The History of Welsh Rugby Union:

Rugby Union came about in 1850 when St David’s College in Lampeter introduced sport to their curriculum. It wasn’t, however, until 1881 that Wales played their first international match, on 19th February. James Bevan captained the team, who lost by 7 goals, one drop goal and six tries to nil (accounting for 82-0 today). The next month, on the 12th March 1881, the Welsh Rugby Union was formed at the Castle Hotel in Neath. Wales failed to register a win two years later during the first playing of the Home Nations Championship, now known as the Six Nations. They did, however, introduce the “four three-quarters” formation, with 7 backs and 8 forwards, instead of 6 backs and 9 forwards, in the 1890s, which was internationally adopted and remains the formation today.