Essential book published on historic failings of Welsh Rugby Union

Considering the Welsh Rugby Union’s prominence in the cultural, political and sporting landscape of Wales, it is remarkable that until November 2023, no serious attempt had been made to chronicle its failings, follies and flaws. Finally, a book has arrived that examines key events from the past four decades in the Welsh game and shines…

Bleddyn 1953 comic - Stafford - Coombs - Erskine

New comic tells story of Cardiff’s famous win over the All Blacks

21st November 1953, Bleddyn Williams led his Cardiff team out in front of a crowd of 50,000 at the Arms Park to face the mighty All Blacks. Defeating the All Blacks had been an ambition for Cardiff ever since they had narrowly lost to the famous New Zealand ‘Originals’ in 1905. The Springboks had been…

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…

Dear rugby broadcasters, please, just show us the line-outs

We’ve written before on The East Terrace about the poor choices broadcasters often make during live rugby coverage. A desire for ‘innovative’ and ‘engaging’ angles, or ‘drama’ in the coaching box,  continually infuriates people who just want to watch the live action from a decent perspective. The recent Wales v France game was a classic…

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 France 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 Wales’s results against France since David Nash was appointed as the first Welsh coach in 1968. A quick reminder before we start, this series only looks at Five and Six Nations games and does not consider World…

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…

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…

An Illustrated History of Welsh Rugby by James Stafford

An Illustrated History of Welsh Rugby – OUT NOW

An Illustrated History of Welsh Rugby: Fun, Facts and Stories from 140 years of International Rugby from East Terrace editor James Stafford and illustrator Raluca Moldovan is out now from Polaris Publishing. Full of tales of fighting clergymen, poisoned arrows and deathbed confessionals, James Stafford’s An Illustrated History of Welsh Rugby takes a unique look at the games, the players, the…

The East Terrace rugby logo

A fresh viewpoint on rugby from a neglected East Terrace

The East Terrace is back. But for those that have come to revisit an old haunt, the view is going to be a bit different. When the original website was launched back in 2004, there was very little irreverent rugby writing on the interweb. What sprinkle of rugby humour that did litter the net tended to…

East Terrace editor to publish history of Welsh national rugby team

The founder and editor of The East Terrace, James Stafford, is set to publish his first rugby book. In February 2021, Polaris Publishers will release “An Illustrated History of Welsh Rugby: Fun Facts and Stories from 140 Years of International Rugby“. It will be the first in a series and followed by the history of…

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Wales release findings of New Zealand tour report

ORGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 2016. After a grim summer tour to New Zealand, where Wales lost all four of its matches, the Welsh Rugby Union has released the findings of its post tour analysis report. Wales faced the All Blacks three times along with what was effectively a Chiefs ‘A/B’ team and lost by an aggregate…