Wales (archive)
- ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sport Rugby
- 23 Oct 07, 09:01 AM
Hang out the bunting, strike up the band, Tom and Ben are home.
Not quite in a jet draped with flags, awaiting a press corps and tumult of fans, more in a campervan, on a ferry, still wearing those flip-flops. And that vest. Probably.
So here's a best of Fordyce & Dirs, in photos and links to remind you of the past seven weeks' adventure.
You can check out all of .
Continue reading "Now That's What I Call Tom and Ben (in photos)"
- Mark Orlovac
- 22 Oct 07, 07:23 AM
Waterloo station/ a cross channel ferry, Monday - As a final parting World Cup gift, myself, Tom and Ben (remember them?) thought we'd dish out a few prizes from the last seven weeks. First prize goes to all of you, obviously, for reading and joining in and making the blog what it is.
But after you lot, there have been some outstanding, and not so clever, achievements. Here's just a few. Let's call them "The Bloggys". (See if you can spot who wrote which ones!)
Continue reading "The Bloggys"
- Ryan Jones
- 20 Oct 07, 08:22 AM
So it’s all over. After all the waiting, the hype and all the expectation, the tournament seemed to pass in the blink of an eye and leaves us with another four years to dwell over the next one.
What a tournament it was though. I think in hindsight, it will be regarded as the best yet for a number of reasons.
Continue reading "And rugby was the winner..."
- John Beattie
- 16 Oct 07, 03:29 PM
I know, I know, it might seem a crazy idea, but I’d like all Scots, Welsh, Irish, French and Italians to support England in the rugby World Cup final. What do you think?
Aaargh, stop throwing bricks at me and let me put forward my logic.
You see, when I was a wee boy growing up in , the UK seemed a long way away. But it also struck me that all of us in the Northern Hemisphere are quite like each other. For instance, you can’t say that someone a mile north of the is markedly different from someone a mile south of it.
Continue reading "Why all six nations should back England"
- Tom Fordyce
- 8 Oct 07, 12:00 PM
Marseille, Monday morning - There’s no two ways about it – that was without doubt the greatest sporting weekend I’ve ever been involved in.
Marseille this weekend has been a city drenched in beer, tension, disbelief, sorrow, happiness and wild, wide-eyed celebration.
Even now, with the streets finally emptying of campervans, sleeping fans and plastic pint pots, you can still almost feel the excitement bouncing off the sticky pavements.
Continue reading "Sweet and sour memories of Marseille"
- Ryan Jones
- 6 Oct 07, 10:58 AM
Swansea - Eight left and by the end of the weekend there will be four.
Which four that will be has yet to be determined, but what is for sure is that the make-up of the semis will be heavily influenced by the performances of each of the team’s key players.
Here’s my rundown on this weekend’s central figures and who will end up winners and losers.
Continue reading "Barnes will inspire Australia to victory"
- Ryan Jones
- 2 Oct 07, 03:36 PM
Swansea - Well what can I say?
What an absolutely torrid weekend. and .
I can’t say that I’m hugely surprised that Gareth was asked to vacate his position following the defeat on Saturday because history has shown us that when the national team underachieves heads have tended to roll - and this World Cup campaign will be categorised as an underachievement.
Continue reading "Another new chapter"
- Ben Dirs
- 1 Oct 07, 10:43 AM
To lose one Six Nations side before the quarter-finals of a World Cup is unfortunate. To lose three just goes to show how stagnant and outmoded northern hemisphere rugby has become.
Some claim this tournament has proved that rugby runs stronger and deeper than ever before, with and cited as prime examples.
I don’t go for that. After all, the All Blacks and Australia have been gubbing the minnows at this World Cup just as they always have done.
I hesitate to pick on the Scots – at least they managed to scrape through their group - but it was our misfortune to witness which was the rugby equivalent of a wet weekend in Prestatyn with only a stack of LPs for company.
Continue reading "Northern exposure leaves Dirsy depressed"
- Sean Davies
- 30 Sep 07, 05:50 PM
Well, the result that it seems every rugby fan in Wales has been screaming out for has come about and .
Some of the posters on 606 and other forums have even suggested that one of the blackest results in – the that dumped them out of the World Cup – was worth it to secure his end.
But I have to buck the trend and express sympathy for Jenkins, who has never truly been able to put his stamp on the team.
And as we finally accept that the 2005 ‘golden generation’ was nothing but a myth, I would suggest that a number of the senior players have got out lightly from the blood-letting blame-game.
Continue reading "Gareth Jenkins' reign"
- James Standley
- 29 Sep 07, 05:56 PM
London - Fiji pulled off one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history as they outmuscled and outplayed Wales in Nantes.
Here is my verdict on the performance of the Welsh players - let us know how you thought they played.
Continue reading "Wales player ratings v Fiji"
- Nick Mullins
- 28 Sep 07, 04:32 PM
Nantes - Honestly, who’d be a coach this weekend?
The knock-out phase of the World Cup is effectively under way and all the men who’ve picked the teams and formulated the game plans can do now is sit back and hope they’re smiling come Sunday evening.
Even though the chilly winds of autumn have arrived big time over here, Eddie O’Sullivan, Frank Hadden and Brian Ashton will all be feeling the heat over the next couple of days.
I’d venture to suggest none of them will feel it more than .
Continue reading "Expectation weighs heavily on Jenkins"
- Ryan Jones
- 23 Sep 07, 06:25 PM
Swansea - In the first match of Pool B Australia set a pretty daunting for our match against Japan but I think 11 tries and 72 points equals for Wales.
The text books went out of the window almost from the word go on Thursday night as both teams threw caution to the wind in the opening exchanges, pretty much setting the tone for the rest of the evening.
Such an opportunity for us to break the shackles and run with the ball usually sees us play our most potent and effective rugby and overall that did prove to be the case - not though, before the Japanese ensured there would be no resting on any laurels when they came up with the try of the tournament so far.
Continue reading "Wales moving into gear"
- Sean Davies
- 20 Sep 07, 10:07 PM
Wales ratings v Japan
Cardiff – I was at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Thursday for Wales’ Pool B game against Japan.
Here’s how I rated the individual Wales players’ performances. See what you think and let us know what you made of the performance.
Continue reading "Wales ratings v Japan"
- Ryan Jones
- 20 Sep 07, 11:42 AM
Swansea - With the crunch having come and gone, has the feeling of a fresh start about it.
Everything Wales have done since the Six Nations has been done with that Australia game in mind and of course we would have hoped to emerge victorious from it. However that wasn’t to be and now that the Plan A has been derailed, it’s time for us to crack on with Plan B.
The primary goal still remains a quarter-final berth and to get there as group runners-up we must first negotiate the challenges of the final two group games, starting with the .
Continue reading "Fresh start ahead"
- John Beattie
- 18 Sep 07, 08:05 AM
Do you know, I think that this World Cup is hastening the end of the .
The premier northern hemisphere competition is being exposed for what many have suspected it to be for a while – protectionist.
The sooner we let , , and into regular elite competition on an annual basis, the better.
Continue reading "Beginning of the end for Six Nations?"
- Ryan Jones
- 17 Sep 07, 03:04 PM
Swansea - I finally got the chance of some first-hand World Cup action on Saturday as the , oddly enough, rolled its way into Cardiff.
I decided to indulge myself, too, by getting right into the heart of the city streets and sucking up a bit of the atmosphere.
When you’re involved as a player you get very little exposure to the buzz of a match day afternoon around and about the stadium where, on top of the 70,000 or so ticket holders, countless more enjoy the day in the capital’s numerous hostelries.
Ironically enough, after enjoying a fine pre-match lunch I joined some friends to watch the match - where else, but in an Australian bar!
Continue reading "Going walkabout in Cardiff"
- Bruce Pope
- 17 Sep 07, 08:38 AM
Cardiff - Now don't get me wrong, I am in no way endorsing bad tackles or foul play - I wince and utter the occasional expletive along with the rest of the watching world when something nasty happens during a rugby match.
But I'm thinking that the citing commissioners and disciplinary panels at this Rugby World Cup are coming down too harshly on players.
Continue reading "Citing spoiling the exciting?"
- Bruce Pope
- 16 Sep 07, 03:26 PM
Cardiff - When Gareth Thomas, dazed and damaged, was helped off the Millennium Stadium pitch on Saturday it may have been the last time we will see him on the international stage.
'Alfie' as he is more often known (after a ) announced at the beginning of this year that he would "probably" after the World Cup.
Continue reading "Was that the end for Alfie?"
- Bruce Pope
- 15 Sep 07, 12:09 PM
Cardiff - I was at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday as in a match that leaves the Wallabies in control of Pool B.
Here's how I rated the individual Wales players' performances. See whether you agree and let us know what you thought of the match.
Continue reading "Wales ratings v Australia"
- Bruce Pope
- 14 Sep 07, 06:13 PM
Seen posted on the door of the Wales dressing room in the bowels of the Millennium Stadium are words of inspiration attributed to the King of England.
I know what you're thinking: "Has finally stepped down and let have a go at last, but he's still made the time to big-up Gareth Jenkins' boys due to his previous role as Prince of Wales?"
No, the words helping to get the hwyl flowing for have come echoing down the ages, uttered towards the end of the 12th century.
Continue reading "Wales the Lionhearts"
- Ryan Jones
- 14 Sep 07, 02:17 PM
Swansea - Since the World Cup were drawn however many months ago, both and put a pin in 15 September 2007, identifying it as the day when the four-year cycle of building for a World Cup would end.
It would end because it was the day when there would be no more excuses: no more blooding young players, no more trying new combinations and no more considering a loss as anything but failure. It would be time to deliver –
and here we are.
Continue reading "Wales v Australia"
- Sean Davies
- 13 Sep 07, 07:53 AM
It’s been a frustrating for the armchair supporter of the home nations.
I’m not talking about the less than inspiring wins over the , , and .
It’s those damn with the imbecile supporters from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Continue reading "Driven crazy by the opening exchanges"
- Ben Dirs
- 12 Sep 07, 12:09 PM
Condom, France - I swear on everything that is dear to me that we did not plan to end up in last night.
The idea was to stop off in on the way to Toulouse, but the lack of a campsite meant we had to push on a few extra miles and the next decent-sized town happened to be what the French might refer to as capote anglaise.
We resisted taking a hilarious picture of one of us sniggering under a Condom road sign, but it does mean we will have to put our snail eating contest on the backburner for a couple of weeks.
Continue reading "Cognac and raw pasta on the menu"
- Nick Mullins
- 11 Sep 07, 09:07 PM
La Baule - So there you go, seven days into the World Cup and we’re all going home. Wales - and the rest of us flip-flopping around with them - are pulling the suitcase out from underneath the hotel room bed and heading back to Cardiff for the next couple of pool matches.
Sunday in was terrific, the hospitality there and here at our base beside the Atlantic in La Baule has been overwhelming. But just as we’re beginning to get into the swing of the party, we're off.
Continue reading "Suffering from La Baule blues"
- Ryan Jones
- 11 Sep 07, 03:51 PM
Swansea - With the dust having settled on on Sunday, it’s only now that I’ve sat and watched the boys in action that it’s hit home what I’m actually missing in France.
It was a day of mixed emotion for me and the thought that I may be watching my only chance to play in a World Cup slip away was not eased by the Canadian first-half performance.
In hindsight fans will be asking why it took us so long to exercise our superiority in the contest but it must be understood that in international rugby, regardless of who you are playing or what world rankings suggest, there is not going to be a lot of room early on.
Continue reading "Mixed emotions for a game of two halves"
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