 | |||
| Full name | Newport Rugby Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Union | Welsh Rugby Union | ||
| Nickname(s) | Black & Ambers | ||
| Founded | 1874[1] | ||
| Location | Newport, Wales | ||
| Ground(s) | Newport Stadium, Newport (Capacity: 5,058) | ||
| Chairman | Will Godfrey | ||
| Coach(es) | Craig Warlow | ||
| Captain(s) | Adam Brown | ||
| Most caps | David Waters, 702 | ||
| Top scorer | Daniel Griffiths, 1,551 | ||
| Most tries | Arthur Gould, 159 | ||
| League(s) | Super Rygbi Cymru | ||
| 2023-2024 | Indigo Group Premiership, 2nd | ||
| |||
Newport Rugby Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Rygbi Casnewydd) is a Welsh rugby union club based in the city of Newport, Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Premier Division. Until 2021 Newport RFC were based at Rodney Parade situated on the east bank of the River Usk.
Every major rugby union touring team to visit Wales has played at Rodney Parade, and all of them were beaten at least once in the twentieth century by a side who, in 1951, played in the match at Cardiff RFC that attracted what was, a world-record crowd of 48,500 for a rugby union match between two clubs.[2]
In addition to matches against all the major national sides a highlight of the Newport season was the annual match against the Barbarians, ensuring that the Newport fans enjoyed watching world-class players to supplement the Welsh internationals who were a common feature of the 'Black and Ambers'.
Newport supplied over 150 players to the Wales national team and international players to England, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Czech Republic, Canada and Fiji as well as over 80 Barbarians.
Following the regionalisation of Welsh rugby in 2003, Newport RFC are now a feeder club to the Dragons regional team.
In March 2017, sale of Rodney Parade to the Welsh Rugby Union was agreed following a vote of Newport RFC shareholders.[3] The takeover was completed on 27 June 2017 and work started to install a hybrid grass pitch for the 2017–18 rugby and football season.[4]
In October 2021 Newport RFC relocated their home matches to Newport Stadium whilst agreeing with the WRU to play two matches per season at Rodney Parade.[5]
- ^ The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. John Davies, Nigel Jenkins, Menna Baines and Peredur Lynch (2008) pp782 ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6
- ^ Parry-Jones, David (1989). The Rugby Clubs of Wales. p. 96. ISBN 0-09-173850-4.
- ^ WRU buy Rodney Parade.
- ^ "Tough start fine by Exiles boss as pitch work is set to begin". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
- ^ Newport RFC relocate to Newport Stadium