Ospreys (rugby Team)

Ospreys (rugby Team)

The Ospreys (Welsh: Y Gweilch), formerly the Neath-Swansea Ospreys is one of the four professional rugby union teams from Wales. They compete in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup. The team formed as a result of Neath RFC and Swansea RFC combining to create a new merged entity, as part of the new regional structure of Welsh rugby, that began in 2003. They are also affiliated with a number of local semi-professional and amateur clubs, including Welsh Premier Division sides Aberavon RFC, Bridgend Ravens, and original founding clubs Neath and Swansea. The regional area represented by the team has widely become known for rugby purposes as 'Ospreylia'.

Their main home ground is the Liberty Stadium, Swansea, although some smaller profile games have been played at the Brewery Field, Bridgend. Ospreys currently play in a black and blue home strip, while the away strip is white and blue. The Ospreys logo consists of an image of an Osprey mask.

The Ospreys are the most successful team in the history of the Celtic League or Pro 12 tournament, having won the competition four times. They also became the first and only Welsh regional team to beat a major touring side, defeating Australia 24–16 in 2006.