I remember vividly my first France v Wales match in Paris, it was on 17 February 1979, three days after my nineteenth birthday.

With long jet black hair and a face full of acne I felt like I was heading to another planet.

Thirty eight years later as I prepare to head to the city of lights, the acne has gone, but sadly so has all the jet black hair.

In mid February 1979 the whole of Northern Europe was engulfed in sub-zero temperatures, and snow was on the ground as I headed to Heathrow to catch a Gulf Air flight to Paris.

In fact the match itself was in doubt earlier that week, due to a piece of the roof falling off at Parc Des Princes attributed to the Siberian weather that had hit the French capital.

These were the days when airport security was unnecessary and virtually non-existent, the great Wales prop Denzil Williams walked through the boarding gates swigging from a large bottle of brandy, and no one batted an eyelid.

Arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport was like entering another world, it was the first time I had seen a policeman with a gun, in fact the entire staff of the airport appeared to be armed, including the cleaners.

But, the biggest shock of my life was about to occur, my first visit to a French toilet.
Now I had never been outside the UK, and nothing had prepared for the experience of “using” a urinal, whilst a French woman sang and polished the one next to me.

I was from West Wales, where even making eye contact with someone in a lavatory was deemed to be depraved behaviour, and then to cap it all, there was another woman sat at the exit of the establishment, with a saucer full of francs to which I embarrassingly had to make a contribution.

All weekend Paris was engulfed in a freezing cold, misty blanket, which didn’t help my main problem, dog mess !

Now I have never seen, before or since, so much dog mess in one city, as I did in Paris that weekend, I never saw any of the sights as I was too busy looking down at the pavement, leaping around like Rafa Nadal to avoid slipping on either canine excretion or ice.

The epicentre of this problem was right outside the Port de Saint Cloud metro station, the nearest station to the Parc Des Princes, where France played in those days, as did the football team Paris St Germain.

The Parc Des Princes was like a bear-pit inside, but lacked in asthetic beauty and resembled NCP car park from the outside.

The atmosphere in the ground was very hostile, unlike the sanitized Stade de France of today. 

The Wales time were roundly booed when they entered the fray, but the French saved their ire for the Gendarmerie brass band who were heckled so loudly that it was impossible to hear a note they played.

Having a ticket was somewhat superfluous , as every row of ten seats contained at least twenty people in situ, I had a burly Basque farmer on my lap for most of the first half, and in fact it was so cold, I was glad of the warmth.

He had a leather satchel draped around his neck filled with home-made Pyrenean brandy, which made him look like a Gallic St Bernard.

The bearded, beret clad St Bernard insisted every time Wales, or France, were awarded a penalty,that we both take a swig from his attachment, in the interests of Cymric/Gallic relations I felt it only polite to comply.

Wales were coming to the end of their golden era in 1979, JPR Williams was still around, and captained the team, and a new young star was emerging at scrum half in the shape of Terry Holmes.

For the record France won 14-13, with the scores at half time level at 7-7
Jean Francois Gourdon scored two tries for France, and Aguirre kicked two penalties.
For Wales, Terry Holmes scored a try, and Steve Fenwick kicked three penalties.

The wonderment of that first trip has gone, but the magic of Paris and a French home rugby international is something I never tire in experiencing .

We Welsh are an emotionally complicated people, prone to melancholy certainly, appearing to be perpetually sat on an emotional see-saw.

Roller coasters do not even come close to giving us the ride that following our national rugby team provide.

My great gran always had a hankie in hand to wipe away the tears from her eyes, tears created by sadness or laughter, there never seemed to be a halfway house of emotion.

Nothing embodies these characteristics more than being a Wales supporter.

There is a school of thought that being an All Blacks fan must be the most boring sporting role on earth, they hardly ever play badly and defeat is even more of a rarity.

There are some of us Welsh, who wouldn’t mind a few years of “boredom”

So why the melancholy ? Ok the weather doesn’t help, west maybe best, but sadly it also nearer the Atlantic, those beautiful green hills of Carmarthenshire don’t get to be that shade of green without the assistance of the weather systems brewed up in the bay of biscay.

At the moment a deep depression has settled in the west and has spread eastwards covering the whole country.

The long range forecast does not look promising, with the potential for a group of death even further east in 2019, at the rugby World Cup in Japan, although in the land of the rising sun maybe the weather will improve.

If Wales were caught between two stools in the autumn then they now find themselves caught between three stools, a kitchen table and a fridge freezer.

Young exciting rugby talents riddled with splinters, from sitting on the bench since last autumn, anxiously await a call up to national service, as many of the the old guard, both players and management, perform below par in an ever changing game in which Wales appear to be falling further and further behind.      

The 2017 six nations is lost, but there is an added ingredient this year, as the 2019 rugby World Cup draw is due to take place in May, based on team rankings at the the end of the tournament.

Wales are currently seventh in the world rugby rankings, and if they beat either Ireland or France in the coming weeks they will maintain that ranking.

If Wales lose both their remaining matches against Ireland and France, they will drop out of the top eight, and will get a tougher World Cup pool, with two top eight teams in their group, as happened in 2015.

By all accounts the Welsh camp is not a happy place, that Welsh melancholia has taken hold, there appears to be very little joy on the field, the fear of failure suffocating every move, every decision every waking moment.

As spectators and fans you feel for them, no Welsh team has worked harder or been braver.

For the next three weeks the pressure will be even greater to get that important win, but after that Wales really need to sort things out, sadly with Gatland and Howley on Lions duty, there will be a considerable delay in the much needed reformation.

So for the foreseeable future I suggest you hold on to your hankie.

One of the many joys of covering rugby in France is ordering an early morning coffee and croissant , whilst watching the world go by with a copy the sports daily, L’equipe.

The pleasure is even more enhanced on a Monday and a Friday thanks to that wonderful golden periodical MIDI Olympique.

To the uninitiated MIDI Olympique is a newspaper devoted solely to rugby, and is nicknamed “le Jaune” (the yellow) due to the colour of its pages.

In 1929,when it was first published, all sports newspapers were printed on coloured paper, and on September 2 of that year, when the first edition was published, the only colour available was yellow the pages of the paper have remained golden to this very day.

Now owned by the newspaper group La Depeche, Jean Jacques Pouch was the man who launched that first edition.

The fact that France was deprived of any international rugby, followed by the outbreak of war,made life difficult for a newspaper which was originally sold only in the Toulouse area.

The Monday edition carries a red nameplate, and Friday’s a green, hence they are known colloquially as le Rouge, and le vert.

MIDI Olympique was published on Mondays only until spring 2006, when a Friday issue arose .

Now one of the oldest weekly French newspapers in existence, the figures for 2005 stated that 140,000 copies were printed on Mondays and 120,000 on Fridays.

Midol’s in depth coverage is second to none and gives the French Womens international team a quality coverage that other countries can only dream of receiving.

So here’s to another cafe creme and happy reading.

Arles Sur Tech is a tiny village, set in a scenic forested valley, in the eastern foothills of the pyrenees, where catalan and French are spoken.

It is less than one hours drive from the Spanish border, a journey which has a major relevance to one of its inhabitants, France captain Guilhem Guirado.

In stature and appearance, he is exactly how you would imagine a French hooker to look like.

At 5ft 11ins and 15 stone 8lbs, he is as tough and solid as the local Pyrenean Boulders on the field, and as calm and gentle as the meandering river tech off it.

A private man who puts his love of his family above all else, his grandparents were part of the 500,000 Spanish exodus, that fled the violence of the Spanish Civil War, and crossed the Pyrenees with the one sole aim of finding refuge in France.

His parents were born in Granada, and were only five years old when they arrived in France with almost nothing to their name.

“Until I was 15 all I knew was this village where my grandparents had arrived, my favourite memories are from here, I loved being that age, it is here everything really started for me and I found a passion for rugby”

Guilhem is a man who knows where he is, and more importantly  where he has come from.
I first met him at the RBS 6 nations launch in 2016, after he had just been revealed as the new France captain, he stood out as a man at peace with himself taking everything in his stride in a calm and measured manner.

“To know where you want to go you need to know about where you came from and the determination that went before” he says philosophically, and when you delve into his family history you get a sense of where that inner strength has come from.

“What I like about rugby is the direct confrontation with an opponent a physical contest and collisions tackles”

But when he gets home he puts his bag down and rugby is finished

“The most important thing for me is my family and the people who are around me, whether my parents, grandparents wife or daughter”.

“It’s my stability it’s something that allows me to put things into perspective, to be able to relax and see life in a different way, I’m not only thinking about rugby and that allows me to perform well on the field”

CAPTAINCY

“I don’t have a specific style it is mainly a feeling, a lot of conversations and a lot of questioning, and the captain is nothing without the players around him”

“It is a great pride, a huge honour for all that it means for me and for France”

WEARING THE FRENCH JERSEY

“I think it’s always an honour to play for and represent France, everything goes more quickly and it is a bit stressful because of the fear of not being up to the mark, you want your family to be proud of you”
“I like to know what has happened in the past and immerse myself in it because I also have to represent all the former players, there have been some huge players, and great hookers who have gone before me”

“For me this shirt really represents the welcome given to the Spanish exiles, I am French I grew up in France, it is a country that was ready to welcome to my grandparents so of course I think of them”

PLAYING CAREER

“My first memory is the first time I played rugby, it was with all my friends in Arles sur tech, and the most beautiful thing is we all got to know each other on the rugby field, and today we are still sharing our lives and great moments together”

“I have been lucky to be able to play for my club that made me dream when I was a kid, the Perpignan team USAP, and finally to be able to play with France a few years later, and now to play with RC Toulon with the best players in the oval world” 

He won his first cap on 9 March 2008 , coming off the bench against Italy at the stade de france in a 25-13 victory “I remember my first cap, a special taste, I remember it like it was yesterday”

His first start for France came in the 2010 autumn international against Fiji.

Currently standing on forty-eight caps, and with four tries for his country, injuries apart, he looks set for a long run as captain of France, indeed Guy Noves has spoken publically of his desire to keep the “Toulon Talonneur”as skipper for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Whatever happens you sense that Guilhem Guirado will take it all in his stride, his mother says “He must never forget where he is from, it is his strength” and as we all know, mothers are usually right.

BEST GRAPHICS AWARD

Italy produced three beautiful and innovative posters to advertise their three home games against Wales,Ireland and France.

BEST NATIVITY SCENE

During the official tournament launch in January, there was obviously a bit of an advent hangover at the Hurlingham club, as the official photographs were taken in a stable.

BEST HAIR EXTENSION

England v France at Twickenham created a few hair-raising moments as the Red Roses demolished France.

BEST QUOTE OF THE OPENING WEEKEND

“Followers are for Twitter” by new Wales captain Alun-Wyn Jones was so good it was even translated into French.

MOST HEARTWARMING CELEBRATION

A last-minute win for Scotland Women, against Wales, created the most wonderful genuine joyous celebration, it was their first six nations win for seven years.

THE RUBIK PRIZE

England win this award for their utter bemusement at Italy’s “we don’t give a ruck” attitude when everyone expected them to roll over at Twickenham.

OUT OF THIS WORLD TELEVISION COVERAGE AWARD

How is it a man in the space station can get a better reception than me, only a stones throw from the crystal palace transmitter ? wonder if he hung on for “embarrassing bodies”

THE MOST UNUSER FRIENDLY TROPHY OF THE TOURNAMENT

This was a nailed on certainty, the Garibaldi trophy that is presented to the annual winners of the match between France and Italy.

Now I’m no Rodin, but to me it looks like a cross between a railway sleeper and smashed up scalextrix set.

THE LEAST INTERESTED VIEWER OF ITALY V FRANCE

My little boy 

THE RUDYARD KIPLING “IF” AWARD

George North going from zero to hero in the space of two six nations weekends

See Rome and Die… A quote echoing the bloody history of the eternal city where your life expectancy was pretty  limited,unless of course you happened to be Russell Crowe, and where you literally had to fight for your life.

 The equivalent Welsh venue was probably the Top Rank night club in Swansea on a Saturday night, Caligula would have felt quite at home there.

But yesterday  it was the modern day gladiators that battled it out, the collaseum replaced by the stadio olympico, and it was Wales that got the thumbs up

I watched proceedings in Bette Midler style “From a distance” due to a severe case of man flu.

In the sort of weather more akin to Rhyader than Rome, Wales and Italy kicked off their six nations campaign on a soggy Sunday in conditions resembling those often encountered by earlier Roman sides at Hadrians wall.

They came in their legions, from Pontpool to Pisa, from Treforest to Treviso, even the Italian president visited rainy Rome to meet the teams before battle commenced.

Casualties arose early ,Alun Wyn Jones temporarily went off after only four minutes to be patched up.

Then things became really Gory.. Well actually it was Edoardo Gori who scored a try for Italy after 28 minutes, their lead stretched to 7-0 before the scarred and bloodstained Leigh Halfpenny struck a penalty for Wales to make it 7-3 at the interval.

More warriors fell, Dan Biggar after a blow to the ribs to be replaced, and Jake Ball had to have his ears put back on, but that proved to be the moment that the warriors in red took control.

Match referee Sergio Parisse final decided to hand over the whistle, after much persuasion, to JP Doyle, resulting in a yellow card for Andrea Lovotti.

During the sin binning Italy conceeded fourteen points, and the battle was effectively over.

The “Turks” took control with tries from Jonathan Davies and Liam Williams before a noble Saint George (North) made sure the Dragons were the slayers on this occasion.

All three tries were converted by Leigh Halfpenny

The  Roman victory was assured, now just a chariot to deal with next Saturday, (Ben Hur’s never swung low).

Ciao tutti !

At the RBS 6 nations launch last week, I spent some time in the company of the Wales coach Robert Howley.

One of the most gifted scrum halves ever to wear the Wales and Lions jersey, he now finds himself facing another 6 Nations campaign as caretaker manager, whilst Warrren Gatland organises yet another British & Irish lions summer tour.

The last time Rob was in charge of Wales in the six nations was in 2003, when England were demolished 30-3 in the final game of the championship, in Cardiff, to give the men in red the title.

After an Autumn that was good in terms of results, but frustrating in terms of performance, we are all unsure what to expect in 2017.

On Wales seven new uncapped squad members Rob said,

“The new players helped bring a freshness and a new competitive edge to the squad when they assembled last week”

“There was a different feel, there was a lot of energy but maybe the players who have been in our environment for a period of  time have said something to themselves that they haven’t been good enough”

Every member of the Welsh entourage I spoke to, emphasised what an impact new captain  Alun Wyn Jones had already made on the squad.

Rob spoke about a new dynamic in the Wales camp,

“Alun Wyn has certainly put his footprint on his captain’s style over the past few days and he will flourish in the role”

Regarding Wales chances in the tournament he is well aware that a big improvement is required if the men in red are to offer a challenge to the title.

“We’ve got over the line in the autumn three times so I think the players will take pride in that, but we all accept that we need to go up to another level, and another level started last Monday”

“It’s a big year as everyone knows, but that standard has to be set in a Welsh jersey, and in the last few six nations we’ve come up short, and that hurts”

Whilst happy that Wales are coming in “under the radar” in this years tournament, Howley is expecting big things, and the first seven days of Wales involvement in the six nations will be make or break, as following the opener in Rome, Wales have a six day turnaround before they face England in Cardiff.

“They (Italy) have a new coaching team and that’s going to be a huge motivation, it will probably be at their highest”

As Rob was whisked away to face the cameras, he smiled and shook hands, ever the gentleman, I hope that he will be smiling come March 19th.

There was a sign by the lake at the Hurlingham club in London yesterday, the venue for the 2017 RBS Six nations launch.

 Profetic words perhaps, as come the middle of March one or two international coaches could well be “skating” on such a substance.

As I headed across the spacious grounds, the frozen icy mist swirled, and out of the gloom rose a giant figure in red, no supernatural entity this,but rather Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones emerging from the ethereal darkness with accompanying film crew.

The players and coaches undertook the annual event with incredible good grace at at a time when their final preparations for the tournament are in full swing.

Eddie Jones arrived sporting a black eye to which he gave several explanations as to the cause, in the end we were all none the wiser.

This years captains photo call feature the men and women together, a welcome sign of the times and of the development of the women’s game, the fact that it took place in a bike shed is something we will gloss over.

The dry witted and mild mannered Andrew Cotter compared the launch in his customary fashion and once again the hypersensitive Dylan Hartley took exception to a benign and inoffensive question.

The consummate Mr Cotter took it in his stride, as he did last year.

All the other captains , both men and women espoused the usual virtues of taking one game at a time, but there was no doubting their enthusiasm and excitement at being part of the greatest  rugby tournament in the world.

The women’s tournament is breaking new ground, with all matches being broadcast this year.

With the Women’s rugby World Cup being held in Ireland, in August, these matches will take on an even greater significance.

There is no doubt that the women’s international game is on the verge of something big.

 A poignant  step that went almost unnoticed at the launch, was the captains photo call which this year featured the men and women captains together.

As the frost and ice slowly melted in the week morning sunshine the tournament that guides us from the depths of winter to the warmth and colour of Spring was well and truly launched.

Monday’s roar features Rob Howley’s thoughts on Wales and the six Nations

Don’t miss it

As years go, 2016 couldn’t have gone much better for the “Andalusian Arbitro”

Big matches, big awards, a host of television and radio appearances you name it Alhambra did it in 2016.

Never one to say to no any opportunity to promote the game and it’s values she must have been close to exhaustion by the end of the year.

A family holiday to Cuba has recharged her batteries and she is raring to go in a 2017 that brings a host of domestic and international events.

2017 started with a photo shoot for her sponsors  Canterbury, as they launched their new six nations clothing range 

I caught up with her the day before she was due to fly to Japan.

Already her diary is full of interviews, she is providing expert analysis for Moviestar’s television coverage of the six nations, and more awards are coming her way on an almost weekly basis.

Still unspoilt by all the adulation and recognition she has received, the same modest and friendly Andalusian continues to champion the cause of women’s rugby of rugby values, and proves that nice decent people can get to the very top without upsetting or walking all over others to get there.

Alhambra is in danger of becoming an Irish citizen by the end of the year due to the amount of time she will be spending in the Emerald Isle.

On March 17, St Patrick’s day, she will referee the final women’s 6 nations match of this years tournament, between Ireland and England, potentially the tournament decider.

Then in August the Women’s rugby World Cup takes place in Dublin and Belfast.

Such is her modesty that she will not even consider the tournament until she has been officially selected by World rugby.

The final takes place at the Kingspan stadium in Belfast, on Saturday 26 August, and Alhambra will be one of the contenders to officiate unless of course Spain get to the final.

Kingspan Stadium Belfast

Most of her awards now reside at her family home in Granada, her friends tease her that her mother and father will need a bigger house to keep them all in, but whilst Alhambra is deeply grateful for the recognition, it is memories, momentos, family, friends and the love and values of rugby that matter to her. (and of course a siesta which are few and far between theses days).

La Villajoyosa, known to the locals as La Vila, lies thirty-five kilometres north of Alicante.

In the 16th century, when it was  a small sleepy fishing village, the locals built a watchtower to repel Berber pirates.

On Saturday it was a band of marauding dragons that invaded this beautiful sun drenched part of Spain.

La Vila, a Costa Blanca town with a population of around 20,000 inhabitants, is famed for its chocolate production, however Wales showed they had no “soft centres” as they kept Spain scoreless, during an emphatic seven try victorious performance.

Referee Joaquín Santoro & The Two Captains

The Lionesses, playing in yellow and facing a strong headwind, roared and tested the Welsh defence in the opening exchanges, but after four minutes Kerin Lake showed her creative ability and strength, to score a try in the corner to give Wales a 5-0 lead.

With seventeen minutes on the clock, an overthrown Spanish line out, on the five metre line was snaffled up by Lowri Harries, who went over for Wales second try , Wilkins converted for a 12-0 lead.

Wales third try was scored after twenty-seven minutes by Jessica Kavanagh Williams, the right-wing, after precise and patient phase play.

Robyn Wilkins kicked a difficult conversion to give Wales a 19-0 lead, which they maintained until half time.

Spain’s defence was much improved at the start of the second half, but Wales continued to threaten, and  in the forty-sixth minute Lowri Harris went over for her second try, after a great assist from Sioned Harris.

The conversion was missed but Wales were 24-0 up.

To Spain’s credit they never gave up as Wales continued to attack relentlessly, resulting in a try from Kerin Lake (62mins) followed by a blistering brace of touchdowns from replacement Jasmine Joyce (74 & 77 mins) using her devastating speed and footwork to seal a win for Wales with a final scoreline of 39-0

Wales travel to Dublin next weekend full of confidence for the second of their Women’s Six Nations warm-up matches.