The latest rugby book from East Terrace editor James Stafford was nominated for a prestigious literary award in the Czech Republic. ‘Ragby‘, co-authored with art historian Petra Nováková (with contributions from writers and photographers around the world), was on the shortlist at the Magnesia Litera awards. Published by Labyrint it was nominated in the ‘Outstanding Publishing…
Barry John — the right kind of royalty
Few things bring home the cruelty of the relentless march of Father Time than the death of a sporting hero. Since Barry John died on Sunday, flickering and grainy images of his supernatural like footwork, effortless grace and bewildering balance have flooded social media like a twentieth century memento mori. The death of those we…
Portugal v Wales: Memories of small rugby posts and conversion replays
As we approach the 2023 Rugby World Cup it seems a good time to revisit one of the more unusual matches from Wales’s World Cup history. Due to the dreadful failure of Wales to emerge from the pool stages in the 1991 World Cup (despite all games being in Cardiff), the Dragons were forced to…
Are Wales really slow starters in the Six Nations?
When Wales went in 27-3 down at half-time at home to Ireland in the opening game of the 2023 Six Nations, Welsh fans could be forgiven for having a sense of it simply being business as usual. Wales have built a reputation for being slow starters in the tournament. But do the actual stats confirm…
CAMPAIGN: Adidas, please bring back your classic black-tipped rugby balls
UPDATE: Our campaign to bring back the classic Adidas black-tipped ball has reached the airwaves of New Zealand. However, for reasons we are trying to establish, our online petition has been taken down by change.org. We are trying to solve this issue and will update our readers when we find out more. Sign The East…
VIDEO: The one-kick NFL “career” of Welsh rugby international Paul Thorburn
In the dull grey of Britain in the 1980s, the NFL was first beamed into UK homes by the then radically innovative Channel 4. With only four television stations available to Brits at the time, it meant pretty much everyone in the UK was exposed to American football to some degree. The sport was like…
Release date confirmed for ‘An Illustrated History of English Rugby’ book by James Stafford
‘An Illustrated History of English Rugby: Fun, Facts and Stories from Over 150 years of International Rugby’ from East Terrace editor James Stafford and illustrator Raluca Moldovan will be published on 2nd March, 2023, by Polaris Publishing. The book is a follow up to the bestselling ‘An Illustrated History of Welsh Rugby’, which sold out within ten months of its…
Testing times — How often have Wales won a rugby Test series?
Historically, Welsh sides are the owners of a poor reputation when it comes to touring. And when you thumb through the history books it’s hard to form much of an argument against the stereotype. Most of Wales’s great rugby exploits have tended to come on European soil. So with Wales due to embark on a…
Both rugby books from the editor of The East Terrace get second editions
James Stafford, the editor of The East Terrace, released two books on rugby in 2021. Stafford’s An Illustrated History of Welsh Rugby (art by Raluca Moldovan) was released in February 2021 by Polaris Publishing to critical acclaim. After selling out in late 2021, it was revised, updated and rereleased before the 2022 Six Nations. The…
Welsh coaches v Italy in the Six Nations (2000-2021)
Concluding our look at the history of Welsh coaches in the Five and Six Nations, this week we look at Wales’s results against Italy in the Championship. With Italy only joining the tournament for its expansion in 2000, this week’s article is a far more simple affair. A quick reminder before we start, this series…
Welsh coaches v England in the Five and Six Nations (1968-2021)
Continuing our look at the history of Welsh coaches in the Five and Six Nations, today we analyse the results against England since David Nash was appointed as the first Welsh coach in 1968. Full record of Welsh coaches against England in Five and Six Nations (1968 to 2021) Our previous columns showed that Wales…
The rugby celebration that angered the RFU and the media: John Scott’s ‘Caesar’ moment
Few major team sports have undergone the transformation rugby has in the past half century. From conditioning and size levels, to on field violence and changes to the tackle law, today’s professional version of rugby union is arguably more of a cousin to the amateur game than the exact same sport. One aspect of rugby…
Welsh coaches v Scotland in the Five and Six Nations (1968-2021)
Last week we took a look at how every Welsh coach has performed in the Five and Six Nations since the first coach was appointed ahead of the 1968 championship. We followed that with a look at the record for coaches against Ireland in the same period. With Scotland next up for a bruised Wales…
Welsh coaches v Ireland in the Five and Six Nations (1968-2021)
Earlier this week we took a look at how every Welsh coach has performed in the Five and Six Nations since the first coach was appointed ahead of the 1968 championship. With Ireland up first for Wales in the 2022 Six Nations, we thought we’d take a quick look at how these same coaches did…
A statistical history of Welsh coaches in the Five and Six Nations
With the 2022 Six Nations upon us, we thought it would be the ideal time to look at the history of Welsh coaches in the Five/Six Nations. Wales first appointed a coach for the 1968 campaign, with former Welsh number eight David Nash taking the reins. We aren’t going to get into the tangled webs…
Welsh rugby and pitch invaders: A look back to 1921 and an infamous ‘riot’
The 2021 autumn series was marred by two idiots invading the field of play in Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. The first took place before kick off in the Wales v New Zealand clash as a social media narcissist (who hadn’t even bothered to get the right kit and had an ‘oh so funny and original’ number…
(UPDATED) Shades of Red: A brief history of Wales playing only fourteen men
UPDATED: This article builds on an original article from 15/02/2021 In 755 Welsh Test matches since 1881, 16 players have been dismissed when facing Wales. Six of these sending offs happened in 2021. The first six dismissals of a Welsh opponent occurred between 1888 and 2006 (it was not possible to be dismissed between 1881…
Alun Wyn Jones, Wales and the Pie Chart of Durability
Last Saturday Alun Wyn Jones won his 149th Welsh cap. The number took him past New Zealand’s Richie McCaw to make him the most capped player for one team in the history of international rugby. Jones has also won a dozen caps in total for the British and Irish Lions, meaning his total international appearances…
Survivors of Wales v Samoa 1991 share memories of grief 30 years on
Thirty years to the day since Western Samoa (now Manu Samoa) conquered Wales in Cardiff, surviving spectators of that fateful day have come together on social media to support each other. Led by East Terrace editor, James Stafford, stories are being shared under the hashtag #WalvSam1991 to mark the 16-13 loss to Samoa that helped…
East Terrace editor James Stafford to release book on 1905 Wales v New Zealand game
On October 22nd, 2021, East Terrace editor, James Stafford, releases ‘How Wales Beat the Mighty All Blacks‘. Illustrated by Carys Feehan and published in hardback by Y Lolfa (edited by Carolyn Hodges), the book tells the story of rugby immortal Gwyn Nicholls and his comeback to face the legendary 1905 All Blacks. While aimed at…