[2] The history of coal mining and rugby union in Tumble is intrinsically linked as it is in many villages and towns across South Wales.

Prior to the establishment of the Great Mountain Colliery in 1887 the village of Tumble was no more than an Inn (from which the settlement took its distinct name) and a few scattered houses and farms.

With the rapid growth of the village to provide workers to service the needs of the colliery there was soon a need for a sporting club and so Tumble RFC was born.

After a period of a few months where a group of miners, led by Orphie Evans and his brother George had been practicing and encouraging others to participate in the game of rugby union it was decided to form a club at a meeting held at Bryn Stores reading room in 1897.

Trees sawn down in a woodland in Upper Tumble, where the Mynydd Mawr Isolation Hospital was later constructed were used to make the goal posts for the Hotel fields.

Originally rented, fund-raising efforts by committee members John Tierney and David Lewis, enabled the club to buy the pitch along with further land alongside it.

Three players from the 1945/46 cup winning side turned professional including centre Lynn Walters and full back Mel Tierney.

The first 50 years of the club were celebrated on March 12, 1947 when a Cardiff RFC side containing five full Welsh international players, including the great Bleddyn Williams at centre played the Magpies at the Welfare Park.

Up to this point the club had changed headquarters on a number of occasions, including the Old Reading Room behind High Street, a shed alongside Morawel, a room at the Lodging House, Ma Perkins Sweet Shop at 95 High Street and the Tumble Hotel before in 1964 the decision was made to amalgamate Tumble RFC with the Great Mountain Workingmen's Club.

Along with captain Williams there were many other club legends playing in this era including scrum half Arwel Davies (who would go on to captain the club for seven seasons), back rowers Gareth Davies and Robert 'Tonto' Roberts and full back Wynford Lewis, who had returned to the village from Aberavon RFC.

The club faced Cardiff RFC, captained by former Magpie Gareth Davies on 28 March 1983 to raise money for young Huw Jones who had been seriously injured whilst playing for the Youth team.

The Blue and Blacks brought a star-studded team to Parc y Mynydd Mawr, including Welsh Internationals Davies, Terry Holmes, Bob Norster and Alan Phillips.

An outstanding young team was put together under the captaincy of centre Richard Hardy and saw the Magpies reclaim the WWRU Challenge Cup for the twelfth time, beating Felinfoel RFC 33–17 at Stradey Park.

The club also narrowly lost out on the WRU Heineken League Division 4 title to Merthyr RFC on bonus points, despite having won more games (18) and having beaten Ironmen home and away.

The IRB made the game of rugby union 'open' to professionalism in 1995 and it was at the time of its centenary season in 1996/97 that the club began to struggle.

In season 2006/07 after a number of struggles and false dawns the club won the WRU Division 3 West Championship and the WWRU Brains SA Bowl under the coaching team of player-coaches James Jones, Paul Davies and former Swansea RFC and Wales wing Richard Rees, who had returned to finish his career at the club where it all started.

Promotion to Division 2 West came at a cost and with a number of retirements from senior players the club again struggled and suffered successive relegations in seasons 2007/08 and 2008/09.

An outstanding season saw the Magpies clinch the WRU Division 4 West championship as well as adding the WWRU Brains SA Plate to the trophy cabinet (beating Cwmgwrach RFC at Dunvant in the final).

Further trophies followed when the club won the Brians SA Bowl for the second time in season 2011/12, defeating Seven Sisters 27–26 at Loughor RFC (the game was rearranged as the original fixture at Dunvant RFC had been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch) under the captaincy of prop Alan King and the coaching of Gareth Davies and Chris Davies, who had replaced his father Arwel as backs coach.

The appointment of Marc Kinnaird and Hugh Gustafson to assist Chris Davies in a new coaching unit saw the club recover to secure a fourth-place finish in Division 3 West A for 2014/15.

In 2016 the club reformed its women's team which were duly nicknamed 'Y Piod Pinc' - 'the Pink Magpies' under the captaincy of Tina Thomas.

Fly Half Handel Greville was born in Drefach and followed his father in playing for the Magpies before moving to Llanelli RFC, who he captained in the 1948/49 season.

Davies would later become a successful administrator acting as chief executive of Cardiff RFC in the 1990s before returning to the game in the same role with the Dragons in 2012.

Before returning to his home village club in the early 1980s Wynford had enjoyed a successful first-class career with Aberavon RFC from where he gained a Wales B cap in 1980.

Despite his consistent form Lewis has the misfortune of playing in the same position as the great JPR Williams otherwise he would have likely won a full Welsh Cap.

Daniel Evans the Ospreys fullback full back played for the Magpies at Under 15, Under 16 and Youth level before moving to the Scarlets.

It was whilst at Parc y Scarlets that Evans gained two caps for Wales on the 2009 tour to North America, making his debut against Canada on 30 May 2009.

Tom has been capped for Wales at Under 20, 7s and on 2 July 2021 made his debut for the Welsh national side in a 68-12 victory over Canada Rugby at the Principality Stadium.