Growing up on the tip of the Gower, I felt a bit isolated from the rest of Wales.
For those who don’t know, it’s a quiet, beautiful and coastal area with lots of beaches. But there was no rugby club, village shop, pub or post office.
When you got past my childhood home and the road ran out, you hit the sea. I mention this because where I was raised had an impact on me. I felt detached from the rest of Wales to a degree, I didn’t feel particularly patriotic through my childhood and teenage years.
Of course, I was Welsh. But it wasn’t something I felt strongly about in the early stages of my professional career with the Ospreys and even when I first played for Wales.
That all changed with one game – our 30-3 victory over England in 2013. It’s 80 minutes which has understandably gone down in Welsh rugby folklore for a number of reasons.
But it made me realise exactly what it means to be a Welsh rugby player and the passion and sense of togetherness that creates, especially when you are part of a successful team. It bonds you with your team-mates for life.
It is hard to describe in many ways because the way the week changes in Wales camp when England are coming to Cardiff is almost intangible
Everything goes up a notch. You notice a difference in the team room and at training
Our 30-3 victory over England in 2013. It’s 80 minutes which has understandably gone down in Welsh rugby folklore for a number of reasons
It is hard to describe in many ways because the way the week changes in Wales camp when England are coming to Cardiff is almost intangible. But it undoubtedly does change.
Everything goes up a notch. You notice a difference in the team room and at training. There is a lot more media interest. All of a sudden, when you’re in Tesco getting some milk on your day off, more people want to stop and talk about the match. They appear more knowledgeable.
The week building up to that 2013 England game summed it all up for me. In training, everything sharpened by 10 per cent.
Many people think it’s all about beating England for Wales and nothing else matters. Don’t get me wrong, there is an element of truth to that! But during our golden years of success, that wasn’t the case. It was about winning the Six Nations.
In 2013, the two came together. It was the most Wales-England game you could possibly get, with so much on the line. England were going for the Grand Slam, us for the title.
The Welsh anthem that day was simply incredible, spine-tingling. It filled me with the patriotic fervour I’d lacked during my childhood. There is no better feeling.
I knew it was going to be a good day on the morning of the game. It just felt different. From Monday to Friday, the team room is a jovial place. There’s music blaring and everyone is laughing and joking. Players play darts or pool to relax.
Normally, the day of the game is different, it’s more tense. But that morning, I remember coming down for breakfast and the music was still blaring and the pool table and darts board were still being used.
The week building up to that 2013 England game summed it all up for me. In training, everything was sharpened by 10 per cent
I knew it was going to be a good day on the morning of the game. It just felt different
Still to this day, I remember the crowds of people lining the streets as we got into Cardiff, 30-deep or more
Even Leigh Halfpenny managed half a smile, which is the most you could ever ask from him on the morning of a match as he was always a nervous wreck!
Our walk through was sharp and on point. The bus trip to the Principality Stadium was incredible. As we pulled off the motorway, the televisions came down and a video put together by the Wales analysts was played.
The montage was of our best moments of that year’s Championship so far, to the tune of Eminem’s Lose Yourself. It got the juices flowing!
Still to this day, I remember the crowds of people lining the streets as we got into Cardiff, 30-deep or more. The whole day was just ridiculously special.
Everyone knows how the game went. It’s definitely one of the most memorable from my career, alongside the England win at the 2015 World Cup.
The nature of the game meant we could relax in the final 10 minutes. Jamie Roberts and Alex Cuthbert even started planning the night out! It was a big night in Revs, Cardiff.
But for me, the best moment was celebrating in the changing rooms. I remember looking around and seeing how happy everyone was. If I could bottle one feeling from my career and take it with me everywhere, it would be that. It’s what beating England can do for you.
In 2013, it was my first real experience of Wales-England in Cardiff and it’s the same for many of the current Wales squad this year.
The nature of the game meant we could relax in the final 10 minutes. Jamie Roberts and Alex Cuthbert even started planning the night out!
If I could bottle one feeling from my career and take it with me everywhere, it would be that. It’s what beating England can do for you
Clearly, it’s very different to 12 years ago, with Wales at the bottom of the Six Nations without a win.
But speaking to the guys in camp, there is a different feel to the game already. Playing England in Cardiff brings an extra 10 per cent out of you as a Welshman. And if that happens this weekend, it could be really powerful for the players.
It will help them a great deal, no doubt. Wales can treat this as a one-off game and really go for it.
We all know the bigger picture is that Wales have lost 16 Tests in a row. This might sound weird, but the beauty of Wales-England is the players can almost forget about that for 80 minutes. That could liberate them. I believe Wales have a chance.
What they have to do is keep the game tight for the first hour and then use the Principality Stadium factor to get them over the line.
The atmosphere, I’m sure, will be amazing. It was for the defeat by Ireland. Wales need more of that from the home crowd.
But they also have to play their part. What Wales can’t do is be blown away in the first 50 minutes as they were in Scotland. It was game over by half-time in Edinburgh. There can’t be a repeat of that.
You can’t underplay how intimidating it is for teams to play under the Principality Stadium roof. There is no doubt that currently, England are a better team than Wales. But they are a good side, not a great one. Wales can get after them.
The last real match with England in Cardiff in my opinion was 2019, the year we won a Grand Slam
That was another special day for Wales and this weekend can be the same
I’m sensing a big occasion, because it feels like the first time we’ve got a proper Wales-England game on our hands in years.
In 2023, we’d threatened to strike and the match had a weird atmosphere about it. Some people didn’t want to be there. In 2021, it was Covid and the ground was empty.
The last real match with England in Cardiff in my opinion was 2019, the year we won a Grand Slam. That was another special day for Wales and this weekend can be the same.
I’m sure the players will want to send Matt Sherratt out on a high after his stint as interim head coach
I’m sure the players will want to send Matt Sherratt out on a high after his stint as interim head coach too.
A Wales win would definitely deny England the title. But I think it would be a disservice to the Six Nations if it wasn’t France or Ireland who won the Championship because, quite clearly, they’re the two best teams.
This year has again shown me the Six Nations has three tiers: France and Ireland at the top, England and Scotland in the middle, and Italy and Wales at the bottom.
But that’s not to say there can’t be an upset along the way. If Wales can harness the spirit of 2013, it can be another famous weekend for the country and provide some much-needed cheer.
