Reds and Bordeaux go together like a horse and carriage, and last night at Stade de Bordeaux we witnessed a grand cru vintage, a full bodied mouth watering intoxication, the lingering aftertaste of this juicy offering will have been enjoyed well into the night on the banks of the Garonne, and indeed on the River Taff.

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.

Apart from wealth, Wales performance incorporated of all those elements, a bonus point win against Fiji was beyond their fans wildest dreams, but the reality of this result lifts an enormous amount of pressure off the group.

It couldn’t have started much better for Wales, 8-0 up after 7 minutes thanks to a Josh Adams try and a Biggar penalty.

But Fiji hit back with 14 points in 5 minutes with converted tries from Nayacalevu and Tagitavivalu to give them an 18-14 lead.

A Biggar penalty and a 29th minute George North try put Wales in front (18-14) at half time.

Wales started the second period brightly and two converted tries from Louis Rees-Zammit and replacement hooker Elliott Dee gave Wales a commanding 30-14 lead.

But with the combination of Wales being Wales and Fiji being Fiji those of us from way out west knew in our bones that it was never going to be as simple as that.

On the 73rd minute Joshua’s Tuisova the human fridge crashed over, Teti Telea converted to reduce Wales lead to 10 points.

Five minutes later Mesake Doge’s unconverted try brought the scores to 31-26.

The flash backs to Nantes 2007 rumbled around a nation, and in the final act of a pulsating game Semi Radrada of all people knocked on with the line at his mercy.

As 3 million folks departed the area behind their sofas it was time to breathe.

Fiji’s two bonus points in defeat could be very influential in the outcome of this World Cup group, and as Wales prepare to face Portugal in Nice next Saturday Fiji face Australia the following day in what promises to be a pulsating encounter.

But for now……. Breathe

Friday night matches in Paris are familiar fare for Guinness Six Nations teams and their fans, but last night’s game between France and reigning World Champions New Zealand was a few notches above anything the northern suburb of Saint-Denis has witnessed in rugby and meteorological terms.

Having been present in the ice, snow the and cutting winds that sweep down Rue Henri Delaunay on February Fridays past, the contrasting twenty-nine degrees temperatures at kick off is much more acceptable.

Sadly France’s injury situation prevented me from using the sound bite “Danty’s Inferno” at every available opportunity but as an author you learn to take the rough with the smooth.

Obtaining a ticket at Stade de France was rarer than a hen’s tooth sprinkled with gold dust. Even in in my line of work there were over 1800 applicants for media accreditation, three times the available capacity of 600.

Those 80,000 plus souls who managed to get in witnessed quite a night.

Paris is a sporting utopia over the next twelve months, if you somehow manage to avoid the posters and billboards of RWC 2023 then the Paris 2024 Olympic baseball caps, key rings, badges that greet you at every shop will certainly remind you that the French capital is in full sporting mode.

The opening ceremony involved a lot of baguette throwing before Sir Bill Beaumont relived his French CSE oral exam, leading to a booing which descended into a grunt when President Macron headed to the mic to declare the tournament open.

Finally the Rugby began and within two minutes the hosts were lined up behind their own goal line after a well worked try from Mark Telea.

The boot of Thomas Ramos clicked away to give France a nervy 9-8 half time lead.

The second half started like the first with a try from Telea after 43 minutes but that was the final All Black scoring act of the match.

Ramos continued to kick like a mule and two tries from Damian Penaud and Melvyn Jaminet gave France a 27-13 victory.

The win lifts a huge amount of pressure off France, for the next few weeks at least and allows them the luxury of squad management in the next matches against Uruguay and Namibia.

Les Bleus clunked through the gears at times last night but they were chauffeured by 80,000 back seat drivers on a memorable night in Paris.

Autumn in the French capital is normally a relaxed tranquil time to stroll the boulevards, as the leaves begin to fall the colours add an extra dimension to this already beautiful city.

This year things are different, there are signs the bright red, orange and brown flora has a new kid on the block joining them, the black fern.

Blowing up from the south, the black fern threatens to spoil the native species dominance and lead to a long dark winter in the republic.

France have no intention of turning over a new leaf, but rather to continue with the power, beauty and brilliance that has served them so well over the last couple of years.

On Friday night the hopes and dreams of the host nation at Rugby World Cup 2023 will face a stern test when the opening game of the tournament takes place at Stade de France, following what will be an emotional opening ceremony.

Just over four years ago France were in total disarray, the public had fallen out of love with the national team, there was disharmony between the Top 14 and the French Federation. The transformation makes Lazarus look like an amateur.

England and Wales can maybe take some solace in how things can turn around when everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. But this week the focus is well and truly on Les Bleus, who in a rugby age when size is everything can still make your heart sing and propel you to edge of your plastic seat with angles of running that would defy Pythagoras.

France start their campaign in Paris before travelling to Lille, Marseille and Lyon capturing even more hearts and minds en route and then hopefully returning to Paris for the knock-out stages.

France have been hit by injuries in key positions so not everything in le jardin is looking rosy,

The All Blacks will have their leaf blowers turned up to the maximum hoping to blow away the challenge of Les Bleus on the opening night.

After so much anticipation the Rugby World Cup is just hours away.

Mike Pearce is the Author of The Bleus Brothers available from Amazon £7.99 post free. https://amzn.eu/d/6H8pN8D

A late August Sunday evening in Paris and the sights and sounds of summer are being played out to a backing track of rugby fever and nervous anticipation.

Even those relaxing on the banks of the Seine and canal Saint-Martin cannot escape the fact as they blink up in the setting sun to glance at posters showing the men that the whole French nation will be hoping can lift the Rugby World Cup on October 28 at Stade de France.

Heading to Saint-Denis during normal office hours, at the Guinness Six Nations in February and March, can be a chilling experience. The icy winds that blow through this flat expanse in northern Paris can cut like a knife, but tonight things are different.

The mild breeze blowing through the open windows of the RER train pulling out of Gare du Nord is a timely reminder that summer is still here, the normal rugby wear of padded jackets, scarves and hats have been replaced by T-shirts sunglasses and flip-flops.

Tonight France played their final Rugby World Cup warm up match against the 1991 and 1999 World Champions Australia.

The tournament starts in twelve days time here in the capital before spreading its wings to Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Saint-Etienne, Nantes, Nice, Toulouse and Bordeaux.

You really feel for the players on a night like this, any injury at this stage of the proceedings and their World Cup is probably over before it has even begun, yet they dare not let those dark thoughts enter their heads, holding back even the smallest percentage can lead to a self fulfilling prophecy.

Having already lost Romain Ntamack Galthie must have been tempted to wrap a few key personnel in cotton wool but they went in to this match fully loaded.

Jonathan Danty had no thoughts about self preservation throwing himself into the inferno, he knows no other way, his seventh minute try set France on the road to victory.

The laser like boot of Ramos took France to a 16-5 half time lead, but more tries followed in the second half.

Damian Penaud with the wonderful gait of a drunken man running downhill bagged a brace, and Villiere added a fourth.

For France and their fans the day ended better than they could possibly have hoped for with no injuries and a stirring victory.

As the RER train wound it’s way back to central Paris the talk from the human cargo had already turned to the match against the All Blacks and the start of what is sure to be a wonderful Rugby World Cup.

Sigmund Freud once said of dreams “Everyone has wishes which he would not like to tell to others, which he does not want to admit even to himself.”

The major task for France is to surplant the wonderful talent their squad possesses on to the field of play with courage and confidence whilst leaving the fear of failure firmly in the subconscious.

France’s dream of World Cup glory on home soil is a glorious and noble one, but at the other end of the nocturnal activity spectrum is the spectre of failure, a constant haunting presence that can inhibit and paralyse the rugby soul.

This land of philosophers can conjure up a million quotes at the drop of a chapeau to explain and illustrate their Gallic strengths and frailties.

Yesterday Fabian Galthie named the thirty-three players that he and the nation hope will turn their dream into reality.

Fabian’s famous spectacles are not rose tinted, and he is well aware that the dream can turn into a nightmare with just one dodgy refereeing decision, one bounce of the ball or injuries to key personnel, which he has already suffered with the loss of Emile Ntamack and the short term injury to Cyril Baille.

Control the controllable is one of the stock sporting clichés and France are attempting to do just that.

The long wait is nearly over, here are the 33 who will carry a nation’s hopes and dreams.

Finally the phoney war is over as Wales Summer Nations Series comes to an end and the 2023 Rugby World is about to begin.

Warren Gatland announced his 33 man tournament squad this morning and there were inevitably winners and losers.

Taulupe Faletau and Gareth Anscombe didn’t play a single minute of any of the three August internationals but still make the squad.

Having gone through more hookers than a Buenos Aires bordello the ailing survivors have made it to the channel crossing at least.

In the backs Louis should feel quite at home at Wales base camp in Versailles. Rees-Zamitt definitely has the edge on the Sun-king and the number 14 shirt could not be more appropriate.

The 33-player squad is made up of 19 forwards and 14 backs with an average age of 27 years old. 17 players have previous Rugby World Cup experience.

People from across the nation had the honour of revealing those selected in the squad in an announcement video which showcased iconic landmarks from around Wales, as well as sharing photos from the players’ formative years in rugby. Full video available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Eu_Zi24UY

Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan have been selected to co-captain Wales at their first Rugby World Cup.

Centre George North, Wales’ most-capped senior men’s back with 114 appearances, will compete in his fourth Rugby World Cup.

Fly-half Dan Biggar, Wales’ second most-capped back behind North with 109 appearances, scrum-half Gareth Davies, tighthead prop Tomas Francis, blindside flanker Dan Lydiate and full-backs Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams will all compete in their third Rugby World Cup.

Loosehead prop Corey Domachowski (Cardiff Rugby) and tighthead prop Henry Thomas (Montpellier) are included having won their first senior caps for Wales during the Summer Series matches this August.

20-year old second row Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs) is the youngest member of the squad.

“The toughest part of the job is always selection and this is particularly the case when it comes to picking a Rugby World Cup squad,” said Gatland.

“Over the past three months the whole group of 48 players in the wider training squad has been outstanding in terms of attitude and effort, so having to reduce the squad down to the final 33 has been really hard and there have been some close final decisions in the last 36 hours.

“But we can only take 33 players and those we have selected we think offer a good combination in terms of talent and experience.

“We have a few more training sessions here in Wales before we depart for France on 3 Septemberand we cannot wait to get out there and get started in this tournament. We look forward to what lies ahead for this group.

“This will be a very proud moment for these players, their families and friends and I’d like to congratulate them all on the achievement.”

Wales senior men’s squad for Rugby World Cup 2023 in France
(Player | first club | club | Wales caps | previous RWC)

BLAENWYR | FORWARDS (19)

Taine Basham – Talywain | Dragons (13 caps)
Adam Beard – Birchgrove | Ospreys (47 caps) (2019 RWC)
Elliot Dee – Newbridge | Dragons | (43 caps) (2019 RWC)
Corey Domachowski – Gilfach Goch | Cardiff Rugby (2 caps)
Ryan Elias – Carmarthen Athletic | Scarlets (34 caps) (2019 RWC)
Taulupe Faletau – RTB Ebbw Vale | Cardiff Rugby | (100 caps) (2011 RWC)
Tomas Francis – Malton & Norton | Provence | (72 caps) (2015 & 2019 RWC)
Dafydd Jenkins – Porthcawl | Exeter Chiefs (7 caps)
Dewi Lake – Valley Ravens | Ospreys (9 caps)
Dillon Lewis – Beddau | Harlequins (51 caps) (2019 RWC)
Dan Lydiate – Rhayader | Dragons (71 caps) (2011 & 2015 RWC)
Jac Morgan – Cwmtwrch | Ospreys (11 caps)
Tommy Reffell – Pencoed | Leicester Tigers (10 caps)
Will Rowlands – Dragons (25 caps)
Nicky Smith – Waunarlwydd | Ospreys (44 caps) (2019 RWC)
Gareth Thomas – Newcastle Emlyn | Ospreys (22 caps)
Henry Thomas – Bath minis & juniors | Montpellier (2 caps)
Christ Tshiunza – Rhiwbina Squirrels | Exeter Chiefs (7 caps)
Aaron Wainwright – Whiteheads | Dragons (39 caps) (2019 RWC)

OLWYR | BACKS (14)

Josh Adams – Hendy | Cardiff Rugby (50 Caps) (2019 RWC)
Gareth Anscombe – Ponsonby | Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath (35 caps) (2015 RWC)
Dan Biggar – Gorseinon | Toulon (109 Caps) (2015 & 2019 RWC)
Sam Costelow – Pencoed | Scarlets (4 caps)
Gareth Davies – Newcastle Emlyn | Scarlets (69 Caps) (2015 & 2019 RWC)
Rio Dyer – Risca | Dragons (9 caps)
Mason Grady – Barry | Cardiff Rugby (4 caps)
Leigh Halfpenny – Gorseinon | unattached (100 Caps) (2011 & 2019 RWC)
George North – Llangefni | Ospreys (114 Caps) (2011, 2015 & 2019 RWC)
Louis Rees-Zammit – Rumney | Gloucester Rugby (27 caps)
Nick Tompkins – Old Elthamians | Saracens (28 caps)
Johnny Williams – Rams | Scarlets (6 caps)
Liam Williams – Waunarlwydd | Penlan | Kubota Spears (85 Caps) (2015 & 2019 RWC)
Tomos Williams – Treorchy | Cardiff Rugby (48 Caps) (RWC 2019)

What a difference a week makes. Last Saturday in Cardiff we were battered by storm Antoni with rain that would have made even Noah wince and winds that were as ferocious as a Jac Morgan tackle. So this weekend it was a welcome relief to have to dig around for my factor 50 as opposed to sandbags, towels and life jacket.

On a muggy sunny summer Saturday afternoon as the smoke from pub barbecues drifted seamlessly along the length of the Thames, England and Wales faced each other for the second time in seven days at Twickenham.

Never change a winning team is the old adage, so after Wales 20-9 win in Cardiff, which lifted the mood of a nation, coach Warren Gatland made fifteen changes, maybe adages are overrated ?

In came Liam Williams now of Kubota Spears (no relation to Britney) although “Hit me baby one more time” could be an accurate description of the abrasive full back’s mindset. Poor Liam has had more misfortune then Frank Spencer of “some mothers do ave em” injury after injury has blighted the career of this wonderfully talented full back . This was his 85th appearance for Wales, and he would be well into the hundreds but for his medical misfortunes.

England were desperate for victory at Twickenham and had their strongest team on the park, their 19-17 win will be a huge relief to the camp but this was a poor performance and the men in white only came to life when down to 12 men after Genge, Steward and Farrell received yellow cards.

Farrell’s upgrade from yellow to red will mean a ban for the England captain. His penchant to habitually adhere to the Britney Spears lyric mentioned earlier could result in a lengthy one.

Wales will be disappointed that they let a 17-9 lead slip and were victims of their own downfall through inaccuracies and poor game management in the final minutes.

Last Saturday’s win in Cardiff definitely lifted the pressure off Wales, allowing Warren Gatland a bit of breathing space and the ability to pick a totally different fifteen without the spectre of defeat behind him, but this was a disappointing performance from Wales, losing 6 of their own line outs and conceding 13 turnovers.

As the setting sun shimmered on the Thames, Wales fans joined locals at the Dog and Duck, the final barbecued sausages were just about to be lifted off the grill, sadly there was no bread of heaven to wrap them in, but there is still hope that the fare on offer on the banks of the River Taff next Saturday when Wales face the reigning world champions will feed them till they want no more.

There are two things guaranteed to ruin summer in these islands, the location of the Jet stream and the lack of form of your national rugby team.

The jet stream is a zone of fast moving winds, typically flowing around the globe at mid-latitudes around six miles above the earth’s surface.

In a normal summer, the jet stream would typically pass to the northwest of Scotland, bringing rain to the northwest of Britain and drier weather to the south.

Lately the jet stream has got stuck more or less across southern England which brings the low pressure systems straight across England and Wales. This stuck weather pattern has resulted in all that rain.

Yesterday in Cardiff storm Antoni arrived and took away all the relevant pleasures associated with summer rugby.

But for English and Welsh fans the deep depression that has hovered overhead for most of 2023 has been of the non-meteorological variety.

The rollercoaster that we Welsh are familiar with has failed it’s safety certificate and is totally broken down lying rusty behind the ghost train and the helter-skelter.

Saturday was the chance of a fresh start. After training camps in Switzerland and the blistering heat of Turkey the men in red were back in the Welsh rain playing under the closed gazebo of the Principality Stadium.

Captain Morgan made sure Wales didn’t get a rum deal. He led from the front and was justifiably man of the match, definitely a Jac of all trades and he must surely now be prime candidate for skipper at the Rugby World Cup.

England started strongly dominating possession and territory, but Wales defence looked back to its very best and kept England try less. England’s 9-6 half time lead consisted of three penalties from Marcus Smith against two from centurion Leigh Halfpenny.

The second half belonged to Wales they showed more accuracy and looked fitter than the visitors scoring tries through Gareth Davies and George North to give them a fairly comfortable 20-9 victory.

One swallow doesn’t make a summer, wherever the jet stream is situated, but this performance had Galtland and Foreshaw’s palm print all over it a dynamic based on defence and fitness, also there were some lovely deft touches from Sam Costello and Louis Rees-Zammit.

The conflicting emotions of the tribute to Clive Rowlands and the celebration of Leigh Halfpenny’s 100th cap could not have been more stark. “Top Cat” lived every one of his nine lives to the full, and “Pence” has been the model professional a quiet charming and unassuming young man who is a credit to the game. Both deserved the heartfelt tributes from the 65,802 crowd.

For Welsh fans it was a welcome uplifting experience, and after all the travails of last season maybe, just maybe, we have managed to put a few drops of WD40 on that Welsh rollercoaster.

The Welsh Rugby Union today revealed its home, and alternate, Rugby World Cup 2023 kit for the Senior Men’s Squad heading to France this October. 

Inspired by the Welsh National Anthem, ‘Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’, which features on the shirts themselves, the reveal event took place at the Ynysangharad War Memorial Park in Pontypridd, in front of the Evan James and James James statue, the Welsh father and son duo and composers of the anthem.

Tomos Williams, Wales Senior Men’s International, says “It’s been great to come here to Pontypridd today to launch the kit given the link to Evan and James James.

“It was really nice seeing all the local school children welcome us out and there was some great singing of the national anthem!”

Hundreds of children from schools in the surrounding area were invited to take part in the launch and sing the anthem as Wales’ stars Josh Adams, Gareth Davies, Rio Dyer, Taulupe Faletau and Tomos Williams visited the park pavilion in the new home and alternate kits.

Designed and manufactured by Macron, the WRU’s Technical Partner since 2021, the main body of the home jersey is the traditional ‘Wales’ red, featuring dark red accents along the side of the jersey and the sleeves.  As a respected nod to the classic rugby jerseys of yesteryear, the new Rugby World Cup 2023 version features a contrasting white polo shirt collar and white trim around the bottom of the dark red sleeves. 

Two defining features are phrases taken from the Welsh National Anthem ‘PLEIDIOL WYF I’M GWLAD’, which translates to ‘I am faithful to my country’, and “Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau” which are embossed under the collar and at the back, bottom panel of the jersey as a declaration of pride not only for the country, the language and culture of Wales but our family of rugby supporters around the world.

Nigel Walker, WRU Interim CEO says, “We’re delighted to be here today at the Ynysangharad War Memorial Park, to launch our Senior Men’s Rugby World Cup 2023 kit.

“As the birth place of the composers of the Welsh National Anthem this is a special place for a Welsh rugby.The anthem has become a defining moment on any Welsh matchday for players and supporters alike.  It evokes such pride and passion, we’ve lifted those very words and phrases and emblazed them onto the home kit for 2023.  It’s a rallying cry to supporters across the country to get behind the team Wales ahead of the Rugby World Cup later this year.

“We’re thrilled with both designs, including the black and yellow alternative kit, which is the first time we’ve had an all-black kit since 2011 and the nod to St David’s cross embossed on the front of the jersey. We’re looking forward to fans seeing the kit in action at the World Cup against Portugal.”

The alternate kit, which will be worn by Wales in the second Rugby World Cup pool match against Portugal is a twist on the classic style for Wales, but offers that same nod to tradition and heritage. The jersey is a bold black and yellow, paying homage to the flag of Saint David, the patron Saint of Wales. The main body of the shirt is black, with the polo collar and bottom of the sleeves trimmed in yellow. The front of the jersey contains the Rugby World Cup France 2023 logos along with the Macron Hero logo and the Welsh Rugby Union emblem on the chest which are also accented with yellow embroidery. The front of the jersey also features a unique, stylised version of the St David’s cross which is embossed onto the front panel.

The jerseys are made from Macron’s unique Eco Fabric, a polyester material derived entirely from recycled plastic, demonstrating our joint commitment to respecting and protecting the environment.

Both the home and alternate jerseys are Body Fitgarments made from Eco-Armevo with Eco-Boditexinserts – two materials that guarantee maximum strength as well as lightness and great breathability.

As a child, my media entertainment was somewhat limited. Television only had two channels, BBC and ITV, and both were broadcasting in black and white, or grey depending on how old your television was.

The other great form of entertainment was the radiogram, a record player and radio built into a wooden cabinet to disguise these decadent items as a piece of furniture. It was this wooden wonder that provided me with my first experience of this wonderful mystical rugby entity, the Triple Crown.

I was six years old in 1965 when Wales won my first Triple Triumph, and to mark the event my parents bought a long playing gramophone record that celebrated this achievement, with excerpts of match commentary and male voice choirs.

This LP was played to death by me, hearing the dulcet tones of commentator Alun Williams describing Terry Price’s drop goal against Ireland lives with me to this day, “The ball comes to Price who will drop at goal, it’s a good one, it’s a very good one, and it’s over !”.

For the record, if you’ll pardon the pun, Wales won the Triple Crown by scoring the same number of points against all three teams. England (14-3) Scotland (14-12) and Ireland (14-8). Only defeat in Paris prevented a Grand Slam as Wales were beaten at Stade Colombes (22-13)

Clive Rowlands captained the side with the mercurial David Watkins at fly half, with a back three of Terry Price, Stuart Watkins and Dewi Bebb.

One of Clive’s proudest moments was winning the Triple Crown in 1965. He says: “We missed out on the Grand Slam but won the Triple Crown. It was the first time for 13 years. It’s something very special.”

Denzil Williams from Ebbw Vale one of Wales greatest ever props accompanied a second row of Brian Price and Keith Rowlands, with gnarly Llanelli hooker Norman Gale adding to a pack that didn’t take any prisoners.

Wales next won the Triple Crown in 1969, the start of a golden era that saw them repeat the feat in 1969, 1971 and a record four consecutive years in 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979.