The Best of Times, The Worst of Times - By Guest Writer Owain Williams

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!