Cross Keys RFC (Welsh: Clwb Rygbi Pont-y-Cymer) is a rugby union club located in the Welsh village of Crosskeys. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union, and is a feeder club for the Dragons regional team.[2]

Cross Keys RFC
Full nameCross Keys Rugby Football Club
Nickname(s)The Keys
Founded1885; 139 years ago (1885)[1]
LocationCrosskeys, Wales
Ground(s)Pandy Park (Capacity: 3,000)
PresidentWales Terry Howell
Coach(es)Wales Morgan Stoddart
Wales Greg Woods
Wales Gewsyn Price-Jones
Captain(s)Corey Nicholls
League(s)Welsh Premier Division
2023-2024Welsh Championship East - 3rd (promoted)
Team kit
Official website
www.crosskeysrfc.com

History

edit
 
Cross Keys RFC, Stade Bergeyre, France, 1 November 1921

The club achieved first class-status in 1909, winning the Monmouthshire league three times.[citation needed]

By 1920 the team had their first international player, when Steve Morris won a cap for Wales. Morris would win 19 caps and captained Wales in 1925.[3] Caps followed during the 1920s for Ossie Male and Lonza Bowdler, both returned over several seasons for Wales, facing not only Five Nations Championships but also touring teams.

In 1926 Cross Keys RFC found themselves in dire financial trouble, and requested help from the Welsh Rugby Union. The WRU refused an appeal for a cash loan, but instead agreed to send the Welsh national team to play in an exhibition match at Pandy Park. The sell-out crowd assured Cross Keys future and resulted in an historic win for the home team thirteen points to eight.[4]

Rugby observers have noted the high level of talent in the Cross Keys pack, and criticised the fact they went under represented in the national team during the 1920s[5] and 1930s.[6]

Cross Keys reached the final of the 2011–12 British and Irish Cup, losing to Munster A.[7] Cross Keys won their first Swalec Cup, defeating table topping Pontypridd at the Millennium Stadium in 2012.[8]

Club honours

edit
  • Welsh Club Champions - 1921–22, 1935–36
  • Welsh Division One Champions - 1992–93,[9] 1999–00[9]
  • British and Irish Cup Runners-Up - 2011–12
  • Swalec Cup Winners - 2011–12
  • Swalec Cup Runners-Up - 2013–14
  • Welsh Premier Division Runners-Up - 2013–2014
  • WRU Admiral Championship East Promotion (3rd) - 2023-24

Current squad

edit

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
John Lavender Prop   Wales
Leon Brown Prop   Wales
Lewis Pryce-Jones Prop   Wales
Richard Cornock Prop   Wales
Jordan Rogers Prop   Wales
Jake Wisniewski Prop   Poland
Aaron Dowse Prop   Wales
Nathan Huish Hooker   Wales
Connah Vaughan Hooker   Wales
Connah Hughes Hooker   Wales
Chris Davies Hooker   Wales
Louis Tovey Hooker   Wales
Josh Wall Lock   Wales
Kiaran Lewis Lock   Wales
Osian Rowe Lock   Wales
Matthew Hall Lock   Wales
Brian Feeney Lock   Wales
Callum Hague Lock   Wales
Tom Lampard Lock   Wales
Harvey Reader Lock   Wales
Sam Taylor Flanker   Wales
Jake Davies Flanker   Wales
Jack Davies Flanker   Wales
Alfy Johnson Flanker   Wales
Ashley Gibson Flanker   Wales
Morgan Koloi Flanker   Wales
Will Gregory Flanker   Wales
Chris Johnsey Flanker   Wales
Lewis Robey Number 8   Wales
Joe Thomas Number 8   Wales
Kobi Rees Number 8   Wales
Player Position Union
Dan Babos Scrum-half   Wales
Dan Buffrey Scrum-half   Wales
Zach Bartlett Scrum-half   Wales
Sam Ireland Scrum-half   Wales
Harri Ford Fly-half   Wales
Ben Murphy Fly-half   Wales
Drew Musa Fly-half   Wales
Owain Davies Fly-half   Wales
Kieran Vodden Centre   Wales
Alec Jones Centre   Wales
Kellan Nicholls Centre   Wales
Tom Sullivan Centre   Wales
Liam Thomas Centre   Wales
Corey Nicholls Centre   Wales
Adam Tetley Centre   Wales
Ralph Miller Wing   Wales
James Smith Wing   Wales
Lawrence Donnelly Wing   Wales
Josh Congreve Wing   Wales
Will Rees Wing   Wales
Walker Price Wing   Wales
Tom Gillespie Wing   Wales
Tom Davies Wing   Wales
Callum Tomsa Fullback   Wales
Ben Elliott Fullback   Wales
Jake Hillman Fullback   Wales
Morgan Johns Fullback   Wales

Notable former players

edit

The following list is made up of ex-Cross Keys players who have all won international caps as either a rugby union or rugby league player.

See also Category:Cross Keys RFC players

Games played against international opposition

edit
Year Date Opponent Result Score Tour
1985 9 October   Fiji Loss 12-26 1985 Fiji rugby union tour of Wales and Ireland[17]
2022 2 November   Poland Loss 37-12 2022 Rugby Europe Championship Preparations [18] [19]

Past Season Performance

edit

2006/06-2009/10

Season League Finish Number of Teams
2006-07 Premiership 13th 14
2007-08 Premiership 11th 15
2008-09 Premiership 9th 14
2009-10 Premiership 10th 14

2010/11-2019/20

Season League Finish Number of Teams
2010-11 Premiership 6th 14
2011-12 Premiership 6th 14
2012-13 Premiership 5th 12
2013-14 Premiership 3rd 12
2014-15 Premiership 3rd 12
2015-16 Premiership 4th 12
2016-17 Premiership 12th 16
2017-18 Premiership 11th 16
2018-19 Premiership 14th 16
2019-20 Championship 7th 14

2020/21-

Season League Finish Number of Teams
2020-21 COVID-19
2021-22 Championship 7th 14
2022-23 Championship 8th 14
2023-24 Championship East 3rd 12
2024-25 Premiership TBC 13

References

edit
  1. ^ The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales page 178, John Davies, Nigel Jenkins, Menna Baines and Peredur Lynch (2008) ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6
  2. ^ BBC News (2004-07-08). "Wales' regional rugby map". BBC. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  3. ^ A Century of Welsh Rugby Players 1890-1980, Wayne Thomas; Ansells (1979) pg.61
  4. ^ The Rugby Clubs of Wales pp149, David Parry-Jones (1989) ISBN 0-09-173850-4
  5. ^ Smith (1980), pg 259.
  6. ^ Smith (1980), pg 282.
  7. ^ "BBC Sport - British and Irish Cup: Cross Keys 20-16 Cornish Pirates". BBC Sport.
  8. ^ "Swalec Cup: Cross Keys 32-19 Pontypridd". BBC Sport. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  9. ^ a b "- the history of rugby through its competitions". Archived from the original on 2013-12-07. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  10. ^ Smith (1980), pg 463.
  11. ^ Smith (1980), pg 466.
  12. ^ a b Smith (1980), pg 469.
  13. ^ a b Smith (1980), pg 471.
  14. ^ a b Smith (1980), pg 472.
  15. ^ Smith (1980), pg 473.
  16. ^ Smith (1980), pg 474.
  17. ^ Stephen Jones, ed. (1986). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1986-87. Queen Anne Press. p. 38. ISBN 0-356-12361-8.
  18. ^ https://community.wru.wales/2022/11/03/stoddart-steals-away-win-at-pandy-park-as-poles-triumph/ [bare URL]
  19. ^ https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/sport/23099522.cross-keys-beaten-poland-pandy-park-friendly/ [bare URL]

Bibliography

edit
  • Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3.
edit