Welsh dragons bring their fire to Dublin
Kevin Evans, Theresa Williams, Angela Evans, Melanie Griffiths, Gareth Griffiths and Lee Williams party in Dublin ahead of Ireland’s clash against wales at the Aviva Stadium.
THERE is a conundrum that lies at the heart of the rugby rivalry between Ireland and Wales.
Are we Celtic cousins, squabbling siblings, closest neighbours – or nations deeply divided by the Irish Sea and hundreds of years of divergent history?
None of this will matter when two tribes go to war at 2.15pm today, with both the green and red in furious pursuit of victory.
But before and after the game, fans will share a camaraderie that is the envy of all other sports. As my former colleague and Welsh rugby writer Carolyn Hitt opined: “The Irish trip embodies the friendship, fun and fan culture that makes the Six Nations such a unique sporting experience.”
Warren Gatland stoked the fires a few years ago by claiming Welsh and Irish teams dislike one another, but that comment went down like a burst ball on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Dublin is without doubt the Welsh fans’ favourite trip.
Second only to one venue (Cardiff of course) when it comes to a lost weekend.
For long periods there was even a bizarre trend where Ireland were good enough to allow Wales the victory at Lansdowne Road – and the situation was always reversed with some memorable Irish wins at the old Arms Park.
Up to the mid-80s the bulk of supporters travelled by ferry. It was reportedly easier to get an early pint than a decent breakfast after falling off the overnight boat.
There will still be thousands making the trip by sea this weekend.
Despite their differences, the two nations cannot deny their close ties. South Wales had such a large number of Irish emigrants who passed on their heritage to children and grandchildren.
There have been many famous wins for both teams.
A brilliant 34-9 Triple Crown-winning performance by the superstar Wales team of the early 1970s, a period overshadowed by the Troubles in the North and an unwillingness of some rugby teams to visit Dublin amid reports of death threats against players. Decades later in 2008, Wales got a 16-12 win at Croke Park on the way to a Grand Slam.
But there have been many, many heavy defeats as Ireland refused to play the gracious hosts.
Probably the most severe drubbing was when Lions coach Graham Henry brought an experienced squad to Dublin in 2002 and yet Ireland won 54-10 with a certain Paul O’Connell scoring his first international try.
Later that evening, some gifted Welsh musicians joined in a session in Oliver St John Gogarty, the jigs and the reels flowing as freely as the black stuff.
As the applause faded, a lone Irish voice rang out: “That’s the best I’ve seen any f***ing Welshman play today.”
He had never spoken truer words, but the Welsh fans didn’t care. They were in Dublin, among friends. The party went on all night.