With all fourWelsh regions touring to South Africa over the next two weekends in theVodacom United Rugby Championship, profiles on each team have been provided for the South African fans about their visitors from the north. Background on eachregion with historical and current-day context below. 

CARDIFF RUGBY

Where is the team based?
They play their home games in the Welsh capital of Cardiff, right in the citycentre at the Arms Park, which is alongside the Principality Stadium. For threeyears, they moved to the bigger Cardiff City football stadium, but returned totheir traditional home in 2012.

Who is the coach?
Former Wales and British & Irish Lions prop Dai Young is in his secondspell in charge. He was first at the helm from 2002 to 2011, winning theAnglo-Welsh Cup and European Challenge Cup in successive seasons towards theend of his reign. He then spent nine years with Wasps before returning toCardiff as director of rugby at the start of 2021.

Who are the key players?
Thomas Young
Like his father Dai, flanker Thomas is back at the Arms Park after a lengthyspell at Wasps, where he established himself as one of the most consistentopensides in the English Premiership. The 30-year-old, who has won four capsfor Wales, has made a big impact since rejoining over the summer. He’s mademore tackles (109) than any other player in the Vodacom URC this season and is secondwhen it comes to turnovers won, with 7.

Rey Lee Lo
The Samoan international centre ranks as one of the best overseas signings everto come into Welsh rugby. Since arriving from New Zealand’s Hurricanes in 2015he has proved an absolute class act and has been a strong contender for theleague’s team of the season multiple times. He’s 36 now but is still deliveringthe goods with his priceless ability to make an outside break and hisoffloading game.

James Botham
The grandson of cricketing legend Sir Ian Botham is maintaining the familytradition by forging his own successful sporting path. Born in Cardiff when hisdad Liam was playing on the wing at the Arms Park, James joined the club afterbeing schooled in England and has nine Welsh caps to his name. He is leadingthe Vodacom URC turnover chart with 10 and his ability to play right across the backrow makes him hugely valuable.

What’s the heritage of the team?
Some of the greatest players in Welsh and even world rugby history have wornthe Cardiff colours, notably Gareth Edwards, Barry John, Gerald Davies, TerryHolmes and the legendary Jonah Lomu, while more recent times have seen thelikes of Sam Warburton, Jamie Roberts and Gethin Jenkins don the shirt. Theclub was founded in 1876 and has recorded victories over South Africa, NewZealand and Australia. It retained standalone status when Welsh rugby wentregional in 2003, being re-branded as Cardiff Blues, but the Blues name has nowbeen dropped to emphasise the club’s history and tradition, with the CardiffRugby title being adopted.

What’s the story of their season so far?
There’s been a significant improvement on last term when they finished 14th inthe Vodacom URC with just seven victories out of 18 games. They have won four of theirseven matches so far this season to install themselves as the leading Welshside in the competition, lying in sixth place. Ending the 15-match unbeaten runof reigning champions the Stormers on a euphoric evening at the Arms Park hasbeen the high spot so far.

Did you know
The club initially played in a piratical all-black strip adorned with a skulland crossbones, but following complaints the colours were changed to blue andblack.

DRAGONS RFC

Where is the team based?
They play in the east Wales city of Newport, at Rodney Parade, which is alsothe home of Newport County Football Club. Their training base is at YstradMynach, some 15 miles north in the Rhymney Valley.

Who is the coach?
Former Cardiff and Ospreys fly-half Dai Flanagan came on board from theScarlets over the summer, having been the backs coach down in west Wales. Hesoon found himself fully at the helm at Rodney Parade, with director of rugbyDean Ryan no longer involved after the opening week of the season. Flanagan isyoung for the job at 37, but he has impressed with the assured way he hasstepped into the hot seat.

Who are the key players?
Ross Moriarty
Rugby is in his blood, with father Paul and uncle Richard having both playedfor Wales. Ross has followed in their footsteps, with 54 caps to his name todate. An abrasive, combative back row who really makes his presence felt incontact, he is equally comfortable at 6 or 8. Not one to take a backward step.

JJ Hanrahan
The versatile Irishman has proved a valuable acquisition since arriving fromFrench club Clermont Auvergne in the summer. He’s figured primarily at fly-halfso far, but can also cover full-back and centre, while he brings bags ofexperience to the party. Having had two spells with Munster, it was a big dayfor the 30-year-old when he kicked 18 points in September’s shock victory overthe Irish province.

Aaron Wainwright
Like fellow back row Moriarty, the 36-cap Wainwright was left out of Wales’autumn squad, which was something of a new experience for him having been aregular fixture with the national team set-up for some four years. He hasresponded to that omission by returning to his best, showing off the gallopingathleticism and threat in wide channels that is very much his trademark.

What’s the heritage of the team?
It has been through a few guises over the years. It was launched as GwentDragons in 2003 through the merger of Newport and Ebbw Vale. But it was soonrenamed as Newport Gwent Dragons amid a new ownership model, with both Newportand the Welsh Rugby Union holding a 50 per cent stake. In 2017, the WRU becamesole owners of both the region and Rodney Parade, cutting the team title tojust Dragons. Earlier this year, it was rebranded again as Dragons RFC.

What’s the story of their season so far?
There’s been a significant improvement. They won just two Vodacom URC matches all lastseason, but they have already surpassed that after just seven fixtures, withhome victories over Munster, the Ospreys and Zebre. That’s taken them up to thegiddy heights of tenth in the table as the second-highest placed Welsh team inthe league, which is a rare experience for a side that has regularly finishedlowest of the four.

Did you know?
A number of South Africans have played for the Dragons over the years,including Springboks Percy Montgomery, Zane Kirchner and Tonderai Chavhanga,while current Stormers prop Brok Harris spent seven years with the region.

OSPREYS

Where is the team based?
They play in Swansea, Wales’ second biggest city, at the 21,000-capacity homeof Championship football club Swansea City. Their training centre is atLlandarcy some five miles east.

Who is the coach?
In Englishman Toby Booth, the Ospreys have someone with more than 20 years ofcoaching experience. In his mid 20s, he swapped life as an electrician forstudying biology and sports science at St Mary’s College in Strawberry Hill,Twickenham, going on to become director of sport at the college, while alsobeing player-coach at Blackheath. He began to forge a reputation as aninnovative thinker on the game, working with England Students and U21s, andthen, over the years, at London Irish and Bath, before heading for Wales in2020.

Who are the key players?

Keelan Giles
The re-emergence of Giles has been one of the real feel-good stories in Welshrugby this season. He was tipped as a star in the making when he first burstonto the scene as a teenager in 2016, with his blistering speed and thrillingtry-scoring exploits on the wing. But then two awful knee injuries checked hisprogress for the best part of three seasons. He never gave up though and now,at 25, he’s back and firing on all cylinders, having touched down eight timesalready this term, while also beating the second most defenders (18).

Morgan Morris
The back row forward from the picturesque Gower Peninsula can consider himselfunfortunate not to have received the call from Wales to date as he’s been oneof the most consistent performers in the regional game over the past few years.He’s been at it again this season, featuring in the Vodacom URC top five when it comesto carries (61), while he’s also very effective over the ball and is able toslot in at 8 or 7 with equal ease.

Rhys Webb
A Test Lion out in New Zealand in 2017, scrum-half Webb has won 38 caps forWales, scoring nine tries along the way. To the bafflement of a fair few, hehasn’t featured on the international front for the past two years, but that’sproved to be the Ospreys’ gain, with his experience, leadership and gamemanagement making him a major asset. Attended Brynteg School in Bridgend, whichalso produced the likes of JPR Williams, Rob Howley, Gavin Henson and JoshNavidi.

What’s the heritage of the team?
They were formed amid the regional revolution of 2003 through the merger ofSwansea and Neath. Those two famous clubs were initially included in the teamname, but then it was stripped back to just the Ospreys. They have been themost successful Welsh side of the regional era, winning the Celtic League - theforerunner of the Vodacom URC - four times, while also lifting the Anglo-Welsh Cup anddefeating Australia.

What’s the story of their season so far?
On the plus side, there was an impressive 32-17 victory over Glasgow and abattling draw with champions the Stormers in appalling conditions. But there’sonly been the one win so far from seven matches, with narrow home defeats tothe Lions and Connacht serving as particular frustrations. They lie 13th in thetable, having been Wales’ highest finishers last season, earning Champions Cupqualification in the process.

Did you know?
The Ospreys name was inspired by the use of the bird on Swansea RFC’s centenarybadge. The Welsh translation of the team name is Gweilch.

SCARLETS

Where is the team based?
They are to be found in the west Wales town of Llanelli. Their home ground isthe 14,800-capacity Parc y Scarlets, which was opened in 2008, taking over fromthe now demolished Stradey Park.

Who is the coach?
Dwayne Peel enjoyed a glittering playing career, winning 76 caps for Wales atscrum-half and also starting all three Tests on the Lions’ 2005 tour of NewZealand, the year he played a big part in the Welsh team winning the GrandSlam. He is now back at the club where he first made his name as a No 9,following coaching stints as an assistant at Bristol and Ulster.

Who are the key players?

Sione Kalamafoni
Last season, the Tongan No 8 made the second-most carries of any player in theleague and was sixth-best when it came to tackles. This term, he has moved upto another level again. After the first seven rounds, he is way out on top ofthe carrying chart, with 117, which is 30 more than the next best, Edinburgh’sViliame Mata, and he’s also leading the way for successful carries (59). As ifthat wasn’t enough, he’s also fourth for tackles-made (79) and metres gained(367). What a signing he has been.

Ryan Conbeer
Only Edinburgh’s Scotland star Darcy Graham has scored more tries in the Vodacom URC this season than 23-year-old winger Conbeer, who has touched down nine times.He’s the kind of player who could beat you in a phone box, so quick are hisfeet, while his stats confirm what a fine finisher he is. His predatory formhas seen him tipped as a Wales squad contender.

Vaea Fifita
Having won 11 caps for the All Blacks between 2017 and 2019, back-five forwardFifita has now just launched a second international career, making his debutfor the land of his birth Tonga as a result of new eligibility rules. Ahigh-profile summer signing from Wasps, he will be wanting to make up for losttime on the Scarlets’ trip to South Africa, having missed their last three Vodacom URC matches after being sent off against Cardiff.

What’s the heritage of the team?
We’ve just had the 50th anniversary of the Scarlets’ most famous triumph, a 9-3victory over the All Blacks at Stradey Park in 1972, a day on which the pubsran dry, so legend has it. It’s also the 150th anniversary of Llanelli RFCbeing founded in 1872. The 1970s, 80s and 90s saw numerous Welsh league and cuptriumphs, while the world champion Wallabies were famously beaten in 1992. LikeCardiff, they retained standalone status with the move to regional rugby in2003, first as Llanelli Scarlets and then, from 2008, just as the Scarlets,with winning the 2017 PRO12 title the high point of modern times.

What’s the story of their season so far?
It’s been pretty grim. They have only won one of their first seven Vodacom URC matchesand that was against the only team now below them in the table, Zebre. Therewas an opening day draw with the Ospreys and the other five games have allended in defeat. Disciplinary issues haven’t helped, as they have picked up twored cards and ten yellows.
But they do have a number of seasoned Welsh internationals in their 30-mansquad for South Africa, including the likes of Jonathan Davies, Rhys Patchell,Gareth Davies and Scott Williams, plus overseas Test players in Kalamafoni,Fifita, Sam Lousi and Tomás Lezana.

Did you know?
The goalposts at Parc y Scarlets are adorned with saucepans as a tribute to thetown’s history, with Llanelli having been one of the biggest producers of thekitchen utensil. That’s also the background to the Sospan Fach song that fansbelt out at games.