The early clubs did not originally own a match pitch of their own, so relied on sympathetic landowners to let them play on vacant fields.

[4] During the first decade of the clubs' existence, matches were difficult to arrange and games often resulted in on-pitch arguments regarding the interpretation of rules.

[2] Abertillery would often arrange for a joint team to face more established clubs, and in 1888 an Abertillery team travelled to Cardiff to face Cardiff Harlequins at Sophia Gardens; the game quickly broke down into a 'violent war' before a lengthy discussion the game was eventually resumed.

The offer was declined, but a further suggestion was made to form an athletic club for the mutual benefit of all the town's sporting organisations.

[12] The Abertillery rugby team continued to grow, but would often slip back towards the more lawless style of their early years.

In August 1903 the club fell out with the Monmouthshire Football League, refusing to comply with an order to replay a match with Blaina,[13] which was followed in September with a game against Pill Harriers that descended into a brawl.

[17] The 1908–09 season began with the arranging of an impressive fixture list, which as well as the Monmouthshire League teams, included matches to be played against Swansea, Llanelli and Neath.

[20] The season ended with Jim Webb being called to join the British Isles team in South Africa as a replacement.

This result, along with a similar upset caused by Pontypool beating Swansea, was described in the Western Mail as 'History in the making...'[21] By the end of the 1914, Abertillery had produced three internationals, with Jake Blackmore (1909) and Jack "Bedwellty" Jones (1914) joining Jim Webb.

[22] With the outbreak of World War I, all organised rugby matches came to a halt, and about 2000 men from the town signed up to join the British Army.

They have provided players for Wales and the British Lions, including Haydn Morgan, Allan Lewis, Robert Norster, Byron Hayward, Rupert Moon and the late Alun Pask.