Nickname(s) The Mighty Quins President Ken Morgan Captain(s) Craig Cox Ground Harlequin Road | Location Port Talbot, Wales Coach(es) Chris O'Callaghan Founded 1891 | |
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Full name Aberavon Harlequins Rugby Football Club | ||
Aberavon Harlequins RFC (nicknamed "The Mighty Quins") is a Welsh rugby union team located in the Fairfield area of Port Talbot, a few minutes away from the town centre and Aberavon. In 1955, the team gained membership of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). Today the club is a feeder club for the Ospreys.
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History
The club was founded in 1891, and they become known as the Aberavon Excel, playing in an all-white strip. After the First World War in 1918, the Excels formed the Aberavon Harlequins R.F.C. which it has been known as ever since. They played on a waste site at what is now the Sandfields Estate, later renamed the Harlequins Field. In 1932-33, the club was reformed by Dick Lody, Dill Stanford, Don Mainwaring and H.Williams, and the club grew until the start of Second World War.
In 1951, the club received a boost when the former Maesteg RFC, Wales and British Lions scrum half Trevor Lloyd returned to Aberavon Harlequins, his original club. The 1955/56 season was the best ever playing record in the Quins' history, playing over thirty matches and losing only once.
At the start of the 21st century, in an attempt to modernise the governing body of Welsh rugby union and to bring Wales fully into the professional era, it was decided to restructure the Welsh leagues and to source new sponsorship revenue for them. Teams would be allocated a division depending on their recent season’s order of merit and their geographical location. In the 2001/02 season, the Quins were placed in Lloyds TSB Division Two West, along with their local rivals Corus (Port Talbot) RFC.
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.