Our History

St. Clears R.F.C. as it is today was formed in the Summer of 1985 following a conversation in one of the local public houses of the time “The Highwayman Tavern”. A number of young men who were either not playing or only playing occasionally felt they would like to attempt to form a local team. A packed open meeting was held in The Highwayman Tavern, which resulted in the decision to form St. Clears Rugby Football Club....

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​A further meeting was arranged at which it was decided to make the club HQ at The Highwayman Tavern and the landlords at the time Danny & Maureen Brennan offered to purchase the first set of jerseys for the team. The first officials of the club were: Dr. Edmund Davies(President), Malcolm Protheroe(Chairman), Terry Thomas(Vice Chairman), Geoff Morse(Secretary), Hywel Bowen(Treasurer), and Alvin Walters (Fixture Secretary).

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With the agreement of Carmarthenshire County Council and the Headmaster of Ysgol Gruffydd Jones home matches would use the school facilities and playing field.

The club became a member of Pembrokeshire & District Junior Rugby Union and played its first ever match on Tuesday 3rd September 1985 at R.A.F. Brawdy.

A large party of supporters travelled to see a close encounter resulting in a 3 – 3 draw. The players and supporters had the “distinction” of being the first group to drink the mess dry in the after match celebrations.

Following an enjoyable first season the club held its First Annual Dinner in June 1986 when the guest of honour was:

W Delme Thomas
St. Clears Youth, Llanelli, Wales and British Lions

Delme agreed to become the First Life Member of the club and accepted a club tie from the chairman. During his address Delme spoke of his many experiences playing rugby around the world and presented the club with 5 international jerseys he had exchanged with players from England, France, Ireland, Scotland, and Colin Meads of The All Blacks. He also presented one of his own Wales shirts and his British Lions shirt. These are all on display in the Club’s headquarters Black Lion Hotel along with numerous other memorabilia.

In their fourth season of playing the club had the privilege of hosting WAIHOU RFC from THAMES VALLEY NEW ZEALAND during their tour of Scotland and Wales in 1989. The team members stayed for 4 days with players and committee members while supporters were in Tenby. The match on Saturday 11th March was played in atrocious conditions and would not normally have started but for the special occasion, Waihou running out winners. That evening a dinner was held in the Leisure Centre when some 250 local people and the whole tour party had an enjoyable evening/morning. The after tour brochure quoted “The ‘St Clears function’ was undoubtedly the highlight of the tour and many sore heads on Sunday morning bore ample and lasting testimony to a marvellous social occasion.” St. Clears RFC served a 3 year probationary period before being accepted as a full member of the Welsh Rugby Union on 30th July 2001.

The club was formally incoporated as a private company limited by guarantee without share capital on the 17th October 2005. The founding directors were John Lewis (club treasurer) and Phil Jones (former club secretary) who are both still in office at the present time.