North Wales Rugby (Welsh: Rygbi Gogledd Cymru) was a representative rugby union team representing Wales. They competed annually in the Welsh County Championship and represented the region against international touring teams including Tonga, Romania, Japan and Western Samoa.

North Wales
Full nameNorth Wales Rugby Union
Nickname(s)The Gogs
LocationNorth Wales
Ground(s)Various

At age grade level they competed twice against the touring New Zealand under-21 side.

The first notable player from North Wales was D.M.Johnston of the ship school HMS Conway on Anglesey, who toured South Africa in 1956 with Welsh Schoolboys. The tour party, who lost one game on the eight match tour, included Clive Rowlands who went on to gain senior Wales caps.

In December 2009 at a Welsh Rugby Union press conference held at Ruthin Castle they were formally replaced by the new developmental regional rugby union team for north Wales RGC 1404.[1]

Partial list of games played against international opposition

edit
Year Date Opponent Venue Result Score Tour
1974 21 September   Tonga Rhyl Win 12–3 1974 Tonga rugby union tour[2]
1979 29 September   Romania Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay Loss 15–38 1979 Romania rugby union tour of Wales[3]
1988 19 October   Samoa Wrexham Loss 12–24 1988 Western Samoa rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland

North Wales international players

edit

[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ A History of North Wales Rugby
  2. ^ Jenkins, Vivian, ed. (1975). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1975-76. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 32. ISBN 0362002215.
  3. ^ Jenkins, Vivian, ed. (1980). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1980-81. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 51. ISBN 0362020183.
  4. ^ "WRU RECOGNISES CONTRIBUTION OF NORTH WALES". Welsh Rugby Union. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2020.