An exhibition that traces the development of rugby in Neath and Wales and highlights some of the wonderful moments in the 125 year history of the Welsh Rugby Union. The  exhibition was sited at the Neath Museum on 1st March 2006. There are two ways in which to view the exhibition. See below for these. Also there's a quiz  to test your knowledge. If you really fancy yourself as a rugby expert why not take the quiz before viewing the exhibition, otherwise please try the quiz at the end of the exhibition............

TAKE THE FULL TOUR

Click on the link below to take the full tour of the exhibition. Each page starts with the case as displayed in the exhibition, scroll down the page for a closer view of each item and additional information. The estimated time of the full tour is between 1 - 2 hours. 

TAKE THE FULL TOUR - CLICK HERE

BROWSE THE EXHIBITION

Scroll down on this page Click on any item which you would like to learn more about. A new page will open and you can view this item in detail. Close that page once you have finished viewing that item. Scroll down to browse the items in the exhibition.

TAKE THE QUIZ - CLICK HERE

The origin of Rugby Football it's spread to Wales and the formation of the Welsh Football Union  

History of the cap, story of the Maltese Cross, the international cap

Development of the ball

Development of the boot

Early Neath rugby

 Modern Neath rugby 1950s +

Wales v New Zealand 16th December 1905

Great Welsh Victories 1

Great Welsh Victories 2

Wales & the British Lions

The Welsh Rugby Union in Neath

2005 Grand Slam

Schools Rugby

Women's Rugby

Some Welsh players & personalities

Miscellaneous memorabilia loaned by Neath RFC and members of the public

LLANELLI 1888-89

Modern Print of

Gradidge advert 1912

Modern Print of

Bryan's advert 1896

Modern Print of

'King of All Football Boot' advert 1896

Modern Print of

'Perrins & Burke' advert 1910

NEATH 3pts - SOUTH AFRICA 8pts

 "L.A.C." special correspondent of the “ Cape Town Times” ( January 8th, 1913 ) :-

 "The Welsh international .... took rank as the most unpleasant of the tour until Neath was visited.  Yesterday, I witnessed the foulest and dirtiest football that I have ever seen and heard the most unsportsmanlike, bigoted, partisan and ignorant lot of spectators giving tongue, like a pack of yelping dogs right through the game, abusing in the vilest language the referee and our players and by their conduct directly contributing to the rotten football and the unpleasant recollection of Welsh football and Welsh manners that we shall carry back with us to South Africa.

 The alleged sportsmen of Neath .... care nothing for the game, or the way it is played, providing that their own team wins.

ARTHUR ‘MONKEY’ GOULD

Arthur Gould was Welsh rugby's first super star. He was the man who put Wales on the rugby map. When he began playing for Wales in 1885, it was only her 8th international and only two wins had been recorded. When he finally retired from international rugby in 1897, Wales had won her first Triple Crown; Welsh clubs were regularly beating English, Scottish and Irish opponents; and the players who were to usher in the first Golden Era were starting to take their place in the national XV.

Modern Photographic Print of

1904 autographed British Lions photo 

ALBERT FREETHY’S INVINCIBLES

Albert Freethy’s ‘Invincibles’ was a side composed mostly of of Neath boys who had played in a local schools league and had been invincible in the Dewar Shield schools rugby competition in 1922 and 1923. Freethy kept the side together, and they became renowned throughout South Wales . A noted disciplinarian, the autocratic Freethy instructed his boys in technique on the field, and tactics on the blackboard. They played exciting, attacking, running rugby. In their first full season, 1922-23, they played on the Gnoll and made £100 for Neath and £700 for charities. They went undefeated for four years, and their backs - Trevor Walters, hailed as another Percy Bush at fly-half, Sam Bates and Griff Bevan at centre, Howie Jones and Arthur Hickman on the wings - were easily the peer of the best in senior football. In February 1925 they met a star-studded Christ College, Brecon, side at the Gnoll, and beet them 6 - 3 in front of a crowd of 5,000. In February 1926, they beat Llandovery 18 - 4, Christ College 18 - 5 within a week. Such was the success, and the attractiveness, of Freethy's brilliant youngsters that friction developed with the Neath club. Neath understandably, wanted to include some of them on its own side, but Freethy felt that 'the spirit of Welsh rugby was not that it should be', and asked to be allowed to keep his side together for a couple more seasons; were he to release a few now, the whole side would disintegrate. Smarting at Freethy's refusal, Neath refused him the use of the Gnoll, but playing at Cwrt Herbert, the 'Invincibles' still drew larger crowds than the town team.

(Extract from Smith & Williams “Fields of Praise” Centenary History of the Welsh Rugby Union )

Modern Print of

Gilbert advert 1928

Modern Print of

Kangaroo Hide Boot 1934

Modern Print of

'Abbo Boots' advert 1922

‘HOWEL DAVIES’

A painting presented by his friends from Skewen to Howel Davies, the Neath player won two Welsh caps in 1912 before going ‘North’ in the same year.

click for larger image

This is the first Neath Schools team to win the premier schools tournament in Wales, the ‘Dewar Shield’ One of the players is quite fashion conscious and is 100 years ahead of his time, he may be related to a famous Welsh player of the 2005 Grand Slam side. Can you see which player we are talking about. 

This photo was taken on April 1^st 1906 .

TO PURCHASE THIS PRINT - CLICK HERE

signed print

Wales v South Africa 1999. 

THANK YOU FOR TAKING PART IN THE QUIZ. HOW DID YOU DO, ARE YOU A GENIUS  ? WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE EXHIBITION. WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU. PLEASE EMAIL YOUR QUIZ RESULT, COMMENTS AND THOUGHTS.

  CLICK HERE TO EMAIL THE WORLD RUGBY MUSEUM