Happy Dai-s looking back
DAI’S INSIDE VIEW ON ENGLAND-WALES 20 YEARS AFTER THAT FAMOUS ENCOUNTER
WHEN weighing up the enormity of an Wales versus England rugby encounter, few are better qualified to provide a balanced view from both camps than former British Lion, Dai Young.
The 51-year-old made his international debut in the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup against the old enemy while still a teenager and his 32nd of 51 caps came in ‘that match’ against England at Wembley Stadium in 1999 – more on that later.
But mixed in with his lengthy association with Cardiff as both a player and coach, Young’s fascinating dual-code career took in five seasons of rugby league at Leeds and Salford followed by nearly nine years at his current employers, Wasps.
Around 15 years of his professional working life has been based across the Severn Bridge starting in the north, venturing south to London before a migration north to the Midlands in recent times.
He’s nurtured the talents of dozens of England internationals, five of whom have realistic aims of featuring in the 132nd meeting of the old rivals at the Principality Stadium in a Six Nations showdown in eight days’ time.
“The big thing is, what I have noticed up here, I’ve spent a lot of time in England through the years, when I was playing Rugby League and coaching up here as well, it’s a big game to the English players, but it’s not as big as it is for the Welsh players,” said Young, who won three of his seven Anglo-Welsh encounters.
“England have a big game against France, then a big game against Ireland, and they seem to have a big game, every game.
“For Wales, I know they make a bit of a joke of it, but if we beat England and lose all the other games and they’d still be happy.
“I know it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it is the game. It is the game for the Welsh supporters.
“It’s an important game for the English supporters, but it’s not quite the same. That’s the reality of it.
“In the build up to the England game, from the lollipop lady to the woman serving in Tesco, everyone knows they’re playing England. That is the biggest game for them without a shadow of a doubt.”
So, that Wembley Stadium encounter mentioned above.
The Grand Slam in ‘99 slipped through England’s grasp in the most painful of circumstances in their ‘own back yard’ as Wales savoured the use of the iconic football stadium while the Millennium Stadium was under construction.
A painful memory for any Englishman, including this rugby writer whose sunny day out to the Twin Towers as a young teenager would end in tears.
For Young, who arrived as a sub- stitute on that sun-kissed afternoon of bliss in England’s capital city, the recollections took some poking to conjure before they poured out from within Wasps’ Broadstreet RFC training ground base.
“It was Scott Gibbs try that one wasn’t it?” he said. “I am hopeless for remembering things!
“The biggest thing, it was just a great occasion. Playing at Wembley, going there and seeing all the support there. The singing, it was epic.
“England had the rub, they’d certainly been in control of the games they’d played against us over the last couple of years. “They were in control of that game and had an opportunity to kick for goal which would’ve probably closed the game out for them, but they didn’t take it. “We got back and got that famous win.
“He tells the story, Gibbsy, that when we had that lineout and he broke through and sidestepped all he could hear was me shouting ‘put ____ the ball down.’ “If you go back to Wales and talk about rugby, that try always crops up.”
His memory bank now fully unlocked, Young indulged. “I got my first cap against England,” he said, referencing the 16-3 win in Brisbane over 31 years ago.
“We won that day. It was a real tight game.
“I remember I was playing against (Paul) Rendell, a Wasps prop, that was hard work. I think they called him ‘the judge’ which was quite funny really.
“I did 50/60 minutes against him as a 19-year-old and then thinking great they’re making a sub and then you see Gareth Chilcott coming on! I remember him saying ‘come on then kid.’
“You have those experiences and you see them and have a good laugh and obviously I was lucky enough to go on a Lions tour with Gareth Chilcott and he’s a fantastic bloke.
“I’ve got some good memories against England, but probably a lot more losses than wins.”
Nearly 18 years after his last Six Nations appearance for Wales in Italy back in April 2001, Young senior made a return to Rome last weekend to watch his eldest son play his first minutes in the competition.
Accompanied by his wife April and Thomas’ younger brothers Owen and Lewis, ‘dad’ was presented with a stern test of keeping his emotions in check.
“The best thing that happened was that the camera wasn’t on me, I would have never lived it down.
“Everyone knows that deep down I’m a big softie. I’m not afraid to say that I’m a touch emotional on things like that. We didn’t see him on the anthems to be honest with you, but we know our kids well so you could tell he was pretty emotional. My bot-
It was just a great occasion. Playing at Wembley, going there and seeing all the support. The singing, it was epic Dai Young
tom lip was going as well. I was conscious of holding my emotions in so the bloody camera never saw me.”
He added: “It is the first Six Nations game I have been to since I played. As soon as I finished playing I went into coaching, and as a player you’re not going to go and as a coach it’s a busman’s holiday – the last thing you want to do on a week off is go to an international.”
Young junior was one of a few shining lights from within a stuttering 26-15 Wales win, with only a late TMO decision denying him a first international try and deleting a ‘cherry-on-the-icing’ moment for the on-watching Young family and thousands of partisan Wasps supporters.
The result, coupled with England’s demolition of the French 24 hours later, delivers Wales and England to what many are calling a ‘Grand Slam decider’ despite it being only the third of the competition’s five rounds.
Assessing his son’s chances of featuring, Young senior adopted a pragmatic viewpoint, sprinkled with a flavour of fatherly bias.
“They have massive strength in depth there,” he said. “You don’t know what they want. All he can do is put a marker down. “Selection is always out of his hands. I just hope he gets more opportunities. No different to any Welsh kid who wants to play rugby, everyone wants to play for Wales.
“Everyone wants to run out at the Millennium (Principality) Stadium. I am sure he’d love to be involved.
“It is not something he has taken for granted or is nailed on, but he felt he put in a really good marker. I am sure he’s in the mix, that’s all he can do. It is up to the coaches to see whether he fits in or not.”