Wales national rugby union team Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Welsh national rugby team represent Wales at the nation's national sport of rugby union, being the highest level of Welsh rugby. They are sometimes known as The Dragons (not to be confused with the Newport Gwent Dragons, a regional Welsh rugby team).
Wales compete annually in the Six Nations Championship (which they have won 22 times outright) and in the World Cup every four years (best result so far: 3rd in 1987), which they also hosted in 1999. They also form a quarter of the British and Irish Lions.
Historically, Wales have been known as one of the best rugby teams, with the key players of their 1970s team in particular being acknowledged as some of the best in the history of the game. Many poor results in the 1990s however have hurt that reputation.
The Welsh supporters have a reputation for being amongst the most fanatical in the rugby world, making the Millennium Stadium, the team's home ground, a particularly intimidating place.
History
The Early Years (1881 - 1919)
The Welsh Rugby Union was formed in 1881 in Neath, Glamorganshire, initially in order to organise an international match against England. This match was played at Blackheath on 19th February 1881 and resulted in a landslide win for the English, so much so that a return fixture the following year was refused by the Rugby Football Union of England.
However, Rugby Union in Wales quickly developed and by the turn of the century Wales were one of the most feared teams in international rugby, winning the (then) British Championship six times and finishing runners-up six times in its first twelve years. They were even dubbed the unofficial World Champions after being the only team to beat a touring New Zealand side in 1905. In 1911 Wales earned the first official Grand Slam by winning all their matches in the British Championship; unfortunately they would wait nearly forty years for a second.
Post War Years (1920 - 1969)
The post-World War I years saw the fortunes of the Welsh team and the WRU match that of the economy. With major recession in the area during the 1920s, many families moved away, including those of top rugby players. Some were drawn to the North of England where they could play Rugby League professionally. A resurgence of both economy and rugby would follow as in 1931 Wales won their first championship for nine years and in 1933 beat England at Twickenham for the first time.
After a seven-year gap during the Second World War, Wales again suffered several uninspiring years before winning Grand Slams in 1950 and 1952, followed by another win over the touring All Blacks in 1953. It was during these years that the Cardiff Arms Park was officially adopted as the home of Welsh Rugby Union.
The 1960s were a less successful decade in terms of results for Welsh Rugby but perhaps was the most crucial to date as it prepared the way for future success through a great coaching revolution. The WRU Coaching Committee was set up in the late 1950s but it wasn't until a series of defeats, punctuated by a mauling in Durban, South Africa, forced the WRU's hand. Coaches were selected and trained and the first national coach -- David Nash -- was appointed in 1968. A further seminal moment in the 1960s was the debut of the promising Gareth Edwards against France in Paris on 1 April 1967; he would become Wales' youngest captain during the 1969 Triple Crown season at only 20 years old.
The Golden Age (1970 - 1987)
Lead by Edwards, the Welsh team of the 1970s has gone down in history as quite possibly the best International Rugby Union team of all time. Dominant in the Northern Hemisphere and regular victors against touring Southern Hemisphere sides, the team's record speaks for itself. Five Five Nations titles, three Grand Slams and five Triple Crowns were claimed, nine out of ten matches against England were won, eight of ten against Scotland, seven and a draw from nine against Ireland, with only France offering a real threat winning three and gaining a draw against the Welsh in 10 outings. That great Welsh team included the likes of JPR Williams, Phil Bennett, Gerald Davies, Ray Gravell, JJ Williams and of course Gareth Edwards.
In 1982, Scotland finally ended Wales' record 27-match unbeaten run in the Five Nations Championship, and over the next five years other countries began to catch up with Wales, especially in the forwards department.
Wales were still a major force by the time the first official Rugby World Cup was held in 1987. A good win against arch-rivals England in the quarterfinals saw Wales taking on tournament co-hosts and favourites, the All Blacks of New Zealand. Wales lost a close match but managed to beat a strong Australia side to claim third place, their best ever finish to this day.
The 1987 World Cup saw the end to a number of Welsh Rugby careers and also to the dominating era of the 1970s and 80s. A resurgence and refinancing of Rugby League in the North of England saw a record number of top players move into the professional game. Calls for Rugby Union to become professional had been ignored for a number of years previously and they would only get stronger as the 1990s grew on and the defections continued.
Indeed, the 90s were Wales' darkest period so far in rugby terms. A decimated Welsh side suffered Five Nations championship whitewashes in 1990 and 1991, and in the 1991 Rugby World Cup were knocked out in the group phase by the then little-known Western Samoa.
A first Five Nations championship for years was won in 1994; however a further pool stage elimination was to follow in the 1995, this time courtesy of a combination of New Zealand and Ireland.
The late 90s saw a small resurgence in the Welsh game as Rugby Union finally relented and turned professional. A 10-match unbeaten run under Graham Henry saw Wales enter as host nation into the 1999 Rugby World Cup with renewed confidence. However, quarter final defeat was all the realists expected, and that became reality when Wales lost a competitive match to the eventual champions Australia. A runner-up spot by Cardiff in the inaugural European Rugby Cup offered something in the way of progress on a club level; however, that was not followed up by further success.
Further defeats led to perhaps the biggest ever shake-up of Welsh rugby in 2003. Five new regional teams were formed, loosely based around the areas of Cardiff (Cardiff Blues); Newport/Ebbw Vale (Gwent Dragons); Swansea/Neath (Neath-Swansea Ospreys); the South Wales Valleys (Celtic Warriors); and West Wales (Llanelli Scarlets).
Wales were completely written-off as competitors as they entered the 2003 Rugby World Cup under new coach Steve Hansen but managed to distinguish themselves by running New Zealand, and the eventual winners of the tournament, England, close in two of the best matches of the tournament.The Modern Era (1990-2004)
Wales play in scarlet jerseys with (currently) black shorts (traditionally, white shorts are worn). The shirt has an emblem of three feathers.
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