We all moan about sports manager decisions, but the announcement today that the Wales squad for the upcoming World Cup would not contain Martyn Williams cannot pass without comment. And for once I won’t let my emotional side lead my thinking. Wales are about to enter the World Cup with only one specialist Number 7,…
It was a joy to watch the highlights of the famous Barbarians v New Zealand match last night on the Beeb, how they condensed it into half an hour amazed me. But a number of things struck me during and after the programme about how the world of rugby has changed. Here are some thoughts:
There was real footballing beauty in the way that Barçelona beat Manchester United in the Champions League Final last night. But of greater value in my eyes were what Barça stand for, their ethos, values and their beliefs. Because that is what makes them such a powerful team. Some observations: They are owned by their…
Watching the footie on the tele tonight I was struck by 2 strange ways of supporters showing their support to their team. First: when a Man United player was sent off the crowd applauded as he left the field. How can they possibly support someone who created such pressure for his team? And it was…
I hate manufactured photo shoots for rugby, somehow they just don’t seem to work, and today’s 6 Nations Captains’ gathering did nothing to change my mind. They were on the BBC news – so well done for the PR – but as the camera angle turned to show their backs I spotted something worrying –…
The Welsh team performance was not great last night against Samoa, but the Welsh Captain, Ryan Jones, certainly put in a man of the match performance that was really pleasing. In September I wrote that Wales needed him and suggested that he should stick to playing No 8. Since then – was he listening I…
I’m not Cardiff born, nor am I Cardiff bred, but I do live there and have done so for 16 years or more. And for many of those years I’ve followed Cardiff, and sometimes the Blues in all their efforts. But tonight I was faced with the choice of Cardiff v Glasgow on S4C, or…
The Ospreys may have won tonight but they are still not fulfilling their potential and dominating a game as their strong squad ought to. However there was one pleasing thread through the whole game and that was the return on Ryan Jones. He definitely deserved his man of the match award not only for his…
Whilst sometimes sport can thrill it too can sometimes disappoint. Rugby has always been a great game for me and now for my sons too, but sometimes it can be ruined by stupidity. Last weekend one of my clan was leading a team at the annual Aberaeron 7’s, a small weekend festival in the most…
Image by [phil h Saturday is my wedding anniversary: 28 years ago tonight I was still single. But I just can’t look forward to Saturday. No: it’s nothing to do with my marriage, which is fine/great/wonderful etc etc, it’s because bloody Kick Ball is back. Even before I’ve managed to get my shirt off in…
In the last couple of weeks there have been some great sporting spectacles and debacles, but one thing that has been clear to me amongst all of them is that Rugby Union is the greatest game in the world, for the following reasons: It’s all about teamwork. People of all shapes and sizes come together to…
The Welsh rugby team were beaten well last night, but there was a great piece of marketing by their main sponsors, Brains and Co, brewers in Cardiff which has to go down as a victory. For those not aware of advertising regulation in France: it is unacceptable for a sport to be supported by booze….
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