Many of us, of a certain age, hark back to what we think we remember to be the halcyon days of rugby, but were they actually as wonderful as we remember ?

The mind is an amazing machine, we convince ourselves that the sun shone every day throughout the summer, that it snowed at Christmas, and Mars bars were much bigger than they are today, also we convince ourselves that our sport was a wonderful free-flowing game, where the spirit of rugby shone through like a beacon of hope, for society to grasp as a template for life.

Now I admit that I was first in the queue when the waxing lyrical genes were handed out, but after sharing a flat white, and a chat,  with my literary hero, Stephen Jones, it got me thinking in more realistic terms about the past.

I will never lose the childhood memory and the thrill of watching David Duckham, his long blonde hair, blowing in the wind as he swerved his way around spread eagled defenders, or Gerald Davies side stepping and weaving past despairing defenders, and I could go on and on, maximising my waxing lyrical gene, with the likes of Serge Blanco, Denis Charvet, Barry John, JPR et al.

But to be perfectly honest the experience of attending international matches as a spectator in those days left an awful lot to be desired.

The matchday experience today is incredible, the comfort is incomparable to the torture  we were subjected to in the sixties and seventies.

I’ve stood at Twickenham in the old South stand, in freezing cold and pouring rain ,two hours before kick off, to get a view of England v Wales that consisted of a quarter of the pitch, the people standing behind you, would deposit warm water, which would splash against the backs of your legs, (If you get my drift), and sadly you were actually glad of the experience because it actually warmed you up for a split second.

One of the other  myths the nostalgic mind produces is that the game was more free-flowing, and that every match was played in the spirit of the Barbarians v All Blacks classic of 1973.

Well I can put you right on that one, England v Wales in 1978, at my trouser soaked Twickenham, consisted of five penalties, and a 9-6 victory for Wales, the highlight of which was 50 yard (metres hadn’t been invented then) kick to touch by Gareth Edwards.

A match between Scotland and Wales at Murrayfield in 1963 included 111 line outs, nearly all of which were created by kicks to touch from Wales scrum half  Clive Rowlands.

The story goes that in Clive’s house, ever since that game, they never say “Can you pass the salt” , it’s always “Can you kick the salt”.

I watched a re run of Llanelli’s epic 1972 win over New Zealand recently, I could not believe my eyes, there was every form of physical assault possible taking place, at regular intervals throughout the match, there were more attacks on view than you would find in an entire episode of Crimewatch !

The playing surfaces of today are a joy to behold, the new hybrid grass systems make the top-level level matches immune from the hippo like swamps, that were familiar to older readers, apart from the permanent divot that is the Stade de France, of course.

In fact I have decided that I’m going to lock away my waxing lyrical nostalgia gene for good, as I think of the magnificent stadia that exist today, my goodness the Principality stadium even has a roof !

In comparison, the Cardiff Arms Park pitch that hosted Wales v England, in 1969, had eight blades of grass on it, and looked more like an NCP car park than a sporting arena.

So let us revel in the brilliance of the game as it is today, sure there are lots of things on and off the field that are far from perfect, but when I lock up my waxing lyrical nostalgia gene, I thrill at visiting The Principality stadium, crammed into the centre of Cardiff  like a Giant beetle clinging to the flats and offices of the city, I delight in days at Twickenham, Murrayfield, Dublin and Paris, not only for the rugby but also in the joy of knowing that I, for the most part, will be returning home with dry trousers.

 
The issue of player safety, in rugby, has never been more rigorously scrutinised than at present.

There are calls for the sport to be made safer at scrum time, in the contact area, and for the increasingly violent collisions to be neutralised

But this column would like to make a stand against the silent injury threat, the issue that no one talks about.

Yes the time has now come  for World Rugby to take action against the blight of our game the “wedgie”

The full definition of this horrific act, underlines how imperative it is for the sport’s governing body to act, and act now.

A wedgie occurs when a person’s nether underwear or other garments are wedged between the buttocks. While a wedgie can be created naturally, the term is usually associated with a prank or as a form of bullying. When a person is on the receiving end of a wedgie, his or her underwear or other garment is forcibly pulled up by a second person.

Judgement Day IV

A record crowd, sun filled clear blue skies, and fourteen tries, the Judgement on Judgement day was that it was a rip-roaring success.

West proved to be best, as Scarlets and Ospreys gave Cardiff the Blues, and extinguished the fire of the Newport Gwent Dragons.

£6.60 to get into Wales ! Scandalous ! But actually the cost of the Severn Bridge toll was worth every penny to witness Judgement Day IV (or 4 if you don’t happen to be an ancient Roman)

It was made even more worthwhile by the bright sunshine that greeted me on my arrival, I wore sunglasses, in Wales, for the first time since 1978.

To clarify, you only normally wear darkened glasses in Wales if you have an accompanying Labrador.

The Principality Stadium With its roof  wide open, hosted a record crowd for a Pro 12 match.

68,262 were treated to a day of rugby with European and play off places at stake, as well as derby day bragging rights that would echo across the width of South Wales.
But Far from being a parochial affair, tickets were sold to buyers in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Monaco, the Netherlands and Spain

The record crowd topped the previous highest Pro 12 attendances by a considerable margin

After dismal attendances at Pro 12 matches in Wales this season , it just shows what decent marketing, and competitive ticket pricing can achieve.

Coupled with the spirit of glasnost, that currently exists between the WRU and the Regions, and the fact that all the regions star international players were on view, the build  up to this event has been nothing but positive, and will no doubt inspire further such initiatives.

Ospreys saw off Cardiff Blues European champions cup hopes, with a six try bonus point win.

After a breathless fifty-one point filled second half, where the lead see sawed back and forth, with tries raining down , Blues defensive sloppiness cost them dearly, as Rhys Webb pulled the strings, and scored two tries himself, to keep the Ospreys hopes of a champions cup place alive going into the final Saturday.

In the second match, the Scarlets guaranteed their place at Europe’s top table, with a bonus point win against the injury hit Men of Gwent, who refused to give in, and battled until the very end.

Scott Williams was a revelation for the Scarlets, his first game since suffering a serious knee injury, against England in the rugby World Cup, he inspired the Scarlets with his delicious angles of running and sleight of hand, scoring the opening try after only nine minutes, he looked like he had never been away.

His creative spark has been sorely missed by Wales and the Scarlets this season.

Victory was never really in doubt for the West Wales outfit, even when Pete “The Meat” Edwards was yellow carded for a no arms tackle, the Scarlets try threat was always visible.
Welsh management will be concerned that Sam Warburton and Samson Lee suffererd shoulder and head injuries respectively.

This was probably one of the finest days for regional rugby in Wales,the success of which must be built upon.

Perhaps a season opening double-header, as adopted by the Aviva Premiership, would be a good place to start ?

As the Principality stadium emptied yesterday, we were shading our eyes, quite aptly, from the glorious golden sun, setting in the west.

Maybe a bright new dawn is on the horizon, in the long-range forecast for regional rugby in Wales.

When I was growing up, Props were a very different breed from those that inhabit the Earth today.

They bore absolutely no resemblance to the finely tuned athletes that grace the front rows of the modern game.

The props of yesteryear had many differences, the first one being anatomical, they had no neck, in fact their head was attached directly to their shoulders, scums never collapsed in those days as a direct result of this genetic mutation.

Loose head and tight head were cranial descriptions of their afflictions , and had no bearing on front row positional terminology.

Whereas Props like Gethin Jenkins can kick and chase, and show and go, in the old days the only way you could tell that a prop was actually running, was by the expression on his face.

There were some great English props around in the 70s, “Stack” Stevens, for example,(now there’s a proper props name if ever there was one), Fran Cotton, and a gentleman called Colin Smart ,who defied the dictionary definition of his surname, by drinking a miniature bottle aftershave, given to him at a pre match dinner following a France v England international at Parc des Princes.

The rest of his evening was spent in the company of a Parisian stomach pump, the only upside being, he didn’t suffer with bad breath for around seven to eight months.

But today’s props are an incredible tribute to what nature can produce when you mix protein shakes with Nandos.

Uini Antonio, the French international prop, is 6ft 6ins and weighs 22st 4lbs, he was born in Timaru, New Zealand, and rumours abound that he had to travel as cargo, when flying from Auckland to Charles de Gaulle airport, in Paris.

In contrast, Graham Price, the legendary Wales prop of the 1970s, weighed in at 15st 2lbs and reached 5ft 10 in height, most backs are bigger than that these days.

Cosmetically, Props have never been at the forefront of grooming and skin care.

The French front props of the 70s had faces only their mothers could love, I will never forget the great Bill McLaren referring to one of them as “Having a face like a bag of chisels”, the sales of post shave balm and moisturiser were not high in Mont de Marsan and Tarbes.

The man who straddled the evolutionary transformation period of the prop was Adam Jones.

I was fortunate enough to meet him at a  pre RWC 2015 media event, which took place in a capsule on the London Eye, as the two of us combined to challenge the safe weight capacity of the pod, I had plenty of time to glean from the great man himself, some of the dark arts, and technical subterfuge, that the front row warriors employ.

Sadly due to having the signed the Official Secrets Act, I cannot disclose this classified information.

In his autobiography entitled “Bomb” Adam Jones writes :

“My Mam says I looked like a prop when I emerged from the womb on 8 March 1981”.

“I was a big lump , my nose was squashed against my face, and she felt she had to warn visitors about how ugly I was ,before she allowed them to see me”

“Lucky for her I eventually blossomed into the handsome charming man that I am today”

The book written in conjunction with Ross Harries is a brilliant read.

So Props are arguably the antithesis of the spirit of rugby, at grass roots level they continue  in shape, size and personality as they always have done, and it is important that the law makers, in their quest for entertainment and financial reward, remember this.

Rugby must continue to be, at grass roots level, a game for all shapes, sizes and abilities .

If your head is loose, or tight, and the only reason your shorts have pockets in is to store your cigarettes for half time, then there should always be a place for you in the game.

The scrum still has ongoing issues but the laws as they are written, if refereed accordingly, would address  most of the current problems.

I bumped into Adam on a wet Friday night last season playing for Harlequins against Grenoble, in the European Challenge Cup semi final, which they won 30-16.

There is no doubt in my mind that his Wales career ended much too soon, his influence on and off the field is massive.

The last of a dying breed, at elite level, he is still going strong, the number one prop idol.

MISSING PERSONS PLEA

I start today’s blog with a missing persons plea.

Stade Francais are desperately seeking the safe return of their South African born fly half Morne Steyn.

His disappearance has baffled the authorities, and there is genuine concern for his welfare

Mr Steyn is 31 years of age, Caucasian, is 6ft in height, and weighs 14st 5lbs.

When asked if Mr Steyn had any enemies, we were referred to the 2nd test in 2009, between the British and Irish Lions and South Africa, where the aforementioned came off the bench, to successfully kick a 53 metre penalty, that won the match, and the series for the Springboks.

To complicate matters an unconfirmed sighting of Morne Steyn was made in Leicester, on the afternoon of Sunday 10 April, at Welford Road.

The authorities have dismissed this sighting as a hoax , as although the physical similarities between the two were striking, the individual seen in Leicester did not posses any basic rugby skills, and looked totally unfamiliar with the game in general.

BOKS BARBEQUES AND BORDEAUX

The balance of trade in France is at its most unbalanced for some time, as imports have dramatically outstripped the export market.

This has been mainly due to the CITES regulation relaxation on the sale and transportation of Springboks.

Whilst the four legged versions have strict controls to preserve their existence, the larger two legged versions are not subject to any such restrictions, and have been imported into France at an alarming rate.

Their is an upside to this tale however as the sale of charcoal and state of the art barbecues has increased tenfold , over the last few years, improving  the profit margins of many of the large supermarche chains.

The traveling Boks have swapped the vineyards of Stellenbosch for Sancerre, the Cape for Chablis, and there are now more Du Plessis’s in Montpellier than there are Du Ponts.

There are far too many roaming the Gallic fields to list them in their entirety, but here are few:
Bryan Habana, Juan Smith, Duane Vermulen (Toulon)

Morne Steyn, Meyer Bosman, Willem Alberts (Stade Francais)

Janie Du Plessis, Bismark Du Plessis (Montpellier)

Juandre Kruger, Johannes Goosen (Racing 92)

And there are many others, including  Pedrie Wannenburg at Oyonnax, Gurthro Steenkamp at Toulouse and Heini Adams at Bordeaux.

BEACOUP DE EUROS

Whilst on the subject of the Top 14 and its bulging wallet, I have accessed rugby’s equivalent of the “Panama Papers” and can reveal the incredible amounts that have been paid to the top players in recent years.

In 2014 Johnny Wilkinson was paid £56,000 a month at Toulon, whilst Jamie Roberts during his stint at Racing 92 received £380,000 per annum.

Johnny Sexton was paid £500,000 pa during his somewhat unhappy stint in Paris.

It is no secret that Dan Carter is getting £1.4 million a year at Racing, but next in line in the chain of big money earners are Toulon’s Matt Gitau (£900,000 pa) and Leigh Halfpenny (£600,000 pa).

Big money Toulon also paid Bryan Habana (£474,600 pa)

The top French national money earners appear to be Morgan Parra at Clermont (£436,000 pa) and Thierry Dusutoir at Toulouse (£408,120 pa).

Finally with the European Champions and Challenge cup semi finals coming up this weekend, it seems very strange to note that there is no Irish representation in either competition.

The strength of the Aviva Premiership and France’s Top 14 appears to be reaping rewards and unless the Celtic nations can provide a domestic competition with greater intensity then I fear this could be the shape of things to come.

With no Irish or Scottish representation and Newport Gwent Dragons flying the solitary flag for Wales for the second successive year, it paints the Pro 12 as very much the poor relation of domestic European rugby tournaments.

Enjoy next weekend I will be on duty at Harlequins v Grenoble on Friday night , but sadly so will Irish referee John Lacey.

See you next Monday for another Roar !

The Sportsdragon’s Monday Night Roar Is Published Every Monday  At 6pm

I was born in 1958, and since then Wales have never beaten New Zealand.

A staggering statistic when you consider that even The great Welsh teams of the seventies could not quite manage to overturn the All Blacks.

In fact the last time Wales beat New Zealand was on the 19th December 1953, at a packed Cardiff Arms Park.

In June of this year, Wales undertake a three match test series in New Zealand, and it is quite evident that their best chance of a victory will come in the first test in Auckland on June 11th… Let me explain why !

Nehe Milner-Skudder had been ruled out of the series after undergoing shoulder reconstructive surgery.

Brodie Retalkick had broken ribs and will not return until May.

Jerome Kaino and Israel Dagg are currently on the sidelines due to injury .

These factors, together with the retirements of Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Conrad Smith, Ma’Nonu and Kevin Mealamu mean that Wales will face a very different side to that which won the 2015 Rugby World Cup at Twickenham.

I know it’s all relative,  but there is no doubt that this is Wales best chance for a long long time to gain an historic win.

Whatever team the All Blacks put out June 11, Wales will have to be at their very best, but this is a chance that may not come again for this golden generation.

One thing for sure, Wales cannot afford to start as they did against Ireland and England in this years RBS 6 Nations.

So, at 7.35am on Saturday June 11, put the television, iPad, radio, and coffee on, then settle down to, hopefully, watch history being made in the land of the long white cloud.

Wales Tour to New Zealand 2016 (All matches live on Sky Sports) All times are local
June 11 v New Zealand (Auckland).        7.35pm

June 14 v Chiefs (Wellington).                  TBA

June 18 v New Zealand (Wellington).   7.35pm

June 24 v New Zealand (Dunedin).         7.35pm

June 25 v New Zealand (Dunedin).          7.35pm

It’s now Tuesday night and the pain has not gone away , I’m still reliving that first half at Twickenham, when my burst from the sofa to the Nespresso machine, whilst side stepping the cat, had more gusto, enthusiasm and elan, than anything produced by Sam and the boys.

Another 6 Nations title goes begging, and I can’t help but think that this golden generation should have had a lot more titles than they have achieved, these days will not be around forever.

We are now used to Wales competing with the very best, our expectations are higher than ever, and so they should be with such a talented group of players at Wales’ disposal.

I am old, and was lucky enough to have lived my adolescence with the back drop of Grand Slams, Triple Crowns and legends in red, despite my acne, these were magical days.

JPR, JJ, Gareth, Barry, Phil, Swerve, Bas and Reames were my heroes, and I thought it would last forever.

But Then came the 80s and 90s, when losing to England, France and Australia by ten points was an occasion to celebrate.

So we are  disappointed, sad and emotionally bruised, but let’s look at the positives of this current crop ,and these generally rosy days of Welsh international rugby.
In the last 5 years we have lost 5 matches in the RBS 6 Nations

We won the title in 2005, 2008, 2012 and 2013 including 3 Grand Slams

We have reached the World Cup Semi and Quarter Finals in 2007 and 2015 respectively

We currently have a humble, honest, down to earth squad who smile, speak politely to you and make you feel proud to be Welsh.

Before last Saturday’s defeat Wales had gone 7 games unbeaten in the 6 Nations

Next season Leigh Halfpenny and Scott Williams will be back from injury to give us more attacking options and more positional strength and flexibility

I feel better already !

Believe me no one gets more upset when Wales lose than me, but let’s celebrate, our players, our fans, our anthem , our stadium squeezed in to our capital city that makes it all so special .

Win or lose I wouldn’t want to be a supporter of any other team other than my country of birth.

Enjoy the Italy game give the boys all you’ve got because they will be hurting even more than we are !

From late morning yesterday Cardiff simmered.

As  rain gave way to white clouds, followed by late afternoon sunshine, as each hour passed  more and more Blue and red filled the city, it’s bars, its cafes, its restaurants and its museums.
The match, in effect, was a shoot out, whoever was left standing would be primed to move forward with a chance of taking the 2016 RBS 6 Nations title, and the loser left to rue what might have been.

In France’s case a win over Wales and  they would be only two games away from a Grand Slam, whilst Wales with a win under their belt, could travel to Twickenham for another shoot out, this time against England.

These great gladiators were used to title showdown in the 1970s, when Rives and Skrela came to town, and Gareth and Phil strutted their stuff to bring Grand Slams to Wales in 1976 and 1979.

The roof mechanism failed so the cold Cardiff night air permeated the stadium, the heat from the flame throwers was a welcome comfort.

The match was not a classic, but Wales never really looked likely to lose.

Two periods in the second half won the game for the men in red, the first eight minutes of the second half when Wales scored a penalty and a converted George North try, to take a lead of 16-3.

Later France spent fourteen minutes in Wales 22, but failed to register a score, after heroic defence from the home side, and much shrill whistle blowing from Wayne Barnes.

A 79th minute try from Guirado made the scoreline look more respectable but the honours on the night belonged to Wales

So, how was your Valentines weekend ?

The tricky task of balancing the RBS 6 Nations whilst appearing to give your loved one your undivided attention, takes some doing.

Now I have the edge on most of you in that department, as I had the glorious quirk of fate to have been born on Valentine’s Day, along with that great French legend, Phillipe Sella.

Sadly, for me, the great French centre, got all the decent rugby genes.

Last weekends matches, had moments of Valentine’s Day written all over them.

Yoann Maestri, the heartless Frenchman gave Johnny Sexton the elbow, and on the day before Valentine’s Day…the cad !

France scraped home by 10 points to 9 in a dull scrappy match against Ireland.

The best angle of running I’ve seen from a French back this year is Denis Charvet weaving out of the press box heading for the toilets.

In Cardiff we had to call the doctor firstly to break Scottish hearts and then to mend them

A super hero performance from The Hulk Jamie Roberts

George North fell in love with the try line once again and was reunited with the one he loves.

And in Rome on Valentine’s Day itself, England were shy and coy for fifty minutes before forcing themselves on their weary Italians, and the mood changed to tough love.

But in the end everyone kissed and made up !

250 police, 900 security staff, snipers on rooftops and sniffer dogs… Not the usual statistics provided for an opening game of the RBS 6 Nations.

My first as a member of the media could not have been more symbolic.

The last event at the Stade de France was on Friday 13 November a day a date that none of us will ever forget.

Yesterday despite what Guy Noves said, was about much more than sport, and much more than rugby.

Guy Noves spoke in the week

“We remember the attacks every day we don’t need a game to remember them”

Every street corner there were searches, my hotel had an armed officer in the foyer, and before kick off there was a slight feeling of anxiety.

But around lunchtime the sun broke through, Paris had its sparkly top on and the atmosphere changed into a joyous celebration of rugby and life.

The children waved their tricolours the French “DJ’ deafened us old folk with music that had a beat akin to high blood pressure or a migraine, but it was great.

A friendly machine gun  carrying French policeman told me he married a girl from Haverfordwest West, and I met my hero, the Prince of Centres, Denis Charvet in the Press toilets, all in all it was a pretty good day.

The rugby was exciting if not precise but yesterday WAS about more than that.

The President and all his men turned up for a show of solidarity and all passed peacefully with a French win to boot.

Guy Noves has a lot of work to do, but Danty and Vakatawa look very promising , and Plisson played well at fly half, kicking a monster penalty from wide out on half way , with 73:50 on the clock, as France were staring at a home defeat in the face.

Italy look to have found a decent fly half, at last, in the shape of Carlo Canna, who on his debut claimed a full house of try, conversion, dropped goal and penalty.

Poor Sergio Parisse, whose world class talent shone like a beacon throughout the game ,was on the losing side once again, but we are privileged to see this rugby  great in action, I have no idea how Italy will cope when he hangs up his boots.

So Paris slept soundly last night perhaps that was the greatest result.

I always associate the Stade de France with happy care free afternoons in winter and summer, preceeded and followed by good food, good wine and good coffee.

What else do you expect ? This is Paris after all.

As the song goes “I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles” and “I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles”

The concrete bowl at Saint-Denis in the Northen suburbs of Paris, provided me with one of the greatest rugby afternoons of my life, when in 1999, in front of 80,500 spectators, Graham Henry’s Wales, threw off the shackles and out played France to win 34-33 in a match that produced seven tries, including a hat trick by Emile Ntamack.

My other memorable visit to the Stade, was during the 1998 FIFA World Cup , when I watched a star studded Italian team beat Austria 2-1 to qualify for the knock out stages, on a warm sunny June afternoon , which was lit up by the likes of Alex Del Piero, Roberto Baggio and Paulo Maldini.

But sadly the tragic events of November 13 2015 added a sickening and unworthy chapter to this stadium’s history.

So it is with a touch of sadness that I return there this weekend, I will pay my respects to all those whose lives were changed for ever on that fateful day, but also I will smile and give thanks that the spirit of our beloved game epitomises all that is good about mankind.

French captain Guilhem Guirado has stated that the team want to make the fans smile after all the difficulties…..

We will all drink to that !

Salut !