Team facts

Representing Wales in international rugby union tournaments is the Wales national rugby union team. Wales first played internationally in 1881 against England, and every year, they compete against England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland in the Six Nations Championship, in which they have won 24 times outright. In their first golden age between 1900 and 1911, they defeated the All Blacks in a famous match in 1905, while they experienced another golden age from 1969 to 1980, when they won eight Five Nations Championships. They achieved their best ever result in the 1987 Rugby World Cup when they placed third, and also won Six Nations Grand Slam titles in 2005 and 2008. Some of the biggest achievers in Wales rugby are Frank Hancock, rugby's first fourth threequarter player; International Rugby Hall of Famer Gwyn Nicholls, who was known as the 'Prince of Threequarters'; and Gareth Edwards, who is described as the greatest rugby player of all time.