Saturday night at Twickenham did it really happen ? I don’t know about you, but to me it almost felt like an out of body experience !

Everything conspired against us, starting with Great Western Trains, or whatever they are currently called, leaving thousands to wander the A316 all through the night until Sunday morning transport became available

You will have read so much about that great win , that nothing I can offer will enrich your life any further, the rainforest of newsprint that has already been produced will suffice, and there are only so many images of Mike Browns bulging eyes and neck veins that a human being can endure.

But now it’s back to earth, and those dreadful two words that send a shudder through every Welsh persons  colon…. Pacific Islanders !

Fiji in four days time and as another ambulance heads off into the sunset we have called up yet more replacements ,and we have only played two pool games.

If we get to the quarter finals Katherine Jenkins might have to shore up the scrum.

Anyway… Pacific Islanders…. We don’t really do them do we ? Maybe our Atlantic coastline has created some sort of cosmic backlash against our opposing ocean.

Western Samoa, Manu Samoa and Fiji have all ruined Rugby World Cups for Wales, their hard hitting style has got the junior doctors, at the Heath,rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of hours of overtime on Thursday night.

This is how it should all pan out:

Wales beat Fiji with a bonus point win on Thursday ,and no injuries ,followed by Australia beating England on Saturday night, ensuring Wales qualify for the quarter finals.

So with a week to spare we can relax and enjoy the glory, in tranquil manner before facing the Wallabies to decide who tops the group.

If you are a Wales fan then you know the chances of this happening fall into two categories 1. Slim and 2. No.

So my friends it’s never dull following Wales,  maybe there’s a masochistic gene in us all so whatever happens from here on in, we will always have the A316 and last Saturday night.

  I’ve seen quite a few England v Wales games, in my time, in fact there aren’t many matches that haven’t been memorable for one reason or another.

As a child growing up in Wales in the early 1960s this match was the be all and end all , and the nations mood for each following year was determined by the result of this one game.

In our fantasies we all won our first cap against England, when we played in the park it was always against England and the commentator was Bill McLaren, we all perfected wonderful Scottish brogues through the years of commentating on our own little games.

England were special they looked good, their backs were handsome young men with brylcreem in their hair, and they could play eighty minutes in mud, and still emerge with pristine white kit, amazing.

I find it difficult to comprehend that I have watched England play Wales at the least once a year for forty eight years

From black and white Keith Jarrett in 1967,  to glorious technicolor George North, via JPR and his two tries ,and even more stitches in 1976, Ieuan Evans kick and chase in 1993, Scott Gibbs, Max Boyce and Tom Jones at Wembley in 1999, not to mention Grand Slam Gav in 2005

But tommorow in the 2015 Rugby World Cup at Twickenham we have probably the greatest encounter of all time.

My days of park rugby are over and sadly the voice of rugby is no longer here with us but that anticipation and excitement for an England v Wales encounter is not diminished by the years that pass

I shall have a fitful sleep tonight, watching those tries and tackles and giving thanks to the man upstairs for giving us this wonderful passion for the great game that we cherish,  and whose values we protect at all cost

May the game be won by a touch of brilliance from either side , and keep the magic of this great rivalry going for the next generation to savour.

So we are finally underway

Rugby World Cup 2015 was launched last night at a packed Twickenham.

The cold hard facts are that England beat Fiji 35-11 and achieved a bonus point win despite a very scrappy performance, in a game that lost all flow, not helped by the constant TMO referrals

But enough of that, the capacity crowd created a party atmosphere and a racket that must have had the locals reaching for the Twickenham councils anti social noise phone helpline

Surely never has the bastion of English rugby rocked to “Sweet Caroline” which nearly drowned out John Inverdale and Clive Woodward, sadly it wasn’t quite loud enough

The opening ceremony had shades of London 2012. The film montage showing Prince Harry in one of his more acceptable fancy dress outfits, not quite James Bond and Her Majesty, but still a double take moment

ITV’s coverage was reasonable enough and inevitably, given the circumstances. A bit of an England “love-in” with Wilkinson, Dallagio and Woodward lined up in the studio like a very stern parole board

But hey it’s early days we will all be back for more today

As we crammed into a capsule on the London Eye on Monday evening, there stood at the front was an imposing figure, in a red T shirt, a man who is adored by the people of his country, Wales, and I am one of his people.

The phrase national treasure is an overused one these days but in Adam Jones case it couldn’t be more apt

A South African TV crew took the first interview, I could see them struggling to comprehend his delightfully gentle Abercrave drawl, they may have put subtitles on their piece for the folks back home when it is aired.

As the film lights went out and the cameras were packed away, the only two Welshmen in the capsule shook hands

High above the Thames, we asked each other the first question any respectable Welshman will ask another, when they first meet “where you from ” .?

Rugby World Cup took a back seat  as we discussed my Auntys house in “Ystradgynlais” just down the road from Adams home village of Abercrave

He looks fit and toned, it is difficult to comprehend that his international playing days are over,  he appears to be in his prime, and his skill and experience will be a great loss to Wales in the upcoming World Cup.

He is now adjusting to life in Surrey and a career with Harlequins, as he said ‘all a bit different from back home ”

His autobiography has just been released and the book signing sessions are in full flow

As we say in Wales there is no “side” to Adam Jones, he was always the fans, or the people’s player, and when he played for Wales you felt he represented you

A gentle and apparently sensitive character , which is in total contrast to his physical appearance  ,the man is like granite on the outside,  its like hitting a wall, one slight bump of the London  Eye and I bounced off those giant shoulders like a pinball, no wonder he has ruled the scrum for so many years.

I have a theory that he was not born but “mined” from Dan-yr-ogof caves , that can be the only explanation for such solidity

I guess journalists shouldn’t have favourites but I do and I was delighted and honoured to meet one of mine

Adam will be adored at Harlequins they will take him to their hearts and as my new neighbour , I would like to wish him and his family a happy and healthy stay in leafy Surrey

i write this article in a small bar in Barcelona, it is early Sunday morning and the warm sun is shining through the doorway ,illuminating the dark wooden floors, and an aroma of strong coffee fills the air.

In 5 days time the Rugby World Cup starts, but in Catalonia it doesn’t even exist.

This distance from home has cleared my mind, It has brought home to me how much our wonderful game fills my life.

It always had, maybe I am shallow , but through all the brickbats that life has thrown at me, and there have been a few, the one constant was rugby, and the thought that at any given time, it would only be a matter of months before my beloved Wales would be playing again.

But back to RWC, through the wonders of modern technology details of every injury, every welcoming ceremony, and every newspaper souvenir supplement has made its way to me and it somehow seems even more exciting.

It takes me back to 1971, the years before Sky, and we had only just invented colour television ! The British Lions tour of New Zealand took place, and the only way for a spotty thirteen year old me to obtain coverage of the tests, was to tune in at 3am on a transistor radio , to a crackly short wave NZ radio station and listen under the bed covers ,so as not to wake the rest of the family

When I say transistor radio, it wasn’t as you imagine some ear-pieced light weight item, it was about the size of a picnic hamper, the battery alone was the size and shape of a Madeira cake, and it had a lid that acted like a mouse trap every time your tried to adjust the tuner

There were no interviews , no pictures , but my imagination produced images better than sky BT Sport and the BBC could ever hope to broadcast

But, I digress ! The game has changed beyond all recognition from those black and white halycon days, but what hasn’t is the passion, the excitement, the anticipation, the quest for tickets

I am flying home later today to more supplements , and to fine tune my training prior to Friday, when it all starts.

I’ve been tapering since 2011 so I have to fit it all in to one Pilates session on Thursday, yet I am confident of being ready

I hope you are ready, I hope you have a great RWC ,and if the ball doesn’t bounce your way in 2015, may you be spared to do it all again in Japan in 2019

Yours in rugby

Mike

Wales v Italy

Even the cover of the match day programme looked sombre and funereal, was this a portent of the events to follow in Cardiff ? as the late afternoon sun gave way to heavy clouds sweeping up the river Taff, their Colour ? black

Wales ran out the tunnel at 16:54 to flame throwers, fireworks, an expectant 50,000 crowd not in their traditional glorious scarlet shirts, but this time in their away kit, shirts with gold trim but the main colour ? black

The negative dark shade subsided fir a brief moment, at 12:35 of the first half,when a glorious break, by man of the match , Scott Williams ended in a try for George North, Black Magic.

The darkness descended as Rhys Webb, after ten minutes of treatment on the pitch , was stretchered off taking in oxygen to ease the pain ,the atmosphere in the stadium changed completely, the mood turned…. Black

From then on in, we all just wanted the game to pass quickly with no further injury, but the worst was yet to come.

As Leigh Halfpenny ran for a loose ball his studs appeared to get caught in the turf, and his already heavily bandaged knee gave way as he collapsed onto the green grass.

Another black moment perhaps the blackest of all !

On the stadium big screen we all saw his knowing look, the look of a man, whom after months of hard work, has had his World Cup dream shattered.

His eyes were filling up as the sweat and tears cascaded down on to his shirt …the colour?  black

The record books will show Wales win, but the crowds mood at the final whistle was not one of victory, of optimism, of looking forward to. rugby World Cup, our sadness was for Rhys and Leigh, and as we all as the headed out of the darkness, of the stadium with the roof firmly shut, into the late evening sunshine , the mood was Truely ….Black

Ok , so I’m about to get kicked out of journalism school, if was even allowed admission in the first place !

Rule one,  watch the game you’re reporting on, the game you are attending……,,, FAILED !

Let me explain , I am Welsh, now for some people that is reason enough, but let me continue.

I decided to set up my iPad in the corner  of my place in the press box, to keep half an eye on Ireland v Wales in Dublin, you see underneath this journalistic front is a basic no nonsense Wales fan, I got so engrossed in Wales wonderful display ,that my report headed toward the horizon with its bottom on fire

The Olympic stadium itself looked a great venue , early problems with wifi were soon overtaken by the pitch sprinkler system, these problems will be rectified by the time the Rugby World Cup starts ,but fans complained that the venue ran out of beer, and there was nowhere to get a coffee

So if I get expelled from journalism school , thank you for your following, and in the mean time, here are some photos of the sprinkler system going mental

Oh by the way the Barbarians won 27-24 I think !

The Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, is being transformed ahead of hosting its first ever Rugby match.
The Stadium will host Barbarians v Samoa on Saturday, enabling final operational testing at the venue ahead of Rugby World Cup 2015 matches next month. Rugby posts were this week erected in the Stadium as well as pitch markings being put in place ready to welcome players and fans to the Stadium on August 29.
Along with the installation of the goal posts and flag poles, the Field of Play has been marked out in accordance with Laws of the Game this week, creating the final important update to the Stadium, and completing the transition from an athletics-only stadium to a multi-purpose venue. From September 23, some of the world’s best players and teams, including current Rugby World Cup champions New Zealand, will take to the turf at the iconic venue.

Steve Brown, Managing Director of England Rugby 2015 said: “The Stadium is a tremendous venue and we’re delighted to see its transformation into a Rugby Stadium ahead of its first ever Rugby match on August 29 which will serve as an opportunity for final testing ahead of Rugby World Cup 2015. Many will remember witnessing some thrilling sporting performances at this venue in 2012 and we hope to build on these with world-class Rugby and entertainment to provide spectators with long-lasting memories.”
To deliver a consistent look and feel across all venues during Tournament Time, guidelines have been implemented to ensure aspects such as grass length & the mowing pattern are consistent, and this will be visible at the stadium this Saturday. In addition, England Rugby 2015 has provided pitch equipment to the venue ahead of Rugby World Cup 2015 including; branded post pads, flag poles, branded flag pole pads and moon flags.
David Goldstone, Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “It’s tremendously exciting for the first Rugby match to be about to kick off in our fantastic multi-use Stadium. The match will be a wonderful way to welcome the world’s greatest rugby teams and their fans to East London, and we are really looking forward to Rugby World Cup matches that will follow soon after.”
Sir Robin Wales. Mayor of Rugby World Cup 2015 Host City Newham, said: “We showed during the 2012 Games that we can create a festival atmosphere. Newham is looking forward to welcoming great Rugby players from across the world to a transformed Stadium that will offer the best possible experience for competitors and spectators alike.”
Alongside changes to the Stadium’s inner bowl, fans can expect to see a number of updates to the exterior of the Stadium during Rugby World Cup 2015 including a large spectator plaza with live on-stage entertainment and giant LED screens to entertain fans ahead of matches and during half time.

Rugby World Cup 2015 matches at the Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Wednesday September 23 – France v Romania, 20:00

Thursday September 24 – New Zealand v Namibia, 20:00

Sunday October 4 – Ireland v Italy, 16:45

Wednesday October 7 – South Africa v USA, 16:45

The inaugural Rugby World Cup took place in 1987, but if the tournament had commenced fifteen years earlier maybe, just maybe, the final would have been between arguably the two best teams in the world at the time, Wales and New Zealand.

The two sides faced each other at Cardiff Arms Park on December 2 1972, in front of 50,000 spectators, as part of the seventh All Blacks winter tour to the UK and France.

New Zealand had already tasted defeated in Wales when Llanelli led by Delme Thomas won 9-3 at Stradey Park on October 31st,  Thomas was made captain of Wales for this match, the only time he led his country.

In torrential rain, Wales struggled to get into the game, Maori full back Joe Karam kicked two penalties in the opening eight minutes to give the All Blacks a 6-0 lead.

After eighteen minutes Sid Going kicked ahead, and after receiving the ball from the resulting ruck, worked it out to prop Keith Murdoch who drove through the Welsh defence, and despite being tackled his momentum took him over for a try,

Joe Karam missed the conversion but kicked another penalty soon after, followed by one from Phil Bennett on twenty two minutes, to give the All Blacks a 13-3 half time lead.

Five minutes into the second half, a tackle on Sid Going forced him to spill the ball, Wales moved the ball quickly to left wing John Bevan who sprinted 40 yards to score in the corner.

Phil Bennett missed the conversion, but gave Wales another three points after kicking a penalty four minutes later, taking the score to Wales 10 New Zealand 13.

Karam and Bennett exchanged penalties to make it 13-16 to the men in black, before Delme Thomas and Barry Llewellyn got in each others way resulting in a penalty to give Karam a shot at goal resulting in another three points for the visitors, extending their lead to 13-19.

With eleven minutes to go Delme Thomas caught a drop out just outside the NZ twenty five, and fed the ball to JPR Williams ,the full back drove for the corner, was half tackled, but grounded the ball to score what looked like a perfectly good try but referee Johnson, of England, deemed that the good doctor had made a double movement and awarded NZ a penalty.

The Welsh pack were totally dominant at this point and New Zealand were under the cosh and looking exhausted.

With 78 minutes on the clock the All Blacks were getting more and more desperate as Wales launched attack after attack, which they could only repel with a series of obstructions and late tackles, Phil Bennet kicked a penalty to bring Wales within three points.

Another late tackle by the All Blacks in injury time, gave Phil Bennett a penalty attempt to draw the match, the kick drifted wide, and New Zealand emerged as victors 19-16.

In Ancient Rome the colour red symbolised blood and courage, whilst in China, it is regarded as a vibrant optimistic colour symbolising success, happiness and warmth, along with good luck and wealth.

In Wales the colour red has been a symbol of our nationality, and heritage, the Red Dragon on our national flag, the red shirted heroes of our national rugby team.

But on a damp night at Eden Park, Auckland, on 15 October 2011, the colour red came to symbolise the end of a glorious dream, the cruel twist of fate that cost Wales the place in a Rugby World Cup final for the first time in their history.

With Nineteen minutes on the clock, Sam Warburton upended France’ Vincent Clerc, referee Alain Rolland pulled a card from his pocket, the colour ? Red.

Disbelief, anger, sadness, helplessness emotions we all felt as a result of that colour red.

As Sam sat hunched near the touchline, holding back the tears, swathed in his tracksuit top, the colour red, the colour symbolised a young man showing dignity in the face of adversity, in the biggest game of his, and his country’s life

Maybe the colour red will, on 26 February , be the colour in which we Welsh will paint the town