@Smally Bigs ??The game was in 1967 when I was in high school. I am a grandad now, so you must mean grand kids, unfortunately I now need a psychic to tak to my grandparents LOL
Back in the days when matches used to start with a game of musical statues. As soon as you hear a song you stand still in whatever position you happen to be in. First one to move got fined a tiddlybit and flicked with a wet towel in the changing room by the tea lady. Simpler times.
I'm a fan of French rugby and I started watching international rugby on TV with the France-Australia match in 1967. At that time, it's true, respect began with the cessation of all movement, no matter where you were during the anthems. Everything was truer, simpler and more solemn, and all this contributed to increasing the glory and legend of rugby during these international rugby matches. It's certainly not with all the clowns we now see in the stands, wearing wigs, masks, painted faces, families bringing babies, mobile phones used during the anthems, that the legend can continue to live on. And then you don't put singers on to sing the anthems that the public "knew" how to sing, you don't put music on when there's a stoppage in play.... All this behaviour, these tricks, all contribute to the deterioration of rugby. This isn't the USA, where everything is an excuse for a show. In rugby there is no show, there is fighting, struggle and suffering. How far will this profound debilitation of things go?
Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi, Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri; Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad, Dros ryddid collasant eu gwaed. (Chorus) Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad. Tra môr yn fur i'r bur hoff bau, O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau. (Second stanza) Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd, Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn, i'm golwg sydd hardd; Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si Ei nentydd, afonydd, i fi. (Chorus) (Third stanza) Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad tan ei droed, Mae hen iaith y Cymry mor fyw ag erioed, Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad, Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad. (Chorus) ------------------------- he following is a fairly free translation in verse. The land of my fathers is dear unto me, Land of poets and singers, and people of stature, Its warring defenders, so gallant and brave, For freedom their life's blood they gave Land!, Land!, Faithful I am to my land! While seas serves as a wall For this land so pure, O, long may our language endure. O land of the mountains, the bard's paradise, Whose precipice, valleys are fair to my eyes, Green murmuring forest, far echoing flood Fire the fancy and quicken the blood For tho' the fierce foeman has ravaged your realm, The old speech of Wales he cannot o'erwhelm, Our passionate poets to silence command, Nor banish the harp from your strand. --------------------------------------------------- A more literal translation is: The old land of my fathers is dear to me, Land of bards and singers, famous men of renown; Her brave warriors, very splendid patriots, For freedom shed their blood. Nation [or country], Nation, I am faithful to my Nation. While the sea [is] a wall to the pure, most loved land, O may the old language [sc. Welsh] endure. Old mountainous Wales, paradise of the bard, Every valley, every cliff, to my look is beautiful. Through patriotic feeling, so charming is the murmur Of her brooks, rivers, to me. If the enemy oppresses my land under his foot, The old language of the Welsh is as alive as ever. The muse is not hindered by the hideous hand of treason, Nor [is] the melodious harp of my country. ------------------------ Other translations include: The land of my fathers is dear to me, Old land where the minstrels are honoured and free; Its warring defenders so gallant and brave, For freedom their life's blood they gave. Land, land, true I am to my land, While seas secure the land so pure, O may the old language endure. Old land of the mountains, the Eden of bards, Each gorge and each valley a loveliness guards; Through love of my country, charmed voices will be Its streams, and its rivers, to me. Though foemen have trampled my land 'neath their feet, The language of Cambria still knows no retreat; The muse is not vanquished by traitor's fell hand, Nor silenced the harp of my land. source wikipedia
If i am not wrong, a recording from this video was used when the Welsh anthem played during Wales' matches at the 1987 Rugby World Cup (from closer inspection)
I’m British, but I adore the welsh national anthem, always makes me cry, they are magnificent singers, I love the Welsh even though I’m British born & bred, ❤️
this is because your soul knows that the descendants of these people are now at war with the same forces that have already destroyed the english spirit and their communities long ago. the welsh, scot & irish are next up to bat.
It is out of compleat respect, they are like soldiers standing to attention, no line up and photo opportunity, every National Anthem played should have the same respect...
At that time it was not unanimous how the players stood for the anthem. Until the 60s the players had the same positions on the pitch, in the 70s-mid 1980s they gathered into a circle and then they formed a line as of currently
![Epic rendition of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. [Wales vs NZ '67]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
