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Post by underwood on Oct 18, 2023 17:20:21 GMT
2 blokes have to go to hospital and your first thought is how to turn it into football v rugby. And how do you think the headline would have read if it had been at a football match? Just calling it as I see it. I’ll send them a Get Well Soon card. |
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Post by bobbyghoul on Oct 18, 2023 18:20:44 GMT
2 blokes have to go to hospital and your first thought is how to turn it into football v rugby. And how do you think the headline would have read if it had been at a football match? Just calling it as I see it. I’ll send them a Get Well Soon card. The headline might, just might, have replaced the word "fans" with 'hooligans'. But you're missing the point by a spectacularly wide margin and seem to be relishing the fact that two people got hurt, in order to carry forward an anti-rugby agenda. If that's the type of person you want to be then so be it. |
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Post by garynysmon on Oct 19, 2023 13:32:18 GMT
Apart from one lightweight rendition of Hymns and Arias, the Welsh supporters in the crowd at Marseille were completely out-shouted by the noisy Pumas fans. Our Wal Goch puts the Three Feathers brigade in the shade when it comes to vocal in-stadium support.I still think its comparing apples and oranges. All the footage I've seen from Welsh fans in France seems to be of mainly groups of friends or couples in their middle age or post-retirement age. Of course there are exceptions and some younger travellers and families, but that demographic doesn't strike me as the type to go mental either inside or outside of the ground. Compare that to the mainly young men who travel to watch Wales away. It also strikes me that Rugby tends to attract a lot of the Welsh diaspora, those who have Welsh parents or moved away from Wales at an early age, who still harbour a (what we'd probably consider outdated) view that supporting the Welsh Rugby Team is the biggest reflection of anyone's Welshness, deriving from an age before devolution and when we didn't have much else to define ourselves as a nation other than excelling at a relatively minor international sport. Again, I'm sure there are exceptions, but the older demographic strikes me as particularly over represented any time when you see Rugby fans being interviewed after away Rugby games etc. Its quite funny how wound up some people (particularly past a certain age) seem to get on Facebook when football is suggested as Wales' national sport, or even rivalling Rugby for that title. As a caveat, while France is far from being the most expensive or difficult trip (and I do know of a few younger fans who flew out for the weekend for the opening game), if you're going to spend a month anywhere then its a dear trip and maybe better suited to the older and more affluent types anyway? |
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Post by welshrover on Oct 19, 2023 14:56:18 GMT
Apart from one lightweight rendition of Hymns and Arias, the Welsh supporters in the crowd at Marseille were completely out-shouted by the noisy Pumas fans. Our Wal Goch puts the Three Feathers brigade in the shade when it comes to vocal in-stadium support.I still think its comparing apples and oranges. All the footage I've seen from Welsh fans in France seems to be of mainly groups of friends or couples in their middle age or post-retirement age. Of course there are exceptions and some younger travellers and families, but that demographic doesn't strike me as the type to go mental either inside or outside of the ground. Compare that to the mainly young men who travel to watch Wales away. It also strikes me that Rugby tends to attract a lot of the Welsh diaspora, those who have Welsh parents or moved away from Wales at an early age, who still harbour a (what we'd probably consider outdated) view that supporting the Welsh Rugby Team is the biggest reflection of anyone's Welshness, deriving from an age before devolution and when we didn't have much else to define ourselves as a nation other than excelling at a relatively minor international sport. Again, I'm sure there are exceptions, but the older demographic strikes me as particularly over represented any time when you see Rugby fans being interviewed after away Rugby games etc. Its quite funny how wound up some people (particularly past a certain age) seem to get on Facebook when football is suggested as Wales' national sport, or even rivalling Rugby for that title. As a caveat, while France is far from being the most expensive or difficult trip (and I do know of a few younger fans who flew out for the weekend for the opening game), if you're going to spend a month anywhere then its a dear trip and maybe better suited to the older and more affluent types anyway? You are assuming all us old f-ckerz are rich Gary 😊 |
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Post by jimexotic on Oct 19, 2023 16:19:47 GMT
I like the Welsh rugby team to do well because I'm Welsh and it meant a lot of my dad and taid who haven't been with us for quite some time, I understand that it's a bit of a stereotypical thing but who cares, it's fun supporting Wales.
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Post by cogancoronation31 on Oct 19, 2023 16:30:29 GMT
I agree - I like Wales to participate (and win if we can) in all sports.
That doesn't mean that the observation can't be made that 'Wal Goch' football supporters these days are far more vociferous and sing many more songs and chants, particularly in-stadium, than the sedate, older - and yes, more affluent - demographic that the rugby boys seem to attract home and away.
The at times electric atmosphere the other night at Cardiff City Stadium simply isn't replicated at The Principality Stadium for the rugby, not when I've been there anyway - it often gets quiet even with a full house!
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Post by welshrover on Oct 19, 2023 22:10:40 GMT
I agree - I like Wales to participate (and win if we can) in all sports. That doesn't mean that the observation can't be made that 'Wal Goch' football supporters these days are far more vociferous and sing many more songs and chants, particularly in-stadium, than the sedate, older - and yes, more affluent - demographic that the rugby boys seem to attract home and away. The at times electric atmosphere the other night at Cardiff City Stadium simply isn't replicated at The Principality Stadium for the rugby, not when I've been there anyway - it often gets quiet even with a full house! To be fair with the exception of possibly the Italy game the Millstad with a full house of footie fans was never actually "electric". Maybe it is more to do with the stadium than those sat in the seats. |
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Post by bale-droed on Oct 20, 2023 1:26:14 GMT
I saw a few people being treated for cuts and head Injuries during my 22 days in France for the rwc. One guy near the Greek statue in Nice had one of the biggest head cuts I've ever seen in my life at 2pm on a Sunday. In Lyon Everytime Australia or English fans walked past the Welsh bar they would be bood. Started as friendly then some dickheads started throwing things. I saw an empty cup hit an Aussie in the head. On a different day a different Australian doesn't keep walking and a huge brawl starts. The same day In the same place I saw a small Welsh guy in a football bucket hat and a retro football top choke out another Welsh fan for no reason. In the same bar before at about 1 in the afternoon one Welsh fan was carried out for starting a fight with his own mate. These incidents were Welsh on Welsh which is insane. However Rugby is a powder keg waiting to explode. There will be an enormous rugby brawl one day it's a ticking time bomb and it'll happen very soon.
. RWC basically has 4 sets of fans in each city (5 if you include hosts). In Nice it was a horrible being with the English all weekend. The English fans who were in Bordeaux were also dicks. The next world cup there's going to be less of a drinking culture because less dickheads will travel that far so we might not see that brawl then but it'll happen. One weekend you can see maybe Argentina v England and Wales v Ireland or something like that in the same city and it'll just explode. Coming back from St Etienne to Lyon after Argentina v Samoa there were so many English on the train singing English songs that me and my mate actually thought the Argentinians were going to confront them. Argentina were silent all ride home. Clearly not wanting to play with with the English and very much annoyed by them but the English as usual oblivious to how hated they were. I swear it would take one dickhead to say Falklands and 30 people would've been brawling. I got sick and tired of hearing the words "West England"
Agree with the Diaspora comments. Spoke to loads of English in Welsh tops "because my dad's/mother's Welsh".
Despite the shitness that Wales online never covers because they love and protect rugby it must be said it wasn't worse than a Saturday in Cardiff. But you'd expect there to be no problems. It was a lot better but there are things that go on. Outside Le Welsh bar the vomiting in the streets and pissing at 5pm on Saturday was bonkers and embarrassing.
It's worth mentioning though that the atmosphere at the games was amazing. I read these comments about how singing magically makes a better atmosphere. Singing has nothing to do with it. I'm a football fan (1st love) and in addition to Wales football I've been to watch Wales at Rugby union, rugby league world cups, 7s and Commonwealth games . I feel I can an impartial honest opinion to people on our sports teams. The bottom line is this. Watching Wales football is awesome there's an amazing atmosphere, watching Wales rugby is awesome there's an amazing atmosphere. There's a lot of dickheads watching Wales play rugby and there's too much drinking going on and a reliance on history. Our football team is sadly developing a stag do culture that needs to die. Last year in the Netherlands our football fans were a disgrace.Excuse all l of this unarticulated unplanned typing be hall this being said 95% of our rugby fans are great and 95% of our football fans are. Also I disagree with the rugby fans are old comments. I think rite now more than ever in Welsh history theres a large percentage of people who attend both national team games. I've now lost count of the amount of people who have been to football tournaments and rugby world cups.
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Post by gwernybwch on Oct 20, 2023 19:22:33 GMT
It also strikes me that Rugby tends to attract a lot of the Welsh diaspora, those who have Welsh parents or moved away from Wales at an early age, who still harbour a (what we'd probably consider outdated) view that supporting the Welsh Rugby Team is the biggest reflection of anyone's Welshness, deriving from an age before devolution and when we didn't have much else to define ourselves as a nation other than excelling at a relatively minor international sport. Nailed it with that comment. I have lost count of the number of people that I grew up in the border country that have moved away and are now mad Wales - rugby - fans. They definitely weren't announcing their Welshness when as a kid I was getting ripped into for wearing a Welsh football shirt. Some of them I don't even remember being fans of rugby. There is sure is something in that home counties water that brings them out as Wales and a big rugby fan. Don't even start me on the diaspora that 'Support Wales in the rugby and England in the football'. |
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Post by garynysmon on Oct 20, 2023 19:41:23 GMT
Nailed it with that comment. I have lost count of the number of people that I grew up in the border country that have moved away and are now mad Wales - rugby - fans. They definitely weren't announcing their Welshness when as a kid I was getting ripped into for wearing a Welsh football shirt. Some of them I don't even remember being fans of rugby. There is sure is something in that home counties water that brings them out as Wales and a big rugby fan. Don't even start me on the diaspora that 'Support Wales in the football and England in the football'. I just think that stereotypes are allowed to perpetuate, and the further away you from Wales or the weaker your day to day links are then the fewer opportunities you get to see that they really are myths. Its easy to be 'Welsh' in the Rugby and go back to being 'British' the rest of the time isn't it? Its a safe kind of patriotism, for 80 minutes you can 'hate the English' but be best mates after an afternoon that's still dominated by military and Royal connotations. Its a bit harder in the football given the Canton or a Wales Away game can almost feel like a Yes Cymru rally, and that you almost have to choose your camp given everyone around you is singing 'fuck the union jack'. But if you only ever visit Wales on 6 nations matchdays then what are you expected to believe that Rugby isn't the be all and end all for all in Wales? Anyone would think that the whole of the country was hanging onto the fate of those 15 players if a Saturday in Feb/March was your only exposure. Whereas Six Nations Saturday afternoons at the local pub near where I grew up was always a battle between the two blokes who wanted to watch Rugby and everyone else who wanted Soccer Saturday on the TV. You can't tell me that's a reflection of a country who's whole psyche is apparently engrained by Rugby Union. But while I think that Welsh Rugby generally has a demography issue and depends rather too much on an ageing fanbase to fill their grossly overpriced seats, from my experience you definitely see more women in their 20s and 30s watching Rugby games in the pubs of north Wales than you do men nowadays. Rugby still feels more accessible to many. |
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Post by welshrover on Oct 20, 2023 23:20:01 GMT
I have nothing against rugby but being brought up in the North East of Wales we never played it at school so never developed an interest in it and to be perfectly honest I don't understand the rules!!
I think one thing the FAW have done well these past few years is promoting the Welsh language aspect.
I recall 20 years ago Dafydd Iwan on the pitch prior to the Italy game and very few fans had any clue what Yma o Hyd was all about, let alone knew the words. Most people at the game that day just carried on their conversations whilst the song played and only a handful of people joined in the singing.
The same with the anthem really, it you look at a Welsh football crowd from say 15 years ago you will see some singing, some making mouth movements but obviously unaware of the words and a lot of the crowd silent.
If you fast forward to today it would appear the vast majority of the fans know the words. Whilst they may not be Welsh speakers or have any interest in learning they have at least learnt the anthem.
Whether this goes hand in hand with movements like Yes Cymru I don't know but there does appear to be more of a "cultural awareness / pride" about today's Welsh football crowd.
As I don't go to rugby I can't really comment whether rugby has had the same sort of shift but from the bits I see on TV it does appear to attract a lot of "day trippers" I may be wrong and stand to be corrected on the last sentence.
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Post by underwood on Oct 21, 2023 9:15:20 GMT
Middle Class Home Counties types with Welsh parentage latch onto rugby as it gives them the identity they lack given that they come from the most culturally insignificant part of the UK.
Easy to go back to being British for the other 45 weeks of the year when the Welsh rugby team doesn’t play.
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Post by allezlesrouges on Oct 26, 2023 14:52:20 GMT
I have nothing against rugby but being brought up in the North East of Wales we never played it at school so never developed an interest in it and to be perfectly honest I don't understand the rules!! I think one thing the FAW have done well these past few years is promoting the Welsh language aspect. I recall 20 years ago Dafydd Iwan on the pitch prior to the Italy game and very few fans had any clue what Yma o Hyd was all about, let alone knew the words. Most people at the game that day just carried on their conversations whilst the song played and only a handful of people joined in the singing. The same with the anthem really, it you look at a Welsh football crowd from say 15 years ago you will see some singing, some making mouth movements but obviously unaware of the words and a lot of the crowd silent. If you fast forward to today it would appear the vast majority of the fans know the words. Whilst they may not be Welsh speakers or have any interest in learning they have at least learnt the anthem. Whether this goes hand in hand with movements like Yes Cymru I don't know but there does appear to be more of a "cultural awareness / pride" about today's Welsh football crowd. As I don't go to rugby I can't really comment whether rugby has had the same sort of shift but from the bits I see on TV it does appear to attract a lot of "day trippers" I may be wrong and stand to be corrected on the last sentence. When we played Italy I was probably around 8-9 years old, but I do remember the game well, that was my first experience of watching us do something amazing as a country. I grew up in a very anglicised part of Cardiff, and have only started learning Welsh in my 20s. However, one thing I do remember in my English medium school was the anthem being drummed into us, and all of my friends it was the same. I don't know if this was more of a post-devolution thing as I'm too young to say, but it certainly seems many people in some older generations from the south east had very little understanding of even the basics of Welsh, and unless you were from the west or a school that particularly promoted it you wouldn't learn the anthem Whereas post-devolution generation it seems as though, even in anglicised areas, the bare minimum is people know the anthem and a few words. My friends who have never learned Welsh aside from GCSEs know what diolch, os gwelwch yn dda, shwmae, bore da, prynhawn da, nos da, and probably a few other terms mean So I do think it's combination of all the stuff you've mentioned above, and a broader promotion of it all across Wales |
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Post by joeyvimsantethepoet on Nov 6, 2023 22:46:33 GMT
I would prefer a united Celtic Nations cricket side. Imagine if Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Cornwall had a united cricket side like the West Indies is a composite nations cricket side.
I would also like rugby league, women's rugby union and darts or snooker to have a united Celtic Nations side.
Maybe have test matches against the big nations.
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Post by bracklablue72 on Nov 7, 2023 0:23:34 GMT
I would prefer a united Celtic Nations cricket side. Imagine if Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Cornwall had a united cricket side like the West Indies is a composite nations cricket side. I would also like rugby league, women's rugby union and darts or snooker to have a united Celtic Nations side. Maybe have test matches against the big nations. Why? We are a nation of our own, which has a representative side in all sports except cricket (for some stupid reason). We should also have a test side in cricket. |
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Post by welshrover on Nov 7, 2023 8:21:02 GMT
Zoe Backstedt wins the European under 23 cyclo cross championship.
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Post by bale-droed on Nov 7, 2023 14:14:54 GMT
I would prefer a united Celtic Nations cricket side. Imagine if Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Cornwall had a united cricket side like the West Indies is a composite nations cricket side. I would also like rugby league, women's rugby union and darts or snooker to have a united Celtic Nations side. Maybe have test matches against the big nations. Why? We are a nation of our own, which has a representative side in all sports except cricket (for some stupid reason). We should also have a test side in cricket. I agree. Views like these are just absolutely bizarre. Ireland and Scotland have independent teams so why would they throw that away for us? Every 2 years when they have the t20 etc qualifiers you have Ireland and Scotland playing teams like UAE, Qatar, Germany, oman, phillipines for a place at the world cup yet we sit at home when for 2019 and 22 we probably could've qualified. It's bizarre there's literally 0 annoyance or outrage by the Welsh public at this..... Saying that though it's the same Welsh public that didn't batter an eye lid when our rugby sevens team ( our 2009 world cup winning sevens team) was merged to make a team gb. No one seems to care! R.I.P Welsh national identity. |
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Post by janglingjack on Nov 7, 2023 18:35:14 GMT
I remember watching Wales v England at Sophia gardens,it was basically Glamorgan with steffen jones from Somerset,seems strange now as i don't imagine all the Glamorgan team were welsh born though i can't remember the team if i am honest,found the ticket stub last year and stupidly lost it,shame as i don't imagine it will happen again,well not in the forseeable future anyway
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Post by cantonwelsh79 on Nov 7, 2023 20:35:29 GMT
I remember watching Wales v England at Sophia gardens,it was basically Glamorgan with steffen jones from Somerset,seems strange now as i don't imagine all the Glamorgan team were welsh born though i can't remember the team if i am honest,found the ticket stub last year and stupidly lost it,shame as i don't imagine it will happen again,well not in the forseeable future anyway They played two years running as a warm up for England's one day series. We won the first one quite well. As you say it was a loose interpretation of Wales. Jaques Kallis played for us the game we won and Aussie Mike Kasprowicz played the second year. We also had a few Glamorgan non Welsh regulars like Steve James, Adrian Dale and Dean Cosker but there was a healthy smattering of Welsh players across the two games. I'd love to see an international side. I'm not sure how we'd develop players without Glamorgan but we're not bringing many through now and I suppose the Scots and Irish manage so perhaps it'd work. |
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Post by bobbyghoul on Nov 7, 2023 21:18:20 GMT
If we had a national cricket side then Glamorgan couldn't play in the English competitions.
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Post by bracklablue72 on Nov 7, 2023 23:37:20 GMT
If we had a national cricket side then Glamorgan couldn't play in the English competitions. Is Glamorgan CCC more important than Cymru having a full representative side? |
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Post by bobbyghoul on Nov 8, 2023 6:30:07 GMT
If we had a national cricket side then Glamorgan couldn't play in the English competitions. Is Glamorgan CCC more important than Cymru having a full representative side? I don't really care either way, but it might explain why there haven’t been any moves to start a Wales international side. |
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Post by ddirpytnop on Nov 8, 2023 8:24:36 GMT
Is Glamorgan CCC more important than Cymru having a full representative side? I don't really care either way, but it might explain why there haven’t been any moves to start a Wales international side. I am aware of suggestions that if the England&Wales CB split, centralfunding for Welsh cricket would be lost - but I am not aware of any reason why Glam would no longer be able to play in the English competitions. However, given how weak cricket is at grass roots level in Cymru, I doubt that the loss of funding will make that situation any worse. The real reason why cricket fans and the Glamorgan lobby are happy with the situation as it is, is because they consider themselves English. |
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Post by underwood on Nov 8, 2023 9:19:32 GMT
Welsh rugby supporters get very passionate about the British & Irish Lions. Something I’ve never really understood, but all the evidence I need that football & rugby fans are quite different.
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Post by turkpower on Nov 8, 2023 9:55:54 GMT
Welsh boxer Joe Cordina defended his world title in Monte Carlo on Saturday. 17 wins from 17 fights.
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Post by bobbyghoul on Nov 8, 2023 13:11:56 GMT
Welsh rugby supporters get very passionate about the British & Irish Lions. Something I’ve never really understood, but all the evidence I need that football & rugby fans are quite different. I like rugby and like the Lions. The Lions are an invitational side where Wales is equally represented amongst 3 others. The Lions also in no way threaten the existence of Wales as a rugby nation. Cricket is different. I'm not a cricket fan, but the fact that the England and Wales Cricket Board is known as the ECB, plays as England and plays with 3 Lions on the shirt is an afront to Wales. Any so called Welshman that supports England in Cricket is a Dic Sion Dafydd as best. |
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Post by bale-droed on Nov 8, 2023 13:47:50 GMT
Wales doesn't need to worry about test cricket or odi. They are dying. We need our own t20 team. Imagine the opportunity to watch Wales In another world cup! 20 teams (I think) and every two years. Brilliant.
I'm sure if the elites at Glamorgan stopped licking boarding school bum we could probably have it. 25 people getting richer at the expense of a nation.
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Post by ddirpytnop on Nov 8, 2023 14:08:17 GMT
Welsh rugby supporters get very passionate about the British & Irish Lions. Something I’ve never really understood, but all the evidence I need that football & rugby fans are quite different. I like rugby and like the Lions. The Lions are an invitational side where Wales is equally represented amongst 3 others. The Lions also in no way threaten the existence of Wales as a rugby nation. Cricket is different. I'm not a cricket fan, but the fact that the England and Wales Cricket Board is known as the ECB, plays as England and plays with 3 Lions on the shirt is an afront to Wales. Any so called Welshman that supports England in Cricket is a Dic Sion Dafydd as best. Agree with all of that. Supporting the Lions (not that I am passionate about doing so) and supporting the England cricket team, are two very different things. Personally, I grew up supporting the West Indies but have no connection to the Caribbean. |
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Post by underwood on Nov 8, 2023 15:13:39 GMT
I like rugby and like the Lions. The Lions are an invitational side where Wales is equally represented amongst 3 others. The Lions also in no way threaten the existence of Wales as a rugby nation. Cricket is different. I'm not a cricket fan, but the fact that the England and Wales Cricket Board is known as the ECB, plays as England and plays with 3 Lions on the shirt is an afront to Wales. Any so called Welshman that supports England in Cricket is a Dic Sion Dafydd as best. Agree with all of that. Supporting the Lions (not that I am passionate about doing so) and supporting the England cricket team, are two very different things. Personally, I grew up supporting the West Indies but have no connection to the Caribbean. The Lions fit the middle class UK narrative perfectly I suppose, so go for your life boys. Count me out thanks. |
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Post by ddirpytnop on Nov 8, 2023 17:17:43 GMT
Agree with all of that. Supporting the Lions (not that I am passionate about doing so) and supporting the England cricket team, are two very different things. Personally, I grew up supporting the West Indies but have no connection to the Caribbean. The Lions fit the middle class UK narrative perfectly I suppose, so go for your life boys. Count me out thanks. If I were able to make sense of any of that, I'd respond. But I can't. So I won't. |
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