As Welsh rugby stares into an abyss of its own making, it’s worth having a quick reminder of the leadership vacuum that helped get us into this doomsday scenario. Back in December, The East Terrace flagged a young Ieuan Evans’s views on the WRU. They were opinions that in any genuine and competent leader would…
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…
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…
Ieuan Evans (WRU Chairman) has chance to be a hero to Ieuan Evans (Star Winger)
The new chairman of the Welsh Rugby Union was, without a doubt, one of the greatest wings to have represented Wales in the 140-year-plus history of the national team. Ieuan Evans was a shining light in an era of darkness for the national team. That he burned so brightly on the playing fields of Test…
Gloom in Welsh rugby totally lifted by Jac Morgan winning Mike Pyke award
The gothic grimness which fills the air around the Principality Stadium — and which is fed by the stubbornness and incompetence of the WRU Board — will no doubt be partially lifted by news that youngster Jac Morgan (fresh from bulking up on the advice of fitness guru Wayne Pivac) has won a double Mike Pyke…
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…
UPDATED: WRU management speak: A written history of the ‘learnings’ of Westgate Street
The Welsh Rugby Union has a long and proud history of management speak. When the game in Wales needs leadership, clarity and action, we usually get waves of wondrous Westgate Street waffle. From Roger Lewis to Steve Phillips, the WRU has a conveyor belt of great management mumblers to rival the great outside-half factory of…
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 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…
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…
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Animal welfare groups outrage at ‘canary’ Welsh rugby jersey
NOTE: When this article was originally syndicated on scrum.com from the old East Terrace site, the WRU actually got in contact with the scrum.com editorial team and wanted it made clear the article was a spoof. Yes, this actually happened. The Welsh Rugby Union is under intense fire from animal rights group after being accused…