Madam, - Your readers will be aware that we in Wales now hold the Six Nations rugby championship. Cardiff city centre last Saturday had an electric feeling: the sun shone, expectancy was sky-high, the Grand Slam and Triple Crown were on offer, and the Irish were in town, some fresh from Cheltenham triumphs: they "had dreams and songs to sing".
Wales won the game but Ireland contributed far more than sport commentators seem willing to acknowledge: indeed the period up to the charged-down try should have seen them comfortably ahead and if David Humphreys had played for another 20 minutes, well, who knows?
Amid the cacophony that followed the final whistle, the cheering, singing, slightly delirious Welsh fans stood shoulder to shoulder with their Irish friends. Very few left the stadium during the presentation ceremony and the men in green, despite being hugely disappointed, were gloriously magnanimous in defeat, still smiling and offering handshakes and congratulations.
We partied well into the next day, the strains of Cwm Rhondda and the Fields of Athenry being heard in equal measure. This was an occasion never to be forgotten. The game is consigned to history but the memory of the sportsmanship shown by the Irish rugby supporters will stay with me forever. Diolch, diolch yn fawr. - Yours, etc.,
RUSS TURNER, Barry, Wales.