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The game of rugby football grew up in the mining community of Kenfig Hill with the village functioning as a club during the mid-1890’s – the team wore blue & white squared jerseys and played home games on a field called “Cae Rhys” which was located along Stormy Road. The driving force behind the club in the early days was Mr Will “Rowe” Williams and early club captains included Mr William John Rogers & Mr Bob James; the latter was father of Jack James who kept a butcher’s shop in Commercial Street. The game of Rugby Football proved a welcome respite and by the end of the 19th century it occupied (in industrial Wales) the same position as Associated Football did in industrial England. In this era miners would rush home from the local pit, grab their kit & a flagon of beer, then travel to play their match without even having time to wash off the coal dust. Club Rugby of the Mid Glamorgan area played a very important part of the development of the game in South Wales and clubs such as Bridgend, Maesteg, Aberavon, Llandaff, Pontyclun, Cowbridge, Pontycymmer, Bryncethin & Llanharan were among the best known of this period. Rugby proved to be a very popular sport & pastime in Kenfig Hill and surrounding district with teams functioning at Cefn Cribbwr and later at nearby Cornelly. This team only functioned for a short period due to the influence of the noted religious revival that swept through South Wales during 1904-1906; this revival was conducted by a noted evangelist of that time named Evan Roberts and which had already begun some time earlier in Cardiganshire. It was said that a converted player stood in one of the local chapels at Kenfig Hill and cried “I used to play full back for the devil, but now I’m forward for God.” This player was believed to have been Jenkin Thomas, father of Dai “Cwm” Thomas. Kenfig Hill RFC. were established at the Prince of Wales Hotel, Prince Road, Kenfig Hill. The licencees of the premises provided accommodation for local players in providing a changing room & a few tubs of hot water (if possible) which was shared among 30 mud-caked players. In the early 1900’s Kenfig Hill became affiliated to the thriving Bridgend & District League & it was within this competitive area of rugby football they gradually established themselves. The team of this period before WWI were known as the “All Whites” due to the colour of the playing strip that they wore. Over the years the club has worn a variety of colours including red & black, black & gold, green & white, scarlet & white hoops, blue & white, red, amber & blue hoops, royal blue, black & amber and navy- & sky-blue hoops.

Despite our long Club histories, encounters between Ystalyfera and Kenfig Hill have been quite rare. Our first recorded meeting was in 1930-31 during our Championship winning season, when we met in a friendly fixture and the ‘Fera took a three-year unbeaten home record off the “mulers”. Kenfig Hill joined the West Wales Championship in 1934, when we met in their first two seasons, honours finishing even. In 1948-49 Kenfig Hill finished in third place, losing in the Championship play off to League leaders Pontyberem. Kenfig Hill resigned from West Wales in 1953. Founder members of the Heineken Division Three in 1990, “The mulers” were lifted into Division Two thanks to re-organisation in 1998, but two relegations saw Kenfig Hill in Division Four West. Season 2001-02 was the first ever National League meeting between the clubs, when ‘Fera managed to gain the ‘double’. In 2002-03 honours finished even, with both sides gaining home wins. The next eight seasons Kenfig Hill contested in Division Three South West, losing in the final of the Welsh Plate in 2010 to Maesteg 25-33. However, in the next two seasons promotion was achieved into Division One in 2012. Kenfig met Ystalyfera at Ynysydarren in the Welsh Plate 2^nd Round in 2014 winning 15-8. The next season ‘Fera returned the favour in the 3^rd Round, beating Kenfig Hill 21-19. Ystalyfera won promotion into the Championship in season 2018-19, whilst Kenfig Hill remained in Division One West Central throughout the COVIT seasons, gaining a third place promotion into Championship West in 2024.