I never thought that I would be sorry for Welsh rugby, but this entirely unforeseen feeling of sadness crept up on me during the England-Wales match at the start of the Six Nations rugby season.

In the 1970s Wales was the greatest national rugby team in the northern hemisphere. I lived in the Forest, travelling to the old Cardiff Arms Park to view the latest collapse of the English national team, with the Welsh supporters surrounding me not even hostile but even worse, patronisingly sympathetic towards me as the mighty Welsh clocked up another victory. The de facto Welsh national anthem ‘Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’ (Land of My Fathers), powerful and moving even for non-Welsh speakers was sung with passion before the match by 60,000 Welsh supporters. I commuted from St Briavels to work for the Welsh Joint Education Committee in Cardiff, and my colleagues there were not reticent in celebrating another win by the mighty Welsh against England, nor was the insufferable Welshman who played for my club Bream.

When I lived in Scotland my colleagues were equally unsympathetic towards me when England lost to Scotland, but the England Scotland matches were less one-sided, and I could occasionally celebrate an England victory.

The British Lions match against a previously triumphant New Zealand All Blacks touring side in 1973 featured the most incredible try of all times, almost entirely created by Welsh players. If you Google it using just the reference ‘that try’, you will see what I mean. From deep defence Phil Bennett retrieved the ball, performed a couple of extravagant side steps, then passed the ball through several Welsh hands and also a token Englishman John Pullin of Bristol, to a final dramatic take and outrageous dive by the great Welsh scrum half Gareth Edwards. Throiughout this action the Lions faced dangerous high tackles by the New Zealanders which would now result in immediate dismissal.

How the international game has changed, with the Five Nations upgraded to Six Nations, and the sixth nation Italy, beating Scotland, and Wales at the bottom of the international league after the first match,

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England were just one conversion kick from a half century of points against a sad Welsh team in disarray. The Welsh club system seems to be collapsing, with Newport, who beat the All Blacks once, now nowhere. Only against an improving Italian team will Wales have any chance of a victory in the current Six Nations competition, but that will not be easy. I’m genuinely sorry. International rugby needs a strong Wales, but I can’t see it happening during this season. This column was prepared before the result of last Sunday’s Wales-France match was known, but I can confidently predict that a rampant French side will have no problem winning easily.