek, daffodil and harp instead of the three feathers. Using a Welsh dragon has also been proposed. The union's patron is Prince William , the current Prince of Wales . The naming of the Prince William Cup caused controversy in Wales in 2007, with petitions receiving more than 1,000 signatures calling for it to be named after
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#1732794394253968-654: The Welsh Rugby Union lay in the creation of the South Wales Football Union (SWFU) in September 1875; formed, "...with the intention of playing matches with the principal clubs in the West of England and the neighbourhood. The rugby rules will be the code adopted. The South Wales Football Club was superseded in 1878 by the South Wales Football Union in an attempt to bring greater regulation to the sport and to select representatives from club sides to represent
1012-499: The Welsh representatives at the formal signing of the union in 1887. It was not until 1934 that the current name, the Welsh Rugby Union, was adopted. The WRU are responsible for the running of Welsh rugby, including 320 member clubs, the Welsh national team and National Leagues and Cups. The Welsh Rugby Union has a major role in the development of coaches, referees and players throughout all ages for both men and women. They also own
1056-516: The club rugby leagues with SWALEC valued at £1 million (GBP). The initial three year sponsorship was extended at the end of the 2010/11 season, making SWALEC the league sponsors until 2015. The leagues sponsored are the WRU Divisions one through to seven. Llanybydder were deducted 8 points for playing and then winning a match with an ineligible player Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union ( WRU ; Welsh : Undeb Rygbi Cymru )
1100-586: The construction of canals and railways made Neath a major transportation centre and the Evans and Bevan families were major players in the local coal mining community as well as owning the Vale of Neath Brewery. Silica was mined in the Craig-y-Dinas area of Pontneddfechan , after Quaker entrepreneur William Weston Young invented the blast furnace silica firebrick , later moving brick production from
1144-656: The decision in 2004 to close down Celtic Warriors . In September 2008 a new North Wales Rugby development team was announced, likely to be based in Wrexham ; ultimately, the team was launched as RGC 1404 , and was to be based in Colwyn Bay instead of Wrexham. In the same month Llanelli Scarlets changed their name to simply Scarlets , believing the new name would better represent their region beyond Llanelli . The current Rugby Services Agreement (or RSA) has been in place since 28 August 2014, and will be in place between
1188-569: The end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned as champion. If points are equal the tries scored then points difference determines the winner. The team who is declared champion at the end of the season is eligible for promotion to the WRU Division Two West . The two lowest placed teams are relegated into the WRU Division Four West . In 2008 the Welsh Rugby Union announced a new sponsorship deal for
1232-443: The home of Welsh rugby union, the 74,500 capacity Millennium Stadium , Cardiff, "an icon of the modern Wales". After the national team the next highest level of representation in Wales is the four regions based around top club sides, but representing a larger area. These regions came into being in 2003 when the WRU elected to reduce the current top tier of Welsh professional rugby union from nine clubs into five regions modelled on
1276-604: The international game. The SWFU though were poorly organised, and although they arranged fixtures between a South Wales team and various English clubs, they were often victims of fixture-clashes and were accused of lacking energy. In 1880, Richard Mullock , secretary of the Newport Athletic Club, decided to take matters into his own hands and without the backing of the SWFU organised an international match against England . The match took place on 19 February 1881, and
1320-521: The late Ray Gravell instead. In January 2023, a BBC Wales investigation included multiple former WRU employees who made allegations of a "toxic culture" in the workplace of the WRU. Later that week, Steve Phillips resigned as the chief executive officer of the WRU and was replaced by Nigel Walker . WRU chair Ieuan Evans said that an external taskforce would be established to deal with the allegations. In response to this news, Plaid Cymru Senedd member, Heledd Fychan said: "Steve Phillips' position
1364-600: The monastery Neath Athletic A.F.C. was the town's largest football team, playing at Neath RFC 's ground, The Gnoll, and played in the top flight of Welsh football , the Welsh Premier League , until the club was wound up in 2012. In the 2006–07 season, Neath Athletic A.F.C. were promoted from the Welsh Football League First Division to the Welsh Premier League. Neath Athletic A.F.C. had an average of 300 supporters attending
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1408-477: The new RSA. The new agreement also allows players to be offered a National Dual Contract (NDC), which means the union will pay 60% of a NDC player's salary and their region 40%. They also become available for all Welsh senior matches, despite if the match falls outside World Rugby 's international release windows in June and November. The WRU retained the right to play up to 13 senior international games each year with
1452-449: The organised approach of the report has been noted as being too political for rugby union. After the publication of the findings of the report, the WRU was forced to change the personnel on an executive level in the WRU, involving the appointment of a first female Chief Executive, Abi Tierney , and Richard Collier-Keywood as the new WRU chair. Position no longer exists Neath Neath ( / n iː θ / ; Welsh : Castell-nedd )
1496-628: The original Welsh name for the River Neath and is known to be Celtic or Pre-Celtic . A meaning of 'shining' or 'brilliant' has been suggested, as has a link to the older Indo-European root *-nedi (simply meaning 'river'). As such, the town may share its etymology with the town of Stratton, Cornwall and the River Nidd in Northern England. The town is located at a ford of the River Neath and its strategic situation
1540-619: The presence of the club, or if Neath RFC actually did not attend. The fact that two of the main committee members of the SWFU, John Llewellyn and Sam Clark were Neath men, and the creation of the WFU disbanded their union, is generally accepted as the reason for the absence of a Neath representative. The WRU was a founding member of the International Rugby Football Board, now known as World Rugby , in 1886 with Scotland and Ireland , with Mullock and Horace Lyne
1584-549: The previous civic centre was to be redeveloped as a new shopping centre. The area around the Milland Road Industrial Estate and with the area around the Neath Canal were also to be redeveloped. The proposals included an "iconic" golden rugby ball-shaped museum, a library, heritage centre and other new facilities. In March 2008, the county's new radio station, Afan FM , announced plans to install
1628-525: The son of the landlord of the Castle Hotel, served as a Royal Marines officer with Nelson aboard HMS Victory in the Battle of Trafalgar . The River Neath is a navigable estuary and Neath was a river port until recent times. The heavy industries are no more; the town is now a commercial and tourism centre. Attractions for visitors are the ruins of the Cistercian Neath Abbey ,
1672-599: The successful Irish provinces and the Super Rugby franchises in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand . The WRU had hoped to reduce the teams to four regions but Cardiff and Llanelli successfully argued for stand-alone status. After one year the Celtic Warriors region was closed down and the four surviving regional clubs are Cardiff Blues , Scarlets , Ospreys and Newport Gwent Dragons . They play in
1716-745: The town: Llangatwg Comprehensive School in Cadoxton and Ysgol Bae Baglan in Baglan . Neath railway station is on the South Wales Main Line . Great Western Railway and Transport for Wales serve the station with services westbound to Swansea , Carmarthen and the West Wales Line and eastbound to Port Talbot Parkway , Bridgend , Cardiff Central and London Paddington . Trains also run via Hereford and Shrewsbury to Crewe and Manchester Piccadilly . Neath bus station
1760-539: The union and the four Welsh regions ( Cardiff Blues , Newport Gwent Dragons , Ospreys and Scarlets ) for six years. The RSA delivers £8.7million a year to the Regions guaranteed to be spent on Welsh qualified players with a complex matrix of funding, also guaranteeing a further £3.6million in loan facilities from the WRU repayable during the term of the RSA. Each Region also receives a one-off £500,000 payment on signature of
1804-471: The works at Pontwalby to the Green in Neath. The town continued as a market trading centre with a municipal cattle market run by W.B. Trick. Industrial development continued throughout the 20th century with the construction by BP of a new petroleum refinery at Llandarcy . Admiral Lord Nelson stayed at the Castle Hotel en route to Milford Haven when the fleet was at anchor there. Lt. Lewis Roatley,
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1848-421: Was originally known, were Swansea C & FC , Pontypool RFC , Newport RFC , Merthyr RFC , Llanelli RFC , Bangor RFC , Brecon RFC , Cardiff RFC , Lampeter RFC , Llandovery RFC and Llandeilo RFC . Strangely the oldest rugby club in Wales, Neath RFC are not recorded as being present, even though the meeting took place in the town of Neath. It is unknown if this was an oversight by the committee to record
1892-462: Was untenable, and I welcome today's news that he has stepped aside. It is the right action to take after the abject failure of the WRU to date to deal with very serious allegations of misogyny and sexism that were seemingly known to him and others. "Nigel Walker's appointment as Acting CEO must signal the beginning and not the end of the significant structural and cultural changes needed at the WRU. "The Welsh Government should now consider whether it
1936-660: Was won by England seven goals, one dropped goal and six tries to nil. This heavy defeat lay the seeds for further reforms that would lead to the creation of the WRU. Currently, there is confusion regarding the official date of creation of the Welsh Rugby Union. In March 1880 nine teams supposedly met at the Tenby Hotel, Swansea with the intent of creating a new union. These teams are thought to have been, Cardiff RFC , Chepstow RFC , Haverfordwest RFC , Llandaff RFC , Llanelli RFC , Neath RFC , Newport RFC , Pontypridd RFC and Swansea RFC . The issue with accepting this meeting
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