Welsh Sports Fans Enjoy String of Victories
By EIFION WILIAMS
This has so far been a banner year for Welsh sports fans. It's been a long time since the spirits of the nation were raised by such a wealth of sporting triumphs.
The Welsh victories in rugby, football and boxing have also aroused unprecedented interest among members of the Welsh community in the Lower Mainland and elsewhere in North America.
It began in early February with the Wales national rugby team's surprise 26-19 victory over arch-rivals England at Twickenham, a feat last achieved by the Welsh in 1988. Wales then went on to defeat Scotland and Ireland to win the Triple Crown.
In April, a record-breaking crowd in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium saw Wales defeat France in the Six Nations contest to win its second Grand Slam in four years.
These victories helped erase the memory of Wales' dismal efforts in last year's Rugby World Cup. Much of the Welsh side's success is credited to new coach Warren Gatland, a New Zealander who was appointed only last November.
Remarkably, Wales conceded only two tries in the Six Nations contest, while winger Shane Williams became Wales' leading try scorer of all time.
Not to be outdone, football fans in Cardiff and Swansea also wallowed in the success of their teams. On May 17, Cardiff City will play Premiership side Portsmouth in the FA Cup Final at Wembley.
Cardiff last took the Cup out of England in 1927. Should Cardiff win the Cup they would then become eligible to play in the UEFA Cup competition, the Football Association board having agreed to allow a Welsh team to represent English football in the European competition.
Swansea City fans also had reason to celebrate in mid-April when their team clinched promotion to the Coca Cola Championship League after an absence of 28 years from football's second tier. Swansea had topped the League Division One for most of the season.
Swansea City shares its stadium with the very successful Ospreys, the regional rugby team. The Ospreys supplied the majority of Welsh players to Wales' international teams this season, with 13 of their players selected for the Welsh side that defeated England at Twickenham.
The icing on the cake for Welsh sports fans came on April 19 when Joe Calzaghe defeated Bernard Hopkins of the United States in a world light-heavyweight boxing bout at the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas. Calzaghe, who lives in Newbridge, Gwent, has a perfect 41-0 record in his boxing career and is Britain's longest-reigning world champion.
Ring Magazine has described Calzaghe as "pound for pound one of the top boxers in the world." Last year he was named British Sports Personality of the Year.
The thousands of Welsh fans who travelled to Las Vegas for the fight were rewarded not only with a victory for their hero but also a rare display of Welsh pride. The Welsh National Anthem, sung by Tom Jones, was probably heard for the first time in the U.S. entertainment capital.
The contest also attracted to ringside such luminaries as Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. The Welsh Newspaper Western Mail commented about Calzaghe after the fight: "Not only is he Welsh but he's taken Wales to the world."
This string of unprecedented victories has resulted in renewed optimism in Welsh sporting circles, even though future clashes will not be easy. Portsmouth are prohibitive odds-on favourites to win the FA Cup.
And in June, Wales' rugby squad is scheduled to play two games in South Africa against that country's national team, currently recognized as the best rugby side in the world.
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