If Wales win a slam this year?

First topic message reminder :

I realised that if Wales win a slam this year it will make this Welsh generation just as successful as the 1969-1979 legends.
During that era we won 3 Grand Slams, 5 Triple crowns and outright championships, and beat Australia twice.

The only team who beat Wales in Cardiff between 1968 and 1982 were New Zealand who won there twice, no other country managed it.
In those 10 years between 1970-1979, we beat England 9 games in 10. We beat Scotland 8 out of 10. Ireland were beaten 8 times with 1 draw in 10. France were a bit better as we beat them 6 times with 1 draw in 10.

Clearly this generation is not as good as the 70's guys, but if we can do 3 Slams, then at least in that respect we could call this a golden era for Welsh rugby, especially since it is harder to succeed in the professional game than it was in the amateur era.

Hell if we can do 2 more before 2015 then this will be our best ever decade!

majesticimperialman wrote:If Wales winh a Grand Slam this year. it will be a miracle.

It will also be because of the weather, what with France and Ireland having to play 3 games in a row.

Why not waite and see If, If you beat England first, before you even think about Grand Slams.

Excuses excuses.

Alyn, it's madness to talk of Grand Slams after 2 matches, however you left out of your 70s review the draw between Wales and South Africa in 1970.
Gareth Edwards I believe missed a conversion that would have won us the match.

Messymesina wrote:Alyn, it's madness to talk of Grand Slams after 2 matches, however you left out of your 70s review the draw between Wales and South Africa in 1970.
Gareth Edwards I believe missed a conversion that would have won us the match.

They should melt down his statue in the St David's Centre and re-use the metal to create the Shane version of the Terracotta Army!

Shy is it madness to talk of a GS after 2 matches, Ireland are done, Scotland are beat, England are Poopie, Italy never offer anything away from home and providing we don't get a man sent off in the first 20, we'll pick up where we left off in the first 20 of the semi and run France off the park.
Seems simple enough to me haha

wonder_man wrote:Seems simple enough to me haha

How ironic.

Isn't it!!

wonder_man wrote: Italy never offer anything away from home

Wales couldn't beat them in Cardiff in 2006.

How many of this years squad played in 06?

wonder_man wrote:How many of this years squad played in 06?

What's that got to do with your incorrect statement?If that's the way you want to spin thigns you should have written:

"This particular Italy squad never offer anything away from home"

No room for complacency or over confidence in international rugby. We're not England y'know.

Chunky Norwich wrote:

wonder_man wrote: Italy never offer anything away from home

Wales couldn't beat them in Cardiff in 2006.

To be fair most of Wales's losses to Italy have taken place in Rome. They have only lost to the Azzurri a few times in Cardiff

damngoodOvalball wrote:

Chunky Norwich wrote:

wonder_man wrote: Italy never offer anything away from home

Wales couldn't beat them in Cardiff in 2006.

They have only lost to the Azzurri a few times in Cardiff

Oh, thats alright then

Surely this particular Italy is what I'm referring to.. As far as I know that's who we're playing, or has the orb got there hands on a time machine?

Woodstock wrote: Isn't it!!

Like 10,000 Alanis Morisettes, when all you wanted was a musician.

wonder_man wrote:Surely this particular Italy is what I'm referring to.. As far as I know that's who we're playing, or has the orb got there hands on a time machine?

Well no. Because you said the word never.

6 years ago is alot closer to us than never.

Fine.. I concede defeat. Let's say, last season, Italy played far worse away than at home.

Alyn, you're a ledge. Nice article. Should we win this years tournament we will only have the English tell us it's devalued due to bad weather, post world cup transitional periods, new coaches, new players.... Why even bother turning up eh.

Morgannwg wrote:Alyn, you're a ledge. Nice article. Should we win this years tournament we will only have the English tell us it's devalued due to bad weather, post world cup transitional periods, new coaches, new players.... Why even bother turning up eh.

Sorry, I just cant stand self pity. 800 years of persecution and counting

Risca Rev wrote:. With that, I would be disappointed to lose to France at home anyway (even without their "three games in a row"), because we should be looking to be pretty unbeatable at home.

Please, can we stop this? I mean this entire thread. You did not look unbeatable at home to even Scotland (although looked clinical).

Wales are a good side, but grand slams are very often about a bouncing ball, a howler moment from a player, a dodgy ref decision (or several thereof), not the big "momentum story" that everyone likes to play out in their head.

I think Wales could win the grandslam, but then again so could England and France.

Let's stop this till round 4 please.

What's wrong with saying we should be looking to be unbeatable at home? isn't that every team's aim, to make their home stadium a fortress? Can't see what's wrong with saying something like that myself

In terms of Grand Slams only. The Wales of 2005 to present could still not boast nearly so much prestige as the golden era of 69-82. Bear in mind that this era will have also featured losses to Italy and Fiji, as well as a legendary 62-5 hammering by England.

The last 7 years will undoubtedly be confirmed as a special chapter in Welsh rugby history if we win the GS this year (not saying we will). But it'll still be seen as the silver generation so to speak, not being able to boast the peaks of the seventies. However if we continue to improve it could potentially mutate from here into a platinum generation

How is it that you can have a golden era in which you didn't beat the All Blacks?

We didn't dare call our English golden age a "golden age" even when we beat the Southern Hemisphere 17 times on the trot.

We have a long way to go (even if - Big IF - we do the grand slam) to be called the best generation of Welsh rugby, we need to develop consistency, be in the top 2 for the majority of the next 5 years (a Huge task considering the strengths of France, England and Ireland) and start getting regular scalps of SH teams home and sometimes away.

Still we're young and getting better - we're not getting trounced anymore and are def getting a lot closer to beating teams like Oz and SA and are developing strength in depth - but we need to keep improving for 5 years or so.

One game at a time. lets concentrate on beating England if we can.

AlynDavies wrote:I realised that if Wales win a slam this year it will make this Welsh generation just as successful as the 1969-1979 legends.
During that era we won 3 Grand Slams, 5 Triple crowns and outright championships, and beat Australia twice.

The only team who beat Wales in Cardiff between 1968 and 1982 were New Zealand who won there twice, no other country managed it.
In those 10 years between 1970-1979, we beat England 9 games in 10. We beat Scotland 8 out of 10. Ireland were beaten 8 times with 1 draw in 10. France were a bit better as we beat them 6 times with 1 draw in 10.

Clearly this generation is not as good as the 70's guys, but if we can do 3 Slams, then at least in that respect we could call this a golden era for Welsh rugby, especially since it is harder to succeed in the professional game than it was in the amateur era.

Hell if we can do 2 more before 2015 then this will be our best ever decade!

Keep dreaming my good friend sorry who's your outhalf ?

If Wales win a slam...

You make it sound so casual. It´s as if you said, if I put a slice of ham between two pieces of bread...

Have a little more respect. If Wales wins THE Grand Slam, you should be over the moon. As many as Wales have won in their history, they´re not so bountiful as to downgrade them to a poorly lower-case slam.

lol - maybe you should and see if you do it first

miteyironpaw wrote:How is it that you can have a golden era in which you didn't beat the All Blacks?

We didn't dare call our English golden age a "golden age" even when we beat the Southern Hemisphere 17 times on the trot.

No mitey, the reason it wasn't a golden age for england is all those grand slam and triple crown opportunities you blew under woodward until you finally cracked it in that all too brief purple patch of 2003!

yeah england being the best in the world and being world chmaps in nothing on wales 4th place in a rwc and 6th in the world- lol

mystiroakey wrote:yeah england being the best in the world and being world chmaps in nothing on wales 4th place in a rwc and 6th in the world- lol

very Ex world cup winners

slartibartfast wrote:

mystiroakey wrote:yeah england being the best in the world and being world chmaps in nothing on wales 4th place in a rwc and 6th in the world- lol

very Ex world cup winners

And yet, the current holders of the 6 nations trophy.

I may be an Iriahman but i am not ashamed to say that i really enjoyed the rugby England played up to and 2 years beyond them winning th RWC.

If that had been Ireland winning that, hell i would still be banging on about it as well, that was a golden generation in my books

mystiroakey wrote:yeah england being the best in the world and being world chmaps in nothing on wales 4th place in a rwc and 6th in the world- lol

Hang on, mitey was comparing world cup winners to the welsh team to the 70s, what's our recent record got to do with it??

England had a magnificent 18 months between June 02 and winning the world cup but let's be honest they did choke under woodward for 5 consecutive 5/6 nations until 2003 so you can't call it a golden era. An annus mirabilis maybe.

Cadair Idris wrote:

mystiroakey wrote:yeah england being the best in the world and being world chmaps in nothing on wales 4th place in a rwc and 6th in the world- lol

Hang on, mitey was comparing world cup winners to the welsh team to the 70s, what's our recent record got to do with it??

England had a magnificent 18 months between June 02 and winning the world cup but let's be honest they did choke under woodward for 5 consecutive 5/6 nations until 2003 so you can't call it a golden era. An annus mirabilis maybe.

I disagree. To me, looking back, England had set their priority on winning the RWC at all costs and above everything else. You have to respect that. They may have 'messed up' as you say, a few 5/6 nations but you cant deny that when they were on form, they were a very good rugby team to watch.

biltongbek wrote:

slartibartfast wrote:

mystiroakey wrote:yeah england being the best in the world and being world chmaps in nothing on wales 4th place in a rwc and 6th in the world- lol

very Ex world cup winners

And yet, the current holders of the 6 nations trophy.

but it was a devalued win because everyone else was warming up to the world cup.

slartibartfast wrote:

biltongbek wrote:

slartibartfast wrote:

mystiroakey wrote:yeah england being the best in the world and being world chmaps in nothing on wales 4th place in a rwc and 6th in the world- lol

very Ex world cup winners

And yet, the current holders of the 6 nations trophy.

but it was a devalued win because everyone else was warming up to the world cup.

Yeah, and we were playing a bunch of sick new zealanders when we won the RWC in 1995, and yet we'll still take it.

biltongbek wrote:
Yeah, and we were playing a bunch of sick new zealanders when we won the RWC in 1995, and yet we'll still take it.

You know biltong, that is still one of my favorite ever matches. I watch it at least once a year.

eirebilly wrote:

biltongbek wrote:
Yeah, and we were playing a bunch of sick new zealanders when we won the RWC in 1995, and yet we'll still take it.

You know biltong, that is still one of my favorite ever matches. I watch it at least once a year.

Billy I was watching a replay of that match last year before the world cup, and it was an amazing match, i am still convinced Reuben Kruger scored a try in that match.

It was something special biltong. I remember being in the ground thinking to myself, just how are they going to stop Lomu.... Up step Joost

eirebilly wrote:It was something special biltong. I remember being in the ground thinking to myself, just how are they going to stop Lomu.... Up step Joost

you where there?

Yep i was mate. My company did alot of work in Sth Afrika and we got tickets.

No wonder you remember it so vividly.

Nah, most of my memories are from watching the replays to be honest. The day went past like a blur lol

eirebilly wrote:Nah, most of my memories are from watching the replays to be honest. The day went past like a blur lol

You're getting old.

Yep, its nearly 17 years ago now.... Some of the posters on here werent even born then

eirebilly wrote:Yep, its nearly 17 years ago now.... Some of the posters on here werent even born then

And we can still give them a run for their money.

Maybe you can but i am hard pushed running 20mtrs these days

I don't like this talk of Grand Slams because even if we won the Six Nations tournament without a slam, everyone will moan about how sh*t we are...

Cari wrote:I don't like this talk of Grand Slams because even if we won the Six Nations tournament without a slam, everyone will moan about how sh*t we are...

Thats an unfair generalisation Cari

Sorry Billy, I should've added "...especially the Welsh fans..."

Thats better Cari