It is the best of times, it is the worst of times. Being a Wales rugby
fan living in Scotland, the 6 nations can be a lonely experience. I may
have lived here since the age of 2 but with a Dad from the Amman Valley
and a Mam from Kaerdiff I was brought up to be the most passionate of
Welshmen; Ddraig Goch tattooed upon my shoulder blade and somewhere
close to 20 groggs in my possession. As a result of having young
children, they are temporarily stored in the loft until both sons (my
halfbacks!) are old enough too know and obey "don't touch!" Watching
Ieuan Evans inspired me to buy my first grogg circa 1995, with Alfie
following a few years later and so my collection has grown. My Dad
picked up a grogg dog, Taffy the Terrier, in a charity shop up here for
50p but that sadly fell to inquisitive fingers before safe storage was
employed!
My interest in rugby stirred in late 80s with Jiffy,
Ringo and Adrian Hadley driving Wales to the triple crown in 1988. My
old man still has the video tape! What followed were some of the
most lean times for Welsh rugby, and going to a rugby based school (the
SRU was in fact founded in the staff common room), every February and
March would mean ridicule and embarrassment for the school's Welshmen
(my brother, sister and I). I even faintly recall celebrating a draw
against Ireland as some form of victory as Wales avoided a whitewash.
Since
the Graham Henry era, however, things generally improved although I
was out of school by now and playing club rugby where banter was much
more fierce. Wins against England and France allowed optimism to grow.
All that is, except the annual Scotland fixture. More often than not,
this filled me with dread - the dread of having a Scottish victory
rammed down my throat for the next 12 months at training or in the
clubhouse! Although I had to give up rugby in 2007, the dread remains. I
am rarely in rugby clubs these days sadly but am still in touch with
good friends at Loch Lomond rugby club @LochLomondRFC and the explosion
of social media means there is no hiding place from a good old slagging!
Now
in my mid-30s, I still get incredibly nervous before every Wales game. I
feel physically sick in the few hours before kick-off. If Wales win it
is ecstasy followed by frustration that there is only my Dad who lives
relatively close by to enjoy the victory with. It sometimes feels like
purgatory, especially with grand slams in 2005, 2008 and 2012, that I'm
stuck 400 miles away enjoying it alone whilst a nation, my nation,
celebrates together. I'm left to re-live the victory by
myself through Simon Thomas @simonrug on Walesonline and TV highlights.
On the other hand if Wales lose, it ruins my weekend and probably that
of those around me. I can't bear to read the match reports, watch the
sports news or even Scrum V for the following week. I can't put myself
through the pain of it. And when the its the Scotland game, this
pressure increases tenfold.
It was no different last Friday.
Feeling sick all afternoon at the thought of losing to England followed
by the despair and embarrassment of having lost for the past few days.
Only now am I feeling "over it," just in time for the dread of the
Scotland game to kick in. And this is how it is every 6 nations for this
lonely Welshman living on the banks of Loch Lomond. Thankfully Wales
have had a good run against Scotland of late (2007 was last defeat and
I'm sad to say "I was there") and I've been able to live up here in
relative peace. I don't go rubbing the Wales victories in my mates'
faces and I hope if the run ends on Sunday they'll be similarly
respectful. However, thanks to social media, I know if Wales do lose I
will be bombarded by people I've not spoken to in years (maybe decades)
with gloating and abuse. And so Sunday's game means more to me than any
of the others in this tournament. My heart, as always, says a Wales win
but my head can see Scotland by 8. Here's hoping I've had too many bangs
to it during my playing days and I can relax on Sunday evening and for
the rest of the year! If Wales win, I might even get all my groggs out
for a groggblog photoshoot - Cymru Ymlaen!
