Cardiff Rugby () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms Park and are the professional arm of Cardiff Rugby Ltd. From 2003 to 2021 the first team was known as the Cardiff Blues before rebranding to Cardiff Rugby prior to the start of the 2021-22 season. They won European Challenge Cup titles in 2010 and 2018, beating Toulon Rugby and Gloucester Rugby respectively. They most recently made the knockout stages of the European Rugby Champions Cup in 2012. Between 2005 and 2018, they also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup and won the 2009 title, beating Gloucester at Twickenham. History Origins The first reliably recorded Rugby club in Cardiff were Tredegarville, who began playing around 1870. By 1874 a team named Glamorgan FC had been formed and in 1876 they merged with Cardiff Wanderers to form Cardiff RFC. Over the next 119 years, Cardiff RFC would become one of British rugby's leading clubs. In 1885 under Frank Hancock, Cardiff began playing with seven backs and eight forwards and perfected what was known at the time as "the passing game". These innovations eventually spread throughout the rugby world and in 2011 earned the club a place in the World Rugby Hall of Fame, one of only three clubs to have this honour. Several former Cardiff players including Gwyn Nicholls, Bleddyn Williams, Cliff Morgan, Gareth Edwards, Barry John and Gerald Davies are also members of the Hall of Fame. In 1922, after purchasing Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff RFC and Cardiff Cricket Club would form the Cardiff Athletic Club. In the amateur era, Cardiff would record victories over South Africa and New Zealand. Australia would fail to beat them on six occasions. They provided more Welsh and British Lions internationals than any other club and, at the dawn of professionalism, made the first Heineken Cup final. Professionalism and the reorganisation of Welsh rugby When Rugby Union turned professional in 1995, Welsh rugby was organised in a league pyramid, at the top of which was the Premier Division of twelve teams that had existed for over a century as amateur clubs. However, it became clear over the next few seasons that under professionalism, Welsh Rugby would need to find a new structure. In 1996 Cardiff Athletic Club had created