Trying times for Welsh rugby | Letters

Letters: Gareth Rees writes that money and size are now all important; John Marriott calls for the sport to be brought back into state schools; plus a letter from Steffan Parry

Re your editorial (The Guardian view on Welsh rugby: enduring an existential crisis with cultural roots, 4 February), what’s surprising is that it’s taken this long. In the amateur era, Wales, with a much smaller population than that of England, had more wins than losses against most of the home nations. Welsh clubs were among the very best in the world and Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Llanelli all beat the All Blacks.

The game and its culture had great resonance in southern Wales, where relatively slightly built men, fleet of foot and with flair (many from south-west Wales and Welsh speakers) ran with the ball won by forwards often hardened by work in heavy industry. Schoolmasters were dedicated to encouraging talent and participation in team games. Money and player size (except in the front five) were relatively unimportant and success bred success. For much of that era, spectator community spirit was characterised by the fervent singing of Welsh hymns such as Sosban Fach.

All that has changed. Rugby is now a game where money and size are all important. It has a totally different and commercial culture. Wales, a relatively poor country, has changed greatly too, culturally and industrially, and with its small population cannot hope to find enough huge men with sufficient talent, especially when at any given time so many are off injured. Unsurprisingly, empty seats at internationals show that interest in rugby in Wales has declined substantially. It was lovely while it lasted.
Gareth Rees
Bristol

• I am pleased to see that your editorial on the decline of Welsh rugby emphasised the need to bring the sport back into schools. A noble sentiment. The same could be said of rugby and cricket in English state schools as well.

In 1962, when I played for the English schools’ under-19 group XV against the Welsh and French schools, our team was composed almost entirely of state school students. The independent schools back then even had their own representative side that played matches against Scotland and Ireland. Today, most members of our representative age group sides come from the latter sector, where time and facilities are available for coaching. Otherwise, as has nearly always been the case in France, for example, it has been up to their clubs to nurture talent.

Given concerns about the long-term effect of head collisions and our very litigious world, good luck to those who would like to see more rugby in Welsh state schools’ already overcrowded curriculums. Perhaps those “hymns and arias” might be firmly part of history.
John Marriott
North Hykeham, Lincolnshire

• It may be a while since Wales’ men won a rugby match of note (Analysis, 7 February), but it’s even longer since we had the misfortune of being a principality – the 16th century, in fact. Diolch yn fawr!
Steffan Parry
Borth y Gest, Gwynedd

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