Over the course of my 15-year international career, I played with my heart on my sleeve.
Sometimes, especially in my early days with Wales, I’d be too forthright with my team-mates or let my emotions and the passion I felt for representing my country get the better of me.
Ask any player who was in the same side as me over the years and they’d tell you that was true.
Some of them would say it was most Tuesdays in a Test week, especially if I hadn’t been picked. And that happened a lot! I’ll happily admit I didn’t always get things right.
I’ll give you one example. Ahead of the 2023 World Cup, we held a training match in Turkey and the team I was in gave away a simple penalty. I lost the plot, shouting and screaming.
Warren Gatland came up to me after the session and said: ‘What you said was right, but do you think it was helpful?’ He reiterated an old rugby saying to me which I like: you can either add to the problem or be part of the solution.
It’s one I heard many times over the years. I didn’t always take it on board, mainly because I needed to be on the edge emotionally to play at my best. Doing so also compensated for a lack of talent.
When I digested what Warren had said to me, I realised my comments hadn’t helped my team. By losing my head, I’d added to the problem and not been part of the solution.
Dan Biggar always played with passion and intensity in his 112 caps for Wales
This brings me nicely to Wales’ Six Nations clash with France in Cardiff on Sunday.
It’s a really, really tough time to be a Welsh fan right now. You can’t sugarcoat it. The national side hasn’t won a Championship game since 2023 and the performance in the 48-7 defeat by England was nowhere near international standard.
Off the field, the political in-fighting has become toxic as the Welsh Rugby Union looks to cut the number of Wales’ professional teams from four to three. I understand why there is apathy out there.
There are lots and lots of tickets still available for the France game and the WRU has given many away for free.
It’s clear Wales aren’t the draw they once were.
These are tough times. Fans are voting with their feet. It’s not easy right now for those who love Welsh rugby to pay their money to go down and watch the matches. Not with everything that’s going on.
But everyone has a choice to make and the off-field politics is not the fault of Steve Tandy and his Wales players. What they can control is their performances and there’s no doubt England wasn’t good enough. I’m not saying by any stretch of the imagination that a full Principality Stadium this weekend means Wales have a chance of beating France.
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We all know that with where the respective teams are at, France are strong, strong favourites. But is it easier for Wales to perform to their best in front of a packed house? Absolutely, yes.
Does it hinder Tandy and his men if there are 20,000 empty seats? Again, yes.
Further, it’s important to point out that empty seats in Cardiff only hurts the WRU even more commercially, leading to less money in the coffers to fund the game.
It’s easy to support your team in the good times.
As a player, I’ve been fortunate to live and breathe them. But it’s in the tough times that real fans stand up. I understand it’s hard for fans to support Welsh rugby right now, but this is a young Wales team and they need as much help as possible. Wales need to create any advantage they can and Principality Stadium is one.
There’s no doubt in my mind it’s the best rugby ground in the world. The atmosphere there can do special things.
Wales were thrashed by England but the Principality Stadium crowd can help them improve
When we beat England 30-3 in 2013 to seal the Six Nations title and deny them a grand slam, the fans made a noise that made us feel unbeatable.
Conversely, I can remember times when a negative atmosphere has had the opposite effect. In a 2014 game with Australia, I was substituted and replaced by Rhys Priestland who was booed when he entered the field.
That had a hugely damaging impact on Rhys and the team.
It’s all well and good me calling for the fans to show up in their droves at a time of crisis.
But it’s also down to the team to give the supporters something to cheer about. Wales have talked about fight and desire, but those should be a given whether you’re playing for Bridgend Under-15’s on a Sunday morning or the British & Irish Lions.
On the back of the awful England performance, we simply have to see an improvement from Wales on discipline and accuracy at the very least.
If we don’t, it could be a long, long afternoon based on how good France were against Ireland. I’ve seen it at the Stade de France when French fans have turned on their team.
The white handkerchiefs come out, the whistling starts, and there’s nothing better as an opposition player because it’s then that you know you’ve got Les Bleus in trouble.
What Wales need is to make life difficult for France and a hostile home crowd can undoubtedly be a part of that. France are so good now they don’t need a helping hand.
Steve Tandy is not to blame for the crisis in Welsh rugby – and his team need backing
Even though Wales are struggling badly, my former Welsh defence coach Shaun Edwards will have France prepared as well as ever. There won’t be any complacency.
I had a brilliant relationship with Shaun when I was a player and I’m still in regular contact with him. He’s done an outstanding job. I’d never have thought I’d associate France with discipline.
The French teams I played against were the opposite.
Now, they’re organised and hungry. Tandy needs to make Wales harder to beat.
I think Wales have become too easy to play against. That has to change.
Many people called me rubbish over the years, but the criticism that would have hurt me the most would have been if someone had said a team I played in was soft or too easy to beat. That would have cut me to my core. Wales didn’t lay a finger on George Ford last weekend. Against France, they’ve got to go out and throw the first punch.
As a big Manchester United fan, I love Roy Keane. Keane is always worth listening to and I like what he says on Sky Sports about going out there and taking it to teams.
Keane’s ‘try hitting somebody’ quote has turned into a meme and I’m not advocating physical violence, but Wales could do worse than take on the former midfielder’s mantra of not holding back. An early try, big tackle or line break can get the crowd on their feet and rock France. That gives Wales a chance of at the very least being competitive.
Roy Keane’s mantra is something that Wales could use to improve their physicality
Even without their first-choice centres, France will still be too good. They are a remarkable team and Wales aside, Antoine Dupont, Matthieu Jalibert and Thomas Ramos are worth the price of the Cardiff entry fee alone!
I’m sure some Wales fans will disagree with this column.
But my view is at the moment, there aren’t many positives in Welsh rugby so we’ve got to try and find them.
The alternative is a continuation of the doom spiral of negativity which while understandable given the off-field drama, isn’t having a beneficial effect on the team.
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