How much do you know about North Wales Rugby?

Rugby stirs passions in many, with both rugby union and rugby league matches to enjoy throughout the season. If you are in North Wales, the heart of rugby can be found at Eirias Park (or Parc Eirias) in Colwyn Bay.

How to get to Eirias Park

The address is Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, LL29 7SP. This is very close to the coastline, so you can take the A55 North Wales Expressway from the east or west. Exit for the A547, which runs through Colwyn Bay to the west and Old Colwyn to the east. From the south, Llanrwst Road or Llanelian Road would take you up towards the area.

Note that the stadium’s official name is Stadiwm Zip World, which makes it easier to find on a map.

The stadium plays host to North Wales rugby matches

The stadium originally opened in 1933, so it has seen plenty of action over the years. Since its redevelopment in 2011, the stadium has hosted various sporting events and concerts. Its standard capacity is 6,080 people, while this can be increased to 15,000 for concerts.

Who plays at the stadium?

Two rugby teams are based at the Eirias Park stadium:

• Wales U20 (the national under 20s team)
• RGC 1404 (Rygbi Gogledd Cymru, the regional team for North Wales)

News of RGC 1404’s next fixtures for home and away matches can be found on their official website.

What else do you know about the regional North Wales rugby team?

The team was only formed in 2008, so it is still quite young compared with certain other teams. At the time of writing, they play in the Welsh Premier Division. Before their promotion to the Premier Division in the 2015-16 season, the played in the Welsh Championship.

Before the current RGC 1404 team was created, an amateur team had played in North Wales, participating in matches for over five decades. The professional team was part of the ongoing drive to develop rugby union in North Wales.

One of their most notable achievements thus far was to win the WRU Challenge Cup in 2017. They beat opponents Pontypridd 15-11 in the Millennium Stadium (now Principality Stadium) in Cardiff. This remains their only final appearance to date.

Inspiring the community

The official website for the North Wales rugby team states that they wish to “inspire our community” – not just on the rugby field but off it. An admirable endeavour.