The Wales national rugby union team represents Wales in men's international rugby union. Its governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played their first international against England. The team plays its home matches at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, which replaced Cardiff Arms Park as the national stadium of Wales in 1999.
Wales has competed annually in the Six Nations Championship (previously the Home Nations Championship and Five Nations Championship) since it was established in 1883. They have won the tournament (and its predecessors) outright 28 times, most recently in 2021. Since the Six Nations was formed in 2000, Wales have won six Six Nations titles, including four Grand Slams, and finished bottom three times. Wales has also participated in every Rugby World Cup since the competition was established in 1987; they finished third in the inaugural tournament and have since made two semi-finals, in 2011 and 2019. Wales were the host nation for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, although matches were also played in England, Scotland, Ireland and France.
The Wales team experienced their first 'golden age' between 1900 and 1911; they first played New Zealand in 1905, winning 3–0 in a famous match at Cardiff Arms Park, and between March 1907 and January 1910, they won 11 consecutive matches, a record that stood for over a century. Welsh rugby struggled between the two World Wars, but experienced a second 'golden age' between 1969 and 1980, when they won eight Five Nations Championships. In addition to their Six Nations successes, Wales also finished fourth at both the 2011 Rugby World Cup and 2019 Rugby World Cup. Additionally Wales won 14 consecutive matches between March 2018 and March 2019, and reached number 1 in the World Rugby Rankings for the first time in August 2019. Eight former Welsh players have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame; 10 were inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame prior to its 2014 merger into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.
History
Early years (1881–1892)
Rugby union took root in Wales in 1850, when Reverend Rowland Williams became Vice-Principal at St David's College, Lampeter, and introduced the sport there. Wales played their first international match on 19 February 1881; organised by Newport's Richard Mullock and captained by James Bevan, they played against England, losing by seven goals, one drop goal and six tries to nil. On 12 March 1881, the Welsh Rugby Union was formed at The Castle Hotel, Neath. However, rugby in Wales developed and, by the 1890s, the Welsh had introduced the "four three-quarters" formation – with seven backs and eight forwards instead of six backs and nine forwards – which revolutionised the sport and was eventually adopted almost universally at international and club level. Wales next won the Championship in 1900, heralding the first "golden age" of Welsh rugby, which was to last until 1911. They won two more Triple Crowns in 1902 and 1905, and were runners-up in 1901, 1903 and 1904. but South Africa dominated in the forwards and eventually won 11–0. Two years later, on 12 December 1908, Wales played the touring Australians, who they defeated 9–6.
In 1909, Wales won the Home Nations Championship and then, in 1910 – with the inclusion of France – the first Five Nations. In 1911, Wales took the first Five Nations Grand Slam, winning all their matches in the tournament. The Great War came in 1914 and rugby was suspended for the duration.
The Game of the Century
left|thumb|alt=A mass of players compete for the ball in a scrum.|A scrum in the Wales victory over New Zealand's [[The Original All Blacks|Original All Blacks in 1905]]
When Wales faced New Zealand at Cardiff Arms Park in late 1905, they had not lost at home since 1899. This New Zealand team – referred to as The Original All Blacks – was the first of the southern hemisphere national teams to visit the British Isles, and were undefeated on their tour up to that point, having already beaten England, Ireland and Scotland. They rose to 7th in June 2004, before falling back to 8th in November that year. Following a Grand Slam win in the 2005 Six Nations, they rose to a ranking position of 5th. They fell to 9th by June 2006, and, after rising back to 8th by September, fell to 10th after the 2007 World Cup. A second Six Nations' Grand Slam in 2008 propelled them to 6th in the rankings, but following losses to South Africa in the mid-year and end-of-year internationals Wales slipped to 7th. Wales climbed to 4th after a win over Scotland in their first match of the 2009 Six Nations. They slumped to 9th in 2010 but rose back to 4th after their fourth place in the 2011 World Cup. before hitting top spot for the first time on 19 August 2019, after winning 15 of their last 17 games.
Wales have won 408 of their 812 Test matches. Their biggest Test defeat was a 96–13 loss to South Africa in 1998, and their largest victory was a 98–0 defeat of Japan in 2004. Their record for most tries in a match is 16, scored against Portugal in 1994 – they also scored 102 points in this match, more than in any other Test. Wales' record for consecutive Test wins is 14, and for consecutive losses is 18. During this losing streak Wales suffered their second worst defeat in history, losing 14–68 to England.
Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by a Wales national XV at test level up until 15 March 2026.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|-
!style="width:188px"| Opponent
!style="width:50px"| Played
!style="width:48px"| Won
!style="width:48px"| Lost
!style="width:50px"| Drawn
!style="width:50px"| Win %
!style="width:48px"| PF
!style="width:48px"| PA
!style="width:50px"| +/−
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 23 || 14 || 8 || 1 || % || 601 || 539 || +62
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 49 || 14 || 34 || 1 || % || 830 || 1,190 || −360
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 10 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 40% || 306 || 280 || +26
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 13|| 12 || 1 || 0 || % || 528 || 219 || +309
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 144 || 61 || 71 || 12 || % || 1,804 || 2,042 || −238
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 15 || 12 || 2 || 1 || % || 447 || 235 || +212
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 106 || 51 || 52 || 3 || % || 1,634 || 1,716 || –82
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 5 || 4 || 1 || 0 || % || 129 || 52 || +77
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 137 || 70 || 60 || 7 || % || 1,681 || 1,695 || –14
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 35 || 29 || 5 || 1 || % || 1,157 || 563 || +594
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 13|| 11 || 2 || 0 || % || 600 || 228 || +372
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 4 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 100% || 171 || 69 || +102
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 38 || 3 || 35 || 0 || % || 456 || 1,271 || −815
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 100% || 1G || 0G || +1G
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0% || 3 || 6 || −3
|-
|style="text-align:left"| 24px|border|link=Pacific Islanders rugby union team Pacific Islanders || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 100% || 38 || 20 || +18
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 2 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 100% || 130 || 19 || +111
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 8 || 6 || 2 || 0 || 75% || 342 || 96 || +246
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 10|| 6 || 4 || 0 || 60% || 235 || 180 || +55
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 132 || 75 || 54 || 3 || % || 1,863 || 1,496 || +367
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 44 || 7 || 36 || 1 || % || 683 || 1,230 || −547
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 100% || 54 || 0 || +54
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 9|| 9 || 0 || 0 || 100% || 301 || 108 || +193
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 7|| 7 || 0 || 0 || 100% || 305 || 86 || +219
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 2 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 100% || 89 || 22 || +67
|-
|style="text-align:left"| || 3 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 100% || 126 || 38 || +88
|-
! Total
!style="text-align:right"| 813
!style="text-align:right"| 409
!style="text-align:right"| 374
!style="text-align:right"| 30
!style="text-align:right"| %
!style="text-align:right"| 14,513
!style="text-align:right"| 13,400
!style="text-align:right"| +1,113
|}
Players
Current squad
On 11 May 2026, head coach Steve Tandy named an extended 48-player squad for the inaugural Nations Championship. Prior, Wales will play a warm-up match against Barbarians at Twickenham Stadium on 27th June 2026. Before the opening fixture against Fiji, the squad size is expected to be reduced.
- Head coach: Steve Tandy
Notable players
Eighteen Welsh internationals have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. One Welsh player, Shane Williams in 2008, has been awarded World Rugby Player of the Year (formerly known as the International Rugby Board Player of the Year).
Individual records
:See List of Wales national rugby union team records; and List of Wales national rugby union players for a sortable list containing player caps and tries
Neil Jenkins was the first rugby player to surpass 1000 Test points. He holds several Welsh records, including the most points scored for Wales with 1049, the most successful penalty kicks for Wales with 248, and the Welsh record for most points in a single Test match with 30. The record for drop-goals for Wales is held by Jonathan Davies with 13.
Shane Williams is Wales' record try-scorer with 58 tries. Williams is also Wales' record try-scorer in Six Nations Championships with 22 and the Rugby World Cups with 10. Colin Charvis' 22 tries is the all-time Welsh record for a forward, and was the world record for tries by a forward until 2011.
Alun Wyn Jones is the nation's most capped player with 158 Welsh caps. Eight other players have earned 100 caps or more: Gethin Jenkins, Stephen Jones, Gareth Thomas, Martyn Williams, George North, Dan Biggar, Taulupe Faletau and Leigh Halfpenny The record for most matches as captain is held by Alun Wyn Jones with 52. The record for the most consecutive appearances is held by Gareth Edwards who played all 53 of his matches for Wales consecutively between 1967 and 1978. Prydie is also Wales' youngest try-scorer, scored against South Africa in June 2010, overtaking the record that Tom Pearson set on his debut in 1891. Winger George North, aged 18 years 214 days, overtook Pearson's record as the youngest Wales player to score a try on debut in November 2010.
Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
The following Welsh players have been inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame:
- 1990 – Ken Jones
- 1991 – Cliff Jones, Cliff Morgan
- 1992 – Gerald Davies
- 1994 – J. P. R. Williams
- 1997 – Bleddyn Williams
- 1998 – Gareth Edwards, Lewis Jones
- 1999 – Carwyn James, Barry John
- 2000 – David Watkins
- 2001 – Mervyn Davies
- 2002 – Gwyn Nicholls
- 2003 – Jonathan Davies, Willie Davies, John Dawes
- 2005 – John Gwilliam
- 2007 – Arthur Gould, Phil Bennett
- 2008 – Billy Trew
- 2009 – J. J. Williams
- 2012 – Bryn Meredith
- 2013 – Clive Rowlands
- 2015 – Wilf Wooller
- 2017 – Graham Price
- 2019 – Steve Fenwick
- 2022 – Maurice Richards
Award winners
World Rugby Awards
The following Wales players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2001:
{| class="wikitable"
|+ World Rugby Player of the Year
|-
!width=40| Year
!width=150| Nominees
!width=150| Winners
|-
|align=center rowspan=2| 2008
| Ryan Jones
|align=center rowspan=2| Shane Williams
|-
| Shane Williams
|-
|align=center| 2013
| Leigh Halfpenny
|align=center rowspan=3| —
|-
|align=center| 2015
| Alun Wyn Jones
|-
|align=center| 2019
| Alun Wyn Jones (2)
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year
|-
!width=40| Year
!width=150| Nominees
!width=150| Winners
|-
|align=center| 2021
| Louis Rees-Zammit
|align=center| —
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ World Rugby Dream Team of the Year
|-
!width=40| Year
!width=40|
!width=150| Players
|-
|align=center| 2021
|align=center| 1
| Wyn Jones
|}
Six Nations Player of the Championship
The following Wales players have been shortlisted for the Six Nations Player of the Championship since 2004:
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Six Nations Player of the Year (2004–08)
|-
!width=40| Year
!width=150| Nominees
!width=150| Winners
|-
|align=center rowspan=3| 2004
| Gareth Cooper
|align=center rowspan=3| —
|-
| Michael Owen
|-
| Gareth Thomas
|-
|align=center rowspan=5| 2005
| Gavin Henson
|align=center rowspan=5| Martyn Williams
|-
| Stephen Jones
|-
| Dwayne Peel
|-
| Martyn Williams
|-
| Shane Williams
|-
|align=center rowspan=3| 2006
| Duncan Jones
|align=center rowspan=6| —
|-
| Stephen Jones (2)
|-
| Dwayne Peel (2)
|-
|align=center rowspan=3| 2007
| Gethin Jenkins
|-
| Ryan Jones
|-
| Dwayne Peel (3)
|-
|align=center rowspan=3| 2008
| Ryan Jones (2)
|align=center rowspan=3| Shane Williams
|-
| Mike Phillips
|-
| Shane Williams
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Six Nations Player of the Year (2009–16)
|-
!width=40| Year
!width=150| Nominees
!width=150| Winners
|-
|align=center| 2009
| Lee Byrne
|align=center rowspan=4| —
|-
|align=center| 2010
| Shane Williams (2)
|-
|align=center rowspan=2| 2011
| James Hook
|-
| Sam Warburton
|-
|align=center rowspan=4| 2012
| Alex Cuthbert
|align=center rowspan=4| Dan Lydiate
|-
| Dan Lydiate
|-
| Mike Phillips (2)
|-
| Sam Warburton (2)
|-
|align=center rowspan=4| 2013
| Dan Biggar
|align=center rowspan=4| Leigh Halfpenny
|-
| Leigh Halfpenny
|-
| Adam Jones
|-
| Mike Phillips (3)
|-
|align=center| 2014
| Sam Warburton (2)
|align=center rowspan=5| —
|-
|align=center rowspan=2| 2015
| Dan Biggar (2)
|-
| Alun Wyn Jones
|-
|align=center rowspan=2| 2016
| Gareth Davies
|-
| George North
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Six Nations Player of the Year (2017–24)
|-
!width=40| Year
!width=150| Nominees
!width=150| Winners
|-
|align=center rowspan=2| 2017
| Ken Owens
|align=center rowspan=2| —
|-
| Rhys Webb
|-
|align=center rowspan=4| 2019
| Josh Adams
|align=center rowspan=4| Alun Wyn Jones
|-
| Alun Wyn Jones (2)
|-
| Hadleigh Parkes
|-
| Liam Williams
|-
|align=center rowspan=2| 2021
| Taulupe Faletau
|align=center rowspan=2| —
|-
| Louis Rees-Zammit
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Six Nations Team of the Championship
|-
!width=40 rowspan=2| Year
!colspan=2| Forwards
!colspan=2| Backs
!width=40 rowspan=2| Total
|-
!width=40|
!width=170| Players
!width=40|
!width=170| Players
|-
|align=center rowspan=4| 2021
|align=center| 1.
| Wyn Jones
|align=center rowspan=2| 13.
|rowspan=2| George North
|align=center rowspan=4| 6
|-
|align=center| 2.
| Ken Owens
|-
|align=center| 5.
| Alun Wyn Jones
|align=center rowspan=2| 14.
|rowspan=2| Louis Rees-Zammit
|-
|align=center| 8.
| Taulupe Faletau
|-
|align=center| 2025
|align=center| 7.
| Jac Morgan
|align=center colspan=2| —
|align=center| 1
|-
|}
Coaches
Following the unsuccessful tour to South Africa in 1964, the WRU set up a working party on coaching. The party recommended that Welsh clubs accept the principle of coaching. David Nash was appointed as the national team's first coach in 1967, but for the 1968 tour of Argentina, the WRU initially planned not to have a coach tour with the team. Following pressure from the Welsh clubs at the WRU's annual general meeting, the decision was reversed and Clive Rowlands was appointed as coach for the tour. The appointing of a coach for the team coincided with Wales' success in the Five Nations during the 1970s.
Coaching history
Up to date as of 15 March 2026
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Wales' head coaches
|-
!scope="col"| Name
!scope="col"| Nationality
!scope="col"| Years
!scope="col"| Matches
!scope="col"| Won
!scope="col"| Drew
!scope="col"| Lost
!scope="col"| Win %
|-
!scope="row"| David Nash
|
| 1967
| 5
| 1
| 1
| 3
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Clive Rowlands
|
| 1968–1974
| 29
| 18
| 4
| 7
| %
|-
!scope="row"| John Dawes
|
| 1974–1979
| 24
| 18
| 0
| 6
| %
|-
!scope="row"| John Lloyd
|
| 1980–1982
| 14
| 6
| 0
| 8
| %
|-
!scope="row"| John Bevan
|
| 1982–1985
| 15
| 7
| 1
| 7
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Tony Gray
|
| 1985–1988
| 24
| 15
| 0
| 9
| %
|-
!scope="row"| John Ryan
|
| 1988–1990
| 9
| 2
| 0
| 7
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Ron Waldron
|
| 1990–1991
| 10
| 2
| 1
| 7
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Alan Davies
|
| 1991–1995
| 35
| 18
| 0
| 17
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Alex Evans
|
| 1995 (caretaker coach)
| 4
| 1
| 0
| 3
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Kevin Bowring
|
| 1995–1998
| 29
| 15
| 0
| 14
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Dennis John
|
| 1998 (caretaker coach)
| 2
| 1
| 0
| 1
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Graham Henry
|
| 1998–2002
| 34
| 20
| 1
| 13
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Lynn Howells
|
| 2001 (interim coach)
| 2
| 2
| 0
| 0
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Steve Hansen
|
| 2002–2004
| 29
| 10
| 0
| 19
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Mike Ruddock
|
| 2004–2006
| 20
| 13
| 0
| 7
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Scott Johnson
|
| 2006 (interim coach)
| 3
| 0
| 1
| 2
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Gareth Jenkins
|
| 2006–2007
| 20
| 6
| 1
| 13
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Nigel Davies
|
| 2007 (interim coach)
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 1
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Warren Gatland
|
| 2007–2019
| 125
| 70
| 2
| 53
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Robin McBryde
|
| 2009, 2013, 2017 (interim coach)
| 6
| 5
| 0
| 1
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Rob Howley
|
| 2012–2013, 2016–2017 (interim coach)
| 20
| 10
| 0
| 10
| %
|-
!scope="row"| Wayne Pivac
|
| 2019–2022
| 34
| 13
| 1
| 20
| %
|-
!Warren Gatland
|
|2022–2025
|26
|6
|0
|20
|%
|-
!scope="row"| Matt Sherratt