Wales geared up for grand slam party

CARDIFF - Anyone in any doubt about the importance of rugby in Wales would only have to take a stroll around an unseasonably sunny Cardiff on the eve of Saturday's grand slam showdown against Ireland.

Every second person, it seemed, was wearing a rugby shirt, mostly the famous scarlet of Wales but with a good few in the green of Ireland, the team that stand in the way of a first grand slam for the principality in nearly three decades.

Welsh flags and posters proclaiming support for "our boys " in their bid for European rugby's ultimate prize adorned taxis and the windows of shops, cafes and bars around the nation's capital.

The pubs were already busy and anticipating a bumper Saturday evening, whether it be mostly drowning sorrows or celebrating.

"What you have to understand is that this town is pretty mental on a Saturday night anyhow, and if the boys win tomorrow - which they will - it's going to be crazy," said Gary Towner, who serves the beer at Bar 67.

When Wales last won a grand slam in 1978, bringing to a close more than a decade of domination of European rugby by the men in scarlet, few would have guessed it would be at least 27 years before they would again win all of their championship games in one season.

To suggest then that the production line which had churned out world class players like Barry John, Gareth Edwards and JPR Williams would dry up was about as feasible as predicting that the coal mines which littered the valleys of South Wales would nearly all have closed by the end of the century.

But of course, the mines that produced the coal that fuelled the British Empire have now all but gone, victims of the industrial policy of the government of Margaret Thatcher which came to power in 1979.

The closure of the mines devastated the valley pit villages which were built around them and which, along with the industrial cities of the south coast, were the heartlands of Welsh rugby.

But it is not only on the rugby pitch that Wales is enjoying a renaissance. If anything, the national sport has lagged a little behind.

There has been a palpable optimism about the place in the new century and Cardiff is showcasing it.

The Millennium Stadium, tight by the River Taff right in the heart of Cardiff, is Britain's and one of Europe's finest stadiums.

The docks from which Welsh coal was once shipped to all parts of the world have been replaced by the glass and steel of the stylish bars and restaurants in the highly fashionable Cardiff Bay area.

"Yes, Cardiff's much smarter now than it was back then, " said Dafydd Baber, who lives in nearby Newport. "But they'll take the place apart on Saturday night if we win.

"They've got to win really. It's been so long and it's our national sport. They deserve to win, they've played the best rugby," he said.

Britain's Prince Charles, who holds the title of Prince of Wales, also sent his best wishes to the team on Friday.

"After all your heroic efforts during this year's Six Nations, which have been an inspiration to the whole of Wales, I just wanted to wish the entire team the very best of good fortune on Saturday," read his message, which he signed off in Welsh: "Daliwch ati! Y gamp lawn amdami nawr (Keep going! Now for the grand slam).

- REUTERS