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The untimely death of Rugby Legend Ray Gravell has touched the heart of the Rugby World. Ray was the same age as our Robin and was an inspiration to all that met him.
See Grav
Robin reflects on some classic England Wales encounters down the years (Wales now lead 50-49 in all encounters) and was foaming at the mouth in anticipation of the Six Nations encounter in Cardiff on Saturday 5th February 2005. He was not to be disappointed. Although England Wales matches had lost their edge in recent years, this latest encounter stood out as a classic, just like that of 2005. This, and four other matches stand out in recent times .The resurgence of Welsh Rugby must be good for the game and particularly the Six Nations and forthcoming World Cup.
Six Nations 2005
5th February 2005 Wales 11 England
9
The views of Gerald Davies
FOR the first time in a long time, Wales returned to their dressing-room and could punch the air, sit down, take a satisfying breath and shout euphorically: “Job done.” In the past, they have so often been the nearly men: looking good and promising much, but with the last hurdle of achieving a win remaining out of reach. They were not made of the right stuff. Time and again there was admiration for their gallant way of playing, but only sympathy for their brave efforts in defeat. “To Wales the glory,” this newspaper’s headlines read after Wales’s tantalising game against England in the World Cup in 2003, “England go to Sydney.” This summed up Wales’s pain: fine performance, but tough luck.
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After the narrow defeats by South Africa and New Zealand before Christmas, Wales at last achieved a victory against one of the world’s best. There may be many ifs and buts in a match that, although always enthralling, found both teams only sporadically coming to vivid life. For Wales, these qualifying words would not on this occasion be an attempt to seek consolation, but rather to find out realistically how they can move on and to build for a consistent future.
Wales nearly came undone. Charlie Hodgson’s third penalty goal gave some truth to England’s power play. The score came after a period of England dominance when they had emerged after the interval in a more commanding mood than the home team, who began struggling to find any shape to their game. Their passes went astray and their kicks missed the target. There was also the feeling that Wales were content with defending their lead — a dangerous move. Instead, with ten minutes to go, the penalty goal was Wales’s turning point. That they were behind for the first time revived what appeared to be their dormant will. Suddenly they quickened the tempo and laid siege to the England line. Chances came and went in the frenetic closing stages. Wrong choices were made, players in a better position were ignored, the England defence held.
Then there emerged a player in his springtime to command the final stage. Gavin Henson had caught the eye with his earlier, timely interventions, not least with his tackles — notably on the rampaging Julian White and upending the swerving Mathew Tait. Henson’s luminous and unforgettable moment can stand fairly with other young men who have carved their name on the international arena for Wales against England. In 1950, 18-year-old Lewis Jones, of Gowerton Grammar School, created the move that ended with a crucial try for Wales to win at Twickenham. Another 18-year-old, Keith Jarrett, of Monmouth School, scorched the Cardiff Arms Park turf in 1967 with 19 points. Jonathan Davies, at 22, announced his arrival in 1985 with a try and a dropped goal. All three left rugby union prematurely to join rugby league clubs: Leeds, Barrow and Widnes respectively. Henson joins this gifted gang, but the days of “going North” have vanished and Wales must hope that Henson’s rare talent will flourish at home for years to come. His bravura moment arrived with the match about to enter injury time. The 80 minutes were almost up. Close to the touchline and just yards inside England’s half, Henson kicked a remarkable goal.
Such a denouement would appeal greatly to his sense of drama and entertainment, and upon which he seems to thrive. For sure it was the grandest piece of theatre. His was a memorable entrance to his first Six Nations Championship.
Nick Townsend in Cardiff considered the match to be a brutal baptism for a young centre "turned inside out" He said:
In the land of hymns and arias, an English choirboy was thrust into an unforgiving conflict and found it an unholy experience. At 18, turned only 19 today, Mathew Tait still possesses the innocent, wide-eyed features of a boy who could have sung his heart out in surplice and cassock this morning. His Newcastle team-mate Jamie Noon, deployed alongside him yesterday, says that Tait loves the sound of running water. It relaxes him. Yesterday, the only waters he experienced were that of a baptism... by the devil.
The Beelzebub concerned was Gavin Henson, who ultimately turned this
ugly, edgy contest Wales' way with a penalty in the closing minutes. Earlier
he had appointed himself young Tait's nemesis.
From the moment the Newcastle Falcons centre was picked up bodily by
his Wales counterpart as though he had wandered innocently into a
judo contest and was unceremoniously hurled to the turf a few minutes
into this encounter, his international education was brutally under way.
It was a harsh experience. Just in case he had not been attentive in class,
for good measure the inspirational Henson repeated the act early in the
second half.
The youngest debutant since Jonny Wilkinson against Ireland in 1998 is the son of a Yorkshire mother and a Scottish father. He elected for the rose rather than the thistle, but by last night may have reflected that an afternoon in Paris with Scotland may have been more preferable to this introduction. One thing was certain. Mathew Tait could not possibly live up to his pre-match billing. There had been so much written about him and not a discordant note to be found. Jonny Wilkinson had been quoted as saying: 'I never knew what the phrase "someone really special" meant until I saw him in action.' Jason Robinson admitted that Tait had made him look 'very silly' in a Premiership match between Sale and Newcastle. Tait, we were informed by one of his fitness coaches, Steve Black, has exceptional 'fast-twitch muscle fibres', which apparently translates into explosive pace off the mark. Black said: 'Having worked with Scott Gibbs, I'd say that Mathew is as physi cally strong as him pound for pound.' England's assistant coach Phil Larder is excited by that raw pace. 'We have not had that in the side since Jerry [Guscott],' he said.
So we appear to have an amalgam of Gibbs and Guscott on our hands. He can run; he can pass; he can tackle. He is, I am told, level-headed with an easy sense of humour, confident, but not arrogant - Wilkinson without the hang-ups. He has a fine pedigree, having attended the same school, Barnard Castle in Durham, as one of his mentors, Rob Andrew, and the Underwood brothers. For the record he was the youngest debutant for England since old Wilkinson six years ago, the fourteenth youngest ever to represent England and the youngest centre to be selected for half a century. Today is his nineteenth birthday. Damn it, he even got three A's at A level - not so long ago. The only flaw I could find was his inability to spell his Christian name correctly.
Then there was this bizarre report:
LONDON (Reuters) - A Welsh rugby fan cut off his own testicles to celebrate
Wales beating England at rugby, the Daily Mirror has reported. Geoff Huish,
26, was so convinced England would win Saturday's match he told fellow
drinkers at a social club, "If Wales win I'll cut my balls off", the paper
said on Tuesday. Friends at the club in Caerphilly, south Wales, thought
he was joking. But after the game Huish went home, severed his testicles
with a knife, and walked 200 metres back to the bar with the testicles
to show the shocked drinkers what he had done. Huish was taken to hospital
where he remained in a seriously ill condition, the paper said. Police
told the paper he had a history of mental problems
Rugby World Cup Quarter Final
9th November 2003 Wales 17 England
28
(and Simon Banks was there......................................)
See Simon in Oz
Wales, came into the World Cup as rank outsiders, not only qualified for the quarter-finals but performed with such verve and ferocious commitment that they rattled both New Zealand and England. England were 1/80 favourites to beat Wales but a 3-1 try-count in their favour, coupled with the style with which they played, wwas a joy to see.
So the prevoius week's display against New Zealand wasn’t a wonderful one off. As icales.talians comments, "It was genuine - a courageous, glorious dawn which was a wonder to behold. To say Wales took England out of their comfort zone in a pulsating first half is like saying Aussies enjoy a drop of cold beer."
"The Welsh were brilliant, Stephen Jones scoring the try of the tournament after he and Gareth Thomas had swapped passes and Shane Williams had juggled supremely before reversing a pass to send Jones in for the touchdown. But it was not just the width with which Wales attacked which was breathtaking. They were first to every breakdown. They repelled each England attack with power and tenacity, so much so that Dan Luger ran around like a headless chicken, fumbling balls here, slicing kicks there."
The BBC's Bryn Palmer reports that "Wales will reflect that despite giving England the fright of their lives, they passed up a wonderful opportunity to do something truly sensational."
England scrum-half Matt Dawson admitted he'd never been as tired at half-time before:
"I must admit that I have never felt so tired at half-time in an international. The pace of the game was tremendous and there was not a lot said in the dressing room, because we needed to catch our breath."
In comments which surely give the lie to some of the ETV pundits (they criticised the fitness of our boys, apparently), the English team were, to coin a phrase, blowing out of their @rses.
"At half-time I looked at Jonny Wilkinson and realised that we were both looking exhausted. When you are playing at half-back you have to be everywhere and the pace of the game made it very hard for both of us. I don’t think I’ve ever put to much effort into a game and I had run myself to a standstill and could not have taken another step. Thankfully those 10 minutes came at the right time and we caught our breath again during the interval."
You won’t be surprised to hear that some pundits reckon we only got close to England because they were appalling. Owen Clot of the Times says, "Scratchy, out-of-form England, edged onwards to the semi-finals of the World Cup yesterday with another indifferent display of uncharacteristically poor rugby in a 28-17 victory over Wales."
Coach Steve Hansen, still poised to step down at the end of the season, is proud of the boys, and bridles at such comments.
"You can only play as well as you are permitted to play. And I think you are being disrespectful to Wales if you think just because we were closer to them than we were in the Six Nations that their form has dipped."
The Aussies enjoyed it too, "The Welsh found out Luger, along with several others in the England team who have obviously believed all the pretty words that have been written about them for so long."
Gerald Davies waxes lyrical, "Wales have left an indelible mark on the tournament in having played the top two teams in the world and not only contributed exhilarating rugby but, in doing so, crossed the trylines of their well-organised defences on seven occasions. It rankles with both England and New Zealand that Wales, so little thought of, should bring their barricades down so frequently."
Mick Cleary of the Torygraph writes;
"Never mind the land of their fathers being proud of them. The whole of planet rugby felt a warm afterglow following this swashbuckling match. And the men to thank were those from Wales. They brought colour and verve, wild fancy and unbreakable spirit to the occasion. They brought twinkling feet and flickering hands as well, scoring three tries to England's one.
"The Grand Slam champions were beaten senseless for long stretches of the first half by the Six Nations wooden spoonists. The transformation in fortunes was scarcely credible. The Welsh Rugby Union may be fighting for financial survival. Their rugby team, however, once again look to be a going concern."
Skipper and try-scorer Colin Charvis, having apparently signed for French second division team Tarbes (although Charvis has yet to confirm this news), will carry on in international rugby for at least another year.
"I would like to be in the position for the next 12 months or even more where I could continue my career playing for Wales. Obviously Steve Hansen is coach during the Six Nations and I've got to be in a position that hopefully he can select me for that. So we'll just wait and see what happens."
"Hopefully, these young players will develop into a great team and this campaign can be a springboard for better results come next year's Six Nations. We came under a lot of criticism from our media back home and it even got to the stage where some people didn't believe that we would make the quarter-finals, let alone compete well against New Zealand and England."
Oh, and some plum called Steven Wells lists 10 reasons to hate rugby. Basically, it’s not football. One of the reasons is that rugby players accept the refs'decisions and are therefore scared of him. Quite.
But the final word goes to Gerald:
"Wales were made not just of stern stuff, stiff and resilient, but their guile and swiftness cheered the nation. Wales could defend, but they could also attack. Wales may have lost but others were charmed. They did so again in Brisbane. Wales will remember the 2003 World Cup. Australia will certainly not forget Wales."
Wembly 11th April 1999 Wales
32 England 31
(and I was there......................................)
I remember the day well. Our first outing to Wembly as a Club on a beautiful
Spring day. Our Club Treasurer, the late Keith Hesketh, drove us there
and back to witness what was a truly remarkable and unforgettable match.
It also marked the last game of the old Five Nations and England were playing
for the Grand Slam.
Even Gerald Davies said England should have
put the match beyond Wales. Like many of the old classic encounters we
did not. You can buy the video of this game at www.blackstar.co.uk/video/item/7000000051778
In what had been an extraordinary season, when they had kept their followers on tenterhooks against France, frustrated them against Scotland and Ireland, given cause for celebration only to have it taken away in the final breath against South Africa, the Wales team still refused to let them feel at ease. There was one more agonising moment left in the final match of the season.
It was left to Neil Jenkins, whose temperament needed to have been made of steel, to put those fluttering hearts to rest. His conversion of Scott Gibbs's try in the second minute of injury time gave Wales a victory that had seemed well beyond their reach. That the game should have arrived at such a climax and that Wales denied England their grand slam was, in large measure, England's own doing.
They will reflect that from the moment they scored the opening try after
only two minutes, and the many other opportunities that came their way,
that they failed to put the contest beyond Wales. The England dressing-room
would have been a forlorn place yesterday evening.
There can be nothing worse for a team than, with so little time to
spare, not to have the opportunity to regain a lead that had been so convincingly
theirs from the start. At no time did they relinquish the lead except when
it mattered most. The England players sank to their knees behind the posts
knowing that the chance had gone.
For 80 minutes and more they led the charge and yet it came ultimately to naught. In the midst of that bewilderment they will cast their minds back to the 76th minute. England were given a penalty when the score stood at 25-31, but Dallaglio and Wilkinson chose to ignore the kick that would have put England more than two scores in front of their opponents and sealed the contest. Instead, they kicked to the corner for a lineout and left Wales with a glimmer of hope that Gibbs took four minutes later.
That this failure was of England's own making will not be lost on Graham Henry, the Wales coach, who has imbued in his team a stiff resolve. The perspicacity of the New Zealander has created hope where there was little and renewed a sense of purpose when it all seemed to have seeped away. Other Welsh teams would surely have buckled under England's onslaught.
This time last year Wales had suffered two record defeats against France and England. Later in the summer they lost to South Africa by a margin that was a mere three points short of a century. Now their self-respect has returned and also, I suspect, the respect of others.
Yet, if finally it had been Wales's glorious moment, this was, in truth, England's game. Try as they might, Wales could not break the discipline of their opponents' defence, where the collective effort of their powerful back row consumed everything Wales attempted to throw at them.
Whereas Wilkinson, Hanley, Catt, on a couple of occasions, and Luger broke clear of the fragile Welsh defence, the home team managed to do so only on the two occasions that they scored tries. Otherwise, they fell into the welcoming arms of Hill, Back and Dallaglio, with reinforcements arriving in the shape of the estimable Rodber.
But if the sporadic Welsh attacks were rarely consistent, and liable
to mistakes, it was from one of these that victory was ultimately and dramatically
achieved, bringing the Five Nations Championship, in its final season,
to a memorable close. Gibb's Try was sheer poetry in motion. Click here
to see
Gibbs' Try.
(Source - The Times)
Rugby World Cup 1987
Tuesday June 9, 1987 Wales 16
- 3 England Brisbane
(I don't know anyone who was there......................................)
England were knocked out of the World Cup in a manner that mystified those connected with the team.
The victory for Wales in this match paved the way for a semi-final meeting with the awesome All Blacks the following Sunday. Two serious injury affected the chances of the last British team in the tournament making the final. Robert Norster's recurring thigh injury made him unavailable for the New Zealand game, while Gareth Roberts sustained a broken nose yesterday. Wales went on to suffer a record defeat at the hands of New Zealand.
England's abysmal drop in form was utterly perplexing. If, at Ballymore, Brisbane, yesterday, they had shown anything like the forward drive, the slickness of pass, the sense of purpose and of direction they had demonstrated in the Calcutta Cup match at Twickenham and in their opening World Cup game against the Wallabies two weeks before, they might have had little difficulty in beating Wales.
As it was, they were hesitant, faltering and lacking in efficiency.
"I have no doubt why we lost," said England's captain Mike Harrison. "Beforehand we were very confident and the most disappointing thing is we did not produce it on the field. All the Welsh points were given to them - they did not create the tries, they seized on our mistakes."
Brisbane, as usual, was warm and humid, and a prolonged shower of rain came down from broken clouds in the first half. This undoubtedly made handling more difficult. But, as Green said, "we play on heavy pitches and in the wet for much of the time at home".
England were almost nonchalant at times, as when Webb and Harrison had a marvellous opportunity to counterattack but each left the ball to the other and a Welsh boot pragmatically hoofed it downfield.
That incident epitomised Welsh realism. Robert Jones, the one man on either side who played football really well, would feed Jonathan Davies, and Davies would try one of the many kicks in his varied repertoire.
Yet credit must go to Wales for the way they overcame their problems. They kicked and kicked and waited for England to make mistakes, which England did. The Welsh were lucky, however, with their first try because England at that moment were reduced to seven forwards, Paul Rendall, to use Green's phrase, having had "an eye gouged". In these circumstances England all but conceded a pushover try, the ball squirted out widely, and Roberts pounced for a try, which Thorburn converted.
The second Welsh try was well made. Bowen broke through the centre and, although he was tackled by Webb, Collins took possession and finally Jones kicked the ball on and won the race with Harding for the touchdown. In injury time, Williams, the England stand-off half tried to float a long pass across England's midfield. Unfortunately for him, the ball landed in the arms of Devereux, who ran on to the posts for a try, which Thorburn converted.
The only English points came near the end when Webb kicked a penalty goal.
Words do no justice to voice of
McLaren
BY GERALD DAVIES
IN what is perceived to be the piranha-pool that media folk invent and that they choose to inhabit, it is time to sing the praises of a famous and conspicuously decent man. Bill McLaren is respected and, without argument, universally loved as a rugby commentator.
The 75-year-old is still going strong after a career that has spanned four decades.
For all of us of
a certain age, we have lived our rugby lives through the tenor of his voice,
dreamt our dreams and relived many ancient moments with that mellow Borders
brogue carving its way deep into our spirit.
If you want to know McLaren's life story you are advised to look out for his autobiography, or to wish to find in your Christmas stocking the video of his sweet recollections that was released last week. He can speak, as we all know, more than eloquently for himself. This is by way of a small appreciation.
We are all now very familiar with his magical voice, but it took quite a while to add flesh to the fleeting sound. What did he look like in his younger days? Tall of frame, saturnine with an almost forbidding glower, until the smile broke and the chat began.
He used to stand outside the Wales dressing-room dressed in dark, shadowy shades as if, were he to chance his arm with anything hinting of colour, the church elders might summon him to explain his flamboyance. Invariably, he was waiting for Gareth Edwards to come along. There was always a tin of peppermint sweets for the Wales scrum half to take home. It was a McLaren ritual.
He became integral to our winter rugby pageant, a comforting sound that accompanied us throughout the season. We were in his thrall. Part of the bliss in reclining at our ease to anticipate the afternoon's sporting fix was to listen to him as much as it was to see the game.
Hearing him, we were inclined to feel boastful about being a couch potato; he destroyed the incentive to look for a ticket. McLaren's voice remains rich and plangent to this day; the occasion enriched by his presence. He can brighten the dullest of matches. Even the grass seems fresher and greener for Bill telling us so. He is manifestly composed of the best sensibilities. Commenting on a grinding, occasionally violent game, the cadence of his voice makes the game lovable, despite the visual evidence to the contrary. He never exaggerates and there is a very real sense of fun about him - the kind of joy the best schoolmaster feels in his pupil's success.
Listening to McLaren you could not tire of rugby. He is courteous, well-mannered and admires what he sees. He always acknowledges the fragile balance between good and bad, to which the players are vulnerable, without in any sense betraying, as some commentators do, that they could do better.
His homework of facts and figures is meticulously detailed on a large sheet. Listening to him is to appreciate that he is no show-off, prepared to parade his information to enhance his own sense of authority.
The facts for McLaren are not allowed to intrude on the spectacle itself nor to promote the sense of his own importance. They are used economically, judiciously and with an imaginative flourish, which add a literary texture to the sweaty scene. He is not, what they nowadays call, an anorak. He is more like the unknown companion you hope to sit next to at a game: A well-informed devotee whose occasional interjections add to your own knowledge.
He is a proud Scotsman but we are spared any bias; his observations are fair and neutral. From Auckland to Aberdeen, Cardiff to Connacht, Bath to Brisbane, he is cherished.
It is a mark of his omniscience as a rugby commentator and his prodigious contribution to the popularity of rugby that, whenever the contract for the television rights are raised, and the BBC's position is in jeopardy, both sides of the negotiating table have had to ponder a future in the absence of McLaren. The contemplation of which has been, to the rugby authorities, akin to looking into the abyss.
He has been a constant mark of excellence and the touchstone for all those that follow. Simply, he has blessed rugby football with his inimitable presence. He has made all the difference.
• The Famous Voice of Rugby (Pearson Television/Empire Media Production,
£13.99)
(Source Times 13/11/98)
Llanelli v New Zealand
8th November 1997
(and I was there......................................)
"T'was a damp and dismal day that had seen rain. All roads lead to Stradey
to see the All Blacks play again"
Max Boyce 1973
I was slated for dragging Andy Hoggins back to the Land of his Fathers to watch the All Blacks play at Stradey. It was a League weekend and it did not go down well. Even so, it was a memorable trip, not least because the Blacks were awesome that day. Scarlet fans were expectant of another famous Llanelli victory, and were hoping to relive the 1973 7-3 victory.
It was not to be. The All Blacks ran rampant, winning 81-3.
Full Back Christian Cullen scored four tries.
This is a clip of one of them - Cullen
(929 k) compliments of New Zealand's TVOne.
