Our History

Newbridge RFC was "born" in 1888 and gained admission to the WRU 24 years later in 1911. This delay was due to difficulties in the Club being able to obtain a suitable ground and the facilities to go with it. However, by 1925 home at The Welfare was found and a lease was obtained for 99 years at 1s a year! A new pavilion had also been constructed at this time.

To this day, The Welfare Ground remains our home, although this is not exclusively as we do share it with the cricket team (well the pitch at least!). In the time that the Club has occupied this part of Newbridge, there have been quite a few changes there, mostly because we are now on our third Clubhouse! Boilers exploding and fires breaking out being the main cause of the problems with all the previous other Clubhouses.

On the field, Newbridge have been pioneers of a number of well know rugby traits, most of which were brought to fruition by the pioneering coach Dai Harries during his tenure as Club Coach in the Sixties. Most recognisbly, these are; the tap signal from the hooker to the scrum half to feed the scrum, the formation of a wall for the taking of penalties and we are also one of the first Club's to introduce the Hooker as the man to throw the ball into the lineout. It was during Dai's reign as coach that the Club enjoyed its most successful period as in the 1964/65 season, the team captured the Western Mail Championship to be crowned champions of Wales.

Newbridge has a proud history as a first class club and the people dedicated to this club have worked hard to achieve and maintain this status. Newbridge have produced some fine teams with exciting backs and hard powerful forwards. With more hard work and dedication I am sure this standing will continue to flourish both on and off the field and this will be particularly important as we settle into the regional age in Wales.

Information from "An Illustrated History of Newbridge RFC" Edited by Terry Powell

Previous International Players

Andy Gibbs  
   

 Andy Allen
  
 
Paul Turner


Kenny Waters


Clive Davis
  
Billy Gore 
     

Dennis Hughes 
     

Derek Morgan 
   

Ken Braddock
  

Don Haywood