Previous posts
- Journey's end
- Several points to prove against Ireland
- A Roman battle and a huge game to come!
- An Azzurri adventure
- Mixed Magners results and a World Cup Sevens Victory!
- Lost in France
- 24 hours in Paris but returned empty-handed
- À Paris, mes amis!
- A tale of two cities (Cardiff and Paris!)
- Moving on up - Cardiff and the Magners Cup
- No small feat, but an aching head!
- A hat-trick against England?
- Roadblock for our fan
- Rhys Evans - Fan on the move
Six Nations Blog
Journey's end
Good afternoon! I'm actually writing this from my bed, with a huge hangover - it was a great day, even though we lost. The Championship is over for another year, and once again we've seen a Grand Slam, although unfortunately, it wasn't for Wales this time.
Cardiff turned green!
It was completely bonkers in the Welsh capital yesterday!! I have never seen so many Irish people in the same place in my life!! I woke up in the morning and looked out of the window in the flat (which is next door to a Travelodge) to see 5 buses full of Irish supporters turning into the car park. There was more green that red in the city, with everybody socialising and enjoying the atmosphere.
The game
The game itself was full of tension and drama, and at half time I was sure we were going to win. But the turning point came straight after half time, when Ireland scored two tries to go ahead by 8 points. Stephen Jones could have won the game for Wales, but his kick almost from the halfway line just missed in the dying seconds of the game - I nearly cried. Because it was our second defeat, and France and England racked up loads of points, we ended up 4th in the table!! I must say, I think we're a better team than the French and the English at the moment, so I don't think 4th is a fair reflection of the Championship - especially since we beat the English!!
Wild celebrations
There was a feeling in the city that it was a day for the Irish, and that for us to win the last seconds would have meant heartbreak for the, After all, we've had two Grand Slams in the last five years and it was Ireland's turn to celebrate. After the final whistle, the Irish supporters went mad, singing and dancing through the streets (some of them stark naked!!). The atmosphere was brilliant, even though we lost!! We went out in the evening, but didn't see many green shirts by then - I think a lot of them had had to go back to their hotels to recover from drinking too much, or they were sobering up in Cardiff jail for indecent exposure.
The final blog
Well, this is the last blog of this year's Six Nations Championship, but there's a lot of rugby to look forward to, with the Blues and the Ospreys still hoping to win the Heineken Cup. The Ospreys play Munster in the next round, so some Welsh players will have the chance to avenge their defeat in Cardiff. I hope we'll see lots of Welsh players in the Lions team in South Africa, and doing well as Wales challenge the Southern Hemisphere teams in the autumn.
Hwyl fawr!!
Time for me to say goodbye for the last time, then! It's been an enjoyable Championship, but also disappointing - feelings that are now familiar to Welsh rugby supporters now, but I wouldn't have changed the experience for anything!! I hope you enjoyed following Wales this year as well - Dublin and Twickers next year, and we've been organising the trips already!! Wales = Six Nations Champions 2010!! I'm off down to the bookies to put a bet on this afternoon, I think!!
Hwyl Fawr!!!
Rhys
This blog has been translated from Welsh.