Hail the boyos

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I just watched the Welsh beat France to win the Grand Slam.  Well done!

Wales were cruelly robbed of a place in last year's World Cup final when Sam Warburton was sent off early in the semifinal.  How bravely they tried for the rest of the match, and they nearly did it.

When I watch the Welsh I can't help thinking of the great players I saw as a young man.  Gerald Davies, JPR Williams, John Dawes, Mervyn Davies, John Taylor, Barry John - and the best of them all Gareth Edwardes.  And, of course those two great Irishmen - Mike Gibson and Wille John McBride.  I watched all of them break New Zealand hearts in the 3rd test of the 1971 Lions series - the first test match I saw live (after sleeping the previous night on the footpath outside the ground).

I was standing on the bank at the northern end of that Godforsaken place Athletic Park - watching from behind.  The Lions were in the 22 and on the left.  An impossibly long pass came out from Edwardes and I can see it now (in slow motion) ... Barry John takes the ball and slots the drop goal.  I feel a Kiwi's usual contempt for the drop goal, but I remember thinking, as that kick sailed between the uprights ... we're not coming back from here.

Wales (as opposed to the Lions) last beat the Allblacks, when I was 3 months and 5 days old.  I don't expect them to beat the Allblacks again in my lifetime ... but you never know ... and this team is a fine one.

PS  As a footnote ... I was also there in Bridgend the day John Ashworth stomped on the great JPR Williams face.  From the papers, you would have thought WW3 was about to break out - but every Welshman this Kiwi met just wanted to buy me a beer. 
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