WITH THE NATION’S beloved rugby union team playing the first of three Tests against the world champions this morning, ordinarily only one topic would dominate sporting discussions in Wales over the coming weeks.
However, despite taking on the might of the All Blacks in New Zealand, Warren Gatland’s team will have to settle for a minority share of the spotlight back home.
Rugby isn’t accustomed to playing second-fiddle in Wales, but when a country’s 58-year wait to experience being involved in a major football tournament is about to end, the landscape understandably begins to change.
You have to go back to the 1958 World Cup — when they reached the quarter-finals in Sweden — for Wales’ last taste of a showpiece event at international level. Since then, Welsh football fans have been on the outside looking in. This afternoon in Bordeaux, they’ll finally know what it’s like to be at the heart of it.
“There’s such a buzz at home,” explains Chris Wathan, a Welsh football journalist who’ll be following the team throughout their Euro 2016 campaign in France, starting with today’s meeting with Slovakia at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux.
“To give you an example, there was a bit of an outcry when it was said that there weren’t going to be fan-zones in the cities in Wales, which they have done for the Rugby World Cup. Those ones tend to be provided by the organising committee, whereas these would be council-run themselves.
“But there was such an outcry from fans who wanted to watch the games together to get that sense of togetherness, they’ve relented and there’ll be fan-zones in pretty much every major city across Wales. That gives you a sense of how much this is going to mean to everyone and how much people are looking forward to it.
“There’s also a huge sense of opportunity for football in Wales and the Welsh national team, because rugby is a big sport in Wales and it has that advantage of having a six-week block every February and March when the whole nation gets excited about rugby for the Six Nations and it’s all anyone talks about.
“It’s constantly on TV and constantly in the press. In football, the games are sporadic so they don’t really build that kind of momentum. Bot now, for the first time in 58 years, we have this block of attention on the national team and people are so excited about it.”
In spite of a 2-0 defeat to Bosnia & Herzegovina in Zenica in their penultimate Euro 2016 qualifier, Wales ended a run of 27 failed attempts to reach a major tournament last October, emerging in second place from a group that also contained Belgium, Israel, Cyprus and Andorra.
They conceded just four times in their 10 qualifying games — only Romania, Spain and England could boast better defensive records — and the standout result was a 1-0 victory against the Belgians, which came courtesy of one of the seven goals Gareth Bale contributed to their qualifying campaign.
Things actually got off to a relatively mediocre start for Chris Coleman’s side back in September 2014. They needed a late goal from Bale to win 2-1 in Andorra, before being held to a scoreless draw at home to Bosnia & Herzegovina and then stumbling to a 2-1 victory over Cyprus in Cardiff.
However, their first encounter with Belgium kickstarted Wales’ campaign. A 0-0 draw in Brussels was followed by an impressive 3-0 win in Israel. After Belgium were then turned over in the return fixture, three more points against Cyrpus and a draw with Israel was enough to secure their place in France.
Like Ireland, they’ve travelled more in hope than expectation, but given some of the individuals at their disposal — Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen, captain Ashley Williams — perhaps the Welsh have more cause for genuine optimism.
“There is a strange mix of feelings,” Chris Wathan explains. “On one hand, it’s such a big achievement to be at a finals, which is something the country longed for after so many near misses and so much heartbreak. Many are travelling because they were never going to miss it. They just want to enjoy this chance to be part of something like this.
“But on the other hand, there is that sense that this is a very solid team that conceded very few goals during qualifying, which contains some top-class players and a superstar on the top who is capable of winning any match. When you put that together, coupled with the way this tournament is going to work, there’s a strong belief that they can reach the knockout stages.
“In fact, it would almost feel like a missed opportunity if, having finally got there, they don’t make it to the knockouts. However, they’re still underdogs, they’ll still have to perform at their best, but if they do so, they could very well make it to the knockout stages and from then on it’s just a matter of momentum, the luck of the draw and you’d never know.”
Real Madrid star Bale and Arsenal midfielder Ramsey are the marquee players, but it’s not uncommon for a Welsh team to feature some top-class individuals. However, Ryan Giggs, Ian Rush, Mark Hughes and Neville Southall never managed to make it to a major tournament with Wales.
But the difference this time appears to be that the leading players are backed up by a stronger supporting cast: Williams, Allen, James Collins, Joe Ledley and Andy King bring a wealth of experience at Premier League level.
Wathan: “If you look at past sides, there’s been some outstanding talents through the years and sides have gone close. But I think overall, as a squad, this is stronger. Past teams might have had more top-class individuals, but all around the team I think this one is stronger.
“There’s a lot of experience at club level and they’re not having to put square pegs in round holes. For example, when the side almost made it to Euro 2004, Gary Speed had to play at left-back just to make up for deficiencies in other areas.
“One of the key aspects of this team as well is the decision taken by John Toshack over a decade or so ago to blood a new generation of players. The vast majority of this squad were given their debuts under him and they’ve been pretty much playing together for going on 10 years.
“That’s why you have Gareth Bale, even with all the injuries he’s had, with 55 caps, and Chris Gunter — who’s only 26 — has 67 caps. That kind of experience at international level, knowing the sort of differences between club football and international football, the little nuances, that has also been a huge factor.”
Chris Wathan recently published a book – ’Together Stronger: The Rise of Welsh Football’s Golden Generation’ – in which he outlines how the foundations for the success of this Wales team can be traced back over a decade to Toshack’s tenure as manager. The former Wales boss, along with the help of ex-Wrexham manager Brian Flynn, had a blueprint which he knew was likely to come to fruition only after he had moved on.
Current manager Chris Coleman nudged them over the line and Toshack’s successor in 2010, Gary Speed, also played a vital role. Speed guided Wales to significant victories against Switzerland, Bulgaria and Montenegro in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. His tragic death in November 2011 galvanised what was already a close-knit group of players.
“It was between John Toshack and Bryan Flynn, who was head of all the youth teams and his job was to identify talent and tell Toshack when they were ready. And it wasn’t all plain sailing. Toshack came in for a lot of criticism and sometimes rightly so. The team didn’t challenge,” Wathan says.
“However, there was a bigger picture and he would often say that it won’t be me who benefits from this. He’s been proven right in that sense. The team have come through together and not only have they got that experience, but there’s also a team spirit that I don’t think I’ve ever seen the likes of, even at club level. When you have that bond it allows you to go that extra mile. That all started with John Toshack giving them caps before their time.”
Regardless of how they perform at Euro 2016, rugby’s supremacy in Wales is unlikely to be under immediate threat. The footballers will need to become a regular presence at major tournaments before there’s any debate about the nation’s favourite sporting past-time. But as the rugby team experience the unusual feeling of not being Wales’ big sports story, it’s an indication that what was once a sizeable gap is now beginning to close.
Wathan says: “A couple of the footballers have mentioned how there were times when the crowds were very low — 4,000, 5,000 for a friendly. The Wales rugby team would probably get that for an open training session. But they’ve earned this now.
“There would have been envious glances, I’m sure, at the coverage, support and the whole buzz that a successful rugby team has brought over the years, but now it’s the turn of the football team. It’s all going to be about football for the next few weeks.
“With that block of games that rugby has, it goes beyond the sporting fans and into the homes of the casual observers as well. The hope from a Welsh football perspective is that this tournament will do the same for Welsh football. If they can capture a spark it gives itself every chance. Success breeds success, doesn’t it?
“The more people who are excited about it and believe in the team, then the more people will come and it fuels itself. The challenge for this team after this tournament will be to go and qualify for another tournament, go and qualify for the World Cup, and that’s what will be on the agenda just to prove that this isn’t a one-off and that it won’t be such a long wait until the next major tournament.
“That will represent the legacy of this golden generation.”
Chris Wathan is a football journalist with the Western Mail, Wales on Sunday, South Wales Echo and WalesOnline. His latest book — ‘Together Stronger: The Rise of Welsh Football’s Golden Generation’ — is currently available from St David’s Press.
