We don’t wanna be your enemy,
But when we’re on the field,
It’s red, white and green,

Get beat by the Irish,
Get beat by the Scots,
The French ought’ta struggle,
But you’re the one we want,

As long as we beat the English,
As long as we beat the English,
As long as we beat the English, we don’t care

The Stereophonics carved their place in Welsh rugby folklore when they composed this classic song for a BBC Wales promo ahead of the clash with England at Wembley in 1999.

These days, it’s a case of as long we beat somebody-we don’t care who it is. But there is still something special about defeating the old enemy, especially for those of us living and undertaking missionary work on the wrong side of the River Severn.

The final day of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations Championship straddled the seasons. An icy cold wind wrapped in bright sunshine bathed Cardiff in a blanket of hope, one that would see Wales finally get that elusive and shackle-breaking win they were desperately seeking.

There was something in the air pre match, the prospect of a win based purely on hope and history and very little evidence.

Perhaps Wales Under 20s defeating England the previous night and depriving them of a Grand Slam set the tone, whatever, it was almost tangible.

The front page of Wales’ National newspaper The Western Mail had a one word header ‘Calon’ the Welsh word for Heart.

Sadly, all those hopes, feelings, and expectations were brutally blown away as England scored ten tries to rip the heart out of Wales.

For the Welsh fans, it was heartbreaking. To see their team demolished physically was a sobering experience and a sad reminder of where they sit in rugby’s world order.

Everything 50/50 went England’s way, which is usually how it goes when your team is on top, tries from headed assists included.

Wales had their chances, a dropped ball over the line, an early disallowed effort from Blair Murray who on another day could have had a hat trick.

But ifs and buts are almost an irrelevance when you lose a match, 68-14.

It was sad to see so many fans leaving the last chance saloon before last orders, but a heart, or should I say calon, can only take so much.