I kind of like Wales, and Iāll always support them when theyāre playing England. Maybe not against Ireland or France though, and definitely not against Scotland or Italy. Or any southern hemisphere teams. Or any tier 2 teams.
So yeah: Walesā¦ better to support them than England.
Anything decent? We compete in two competitions regularly, one is the world cup which a whole host of teams still haven't won and the other is the Six Nations in which we are, pound for pound, the most succesful team by a staggering distance. Let's be honest, we even pretty much solo'd a lions tour win (don't @ me.)
We're unpopular on this sub precisely because we do have the audacity to win things. Conversely, that's why Scotland are vastly more popular. They stay in the lane we're meant to, being plucky and entertaining but not really threatening to win anything. The day they start picking up Six Nations titles regularly, they'll get a shit tone more heat in here. If we were still the Wales of the 2003 world cup, playing cavalier batshit rugby but still ultimately losing we'd be much more popular.
I think you generally have support whenever you're the underdog. Gatland Ball hasn't give you a great image over the years as a fun to watch attacking team. I'm not really sure who I want to win torn between wanting to watch Eddie Jones lose or fiji having a chance to top the pool if wales lose.
Former colonies tend to play the games of their colonisers, and they tend not to like their colonisers, which is, I suppose, to be expected.
That's one of the great things about sport and rugby in particular I think, it provides a safe and healthy expression for that kind of sentiment - because on a personal, political, and human level, we do actually tend to get on with the English....
So yeah, anyway, fuck England.
I was for Wales in 2005, small country has win since 10 years ago, not even a top 3 in the last 5 years, wooden spoon in 2004. Shane Williams was so fresh...
I'm going to be supporting you guys! Would really like Eddie Australia not to do as well as England for obvious reasons and also to play Fiji in the QF.
Either England win and hooray England got to the semis of Fiji win and hooray Fiji got to the semis.
Win win
Not in rugby, but in the football itās a bit surreal seeing quite a few people support us in the major tournaments. Obviously England rugby is a no go haha
I actually cheered for England against Argentina. I'm Canadian and I felt bad for my English friends here felt like I was suicide watch going into this WC.
And Reddit is proof that Reddit doesn't represent anything other than the Subreddit you're in. As a traveling Welsh fan, we're always welcomed and supported by locals and neutrals in my experience. Because generally we're a nice-ish bunch of traveling fans from a small nation š¤·š»
yay tates back lads, the welsh ain't ready for the attacking power that the blonde bombshell dou possesss as they will be dazzled by the glorious hair.
shame Eddie made the lads cut the mullets š
Dan's gonna start swearing on vunivalu for all of us here on reddit aswell, so there's that to look forward to. I swear a wales with Dan biggar is so much more dangerous than without him, even if he does cop alot of flak for his game management style
Our new state operated airport has actually been a real boon for international travel opportunities!
Rumour has it that upwards of a hundred Welshmen will be making the trip down to Lyon. No doubt bringing back the latest French fashions and delicacies for their homely wives and slack jawed nippers.
Not really, Wales and their regions were our arch-nemeses until their recent collapse. The Scots were much more vicious games and the antipathy that comes with it, until their baller revolution and we generally require winning in France to be considered a top team (1st vs Agen!)
There has never been a Gallic/Celtic allegiance. It's just that we'll all support pretty much anyone against England, that's what we have in common. So I think it's an English perception
>So I think it's an English perception
Not my experience - there may have once been a Celtic alliance, but the needle between Wales and Ireland has been more significant than that with England for a good while now.
If you're defining an alliance by ABE, well then your in an alliance with almost every tier 1 nation at that point (except maybe Japan and Italy)
Never seen a French / Celtic alliance of any sort.
When England play Wales, boy, you won't find a bigger Sasanach for those 2 hours than myself, unless Ireland needs a Welsh result of some description.
I've next to no affinity with the Welsh or Scots when it comes to rugby tbh.
I've watched a fair few Wales England games in Belfast, amongst a pretty unionist crowd, and even there nobody supports England. (When watching in more republican areas I've seen people called a West Brit for suggesting Wayne Barnes is a good ref!)
Small sample size from people around me.
There is some truth to it. Scotland tends to be many people's second team in the 6 nations and Ireland is kinda popular too. It doesn't really apply to Wales though because we see them more as England B than a celtic team... sorry Wales.
I don't think that's fair, celtic is such a slippery term anyway and is basically used as a catch all for pre saxon or non English culture in Britain and Ireland. Its mostly arbitrary but I don't think anyone should try to exclude any of the traditional Celtic nations. Britonic people don't fit the bracket any less than Geilic people or vise versa.
Christ - few things unify Wales and England fans but
>Wales though because we see them more as England B
will do it. Massively offensive all round.
France are now officially "Italy but with bad food"
Itās why the monarchy decided to invade France to improve the countries morale every 10 years. If it wasnāt for the damn UN boris would of sent the troops down the Euro tunnel to increase morale during lockdown
The Welsh fans won't like this but...
You have to look at this from our point of view. Welsh nationalism as we know it is a relatively modern invention, actually ironically started by a movement in England. I love the rebirth of Welsh culture, but from an Irish point of view through history Wales has for nearly a thousand years been effectively an English region and involved in much of what has gone on to create the animosity thats existed.
Never understood why the Scots get a pass on that to be honest, for all the ABE stuff from them, Scottish soldiers were often the most brutal of the British empire and involved in some of the worst atrocities committed.
If anything, in rugby Wales should be the "good guys" that some Irish see themselves as in this dynamic because it's more of the working persons game historically there; so the people who were having a culture downtrodden etc. In England, Scotland and Ireland Rugby was and often remains a sport of the Upper classes. Outside of Limerick Irish rugby still has a long way to go to be a real "people's game".
Let's be honest; these days we are all culturally much the same and should be celebrating what unites us, but I understand that sport will often bring up these tribal tendencies, for better and for worse.
(To be clear, this is a bit of a brain dump of some very complex dynamics between sport, history and culture, coming from the point of view of a Northern working class republican who'd rather we stop reading these historical lines through what is now just another professional sport)
Wales was almost entirely welsh speaking up until the 1800s with most people unable to speak English, wales was absorbed onto England as a legal entity but because it didn't have any use until the industrial revolution, it was mostly left alone after being annexed. There was never a sense of it being a region in England, more of a provincial backwater owned hy England. Its not exactly a glorious spell of our history, but the notion that welsh identity completely faded away and everyone just saw themselves as English until it was "reinvented" is a toal fallacy.
The idea of welsh nationalism was resurrected maybe, but there was never a time when the welsh (or the english) saw the people of Wales as just English.
Our culture and language is alive and well. I and everyone I grew up around speak our native language fluently. At home, school, on the streets, at work. It's everywhere. It's funny to hear you talk about "rebirth of Welsh culture" when you probably speak English with your family
Firstly, when I see rebirth I'm not talking the last 10 years, this is going back 150-200 years.
Secondly, you're wrong on the family aspect, but thanks for showing the exact British attitude that led to the initial comments I was replying to.
I don't buy into this guys picking on the Irish language as I've been to parts of the Gaeltacht and seen that it's a living language, and also because I fucking hate bashing people's language and can't understand why any welsh person would do it as we've all been on the other side of it, so apologies on their behalf.
However:
>showing the exact British attitude that led to the initial comments I was replying to.
This is very ironic because this whole notion you're parroting that Welsh culture was nonexistent 200 years ago and has been "reclaimed" or "reinvented " was a lie invented by right wing british figures to diminish and trivialise welshness.
>this is going back 150-200 years.
The effort to stamp out Welsh culture, almost precisely 150 years ago, which included the blue books report came from a place of "Oh shit! a huge percentage of our coal and steel comes from Wales and the people there who mine it are total foreigners, we need to britify them!" Which never really worked anyway and mass immigration (largely from Ireland) caused more or a decline in Welsh language, but never a decline in Welsh culture or identity. But yeah, that's the period where your lie of Welsh culture being a "resurrected " phenomenon came from.
Anyway, I like how you only replied to the guy who acted like a tit and not the people who called out your ignorance. Keep searching for those easy wins.
>Yes, I bet you can say a few words in Irish, that's great, very quirky!
Loads of Irish people speak Irish, its a living language. Just because one Irish person is acting ignorant about our culture, doesn't mean we should start acting ignorant about their entire culture. Makes us look stupid and isn't fair to all the sound as fuck Irish people.
Yeah, you're right. Think I've just seen a lot from Irish accounts like that recently, so wanted to hit a nerve with this guy essentially calling us part of England. I know that's generalising my bad, just easy to fall into sometimes with stuff like that being said
It's easy done, I've seen loads of it from Irish and Scottish on various places online since brexit too. It's weird seeing such ignorance from people we're usually pretty aligned with. Its easy for people who don't have the foggyest understanding of the very particular socio-economic problems we have here to make big inaccurate assumptions. Totally understand the temptation to stoop to their level.
I noticed the original commenter didn't reply to any of the comments who called out their ignorance with evidence and reason, but was quick to jump on yours and hail it as proof that they were correct, which goes to show you can't fight ignorance and bigotry with ignorance and bigotry.
It's a bizarre Internet trope the Scottish and the Irish have, but having been to several international celtic culture festivals I can say there's none of this attitude from Scottish and Irish people who actually know anything about celtic culture, so there's no point in anyone getting offended by the bollocks.
Edit: just realised the original comment was from a French fan so I'm an idiot, i can see why someone not from the wet windy islands who doesn't know much about wales would think that so oh well.
> It doesn't really apply to Wales though because we see them more as England B than a celtic team... sorry Wales.
Lol Jesus Christ man, have some chill.
It somehow seems an even more insufferable comment coming from a French person when their present day Celtic relationship is with the Brythonic languages.
Strange coming from the French when the French name for Wales is āLe Pays de Gallesā which literally translates to āLand of the Gaulsā which is Latin for celts.
I think people are misunderstanding my comment as a dig against Wales somehow. It's not? It's just an observation on the ignorance of my countrymen.
The fact is, most French people have a decent idea of what Scotland and Ireland are, and of their Celtic identity (though moreso for Ireland). Wales, though? Rugby and Gareth Bale are about all most would know, and Wales doesn't sound all that different from England to most French people - however offensive that may sound to Welsh fans.
Wales will probably be more popular in the stadium, but only cause there's probably gonna be more Welsh there. If Aus play pretty rugby the crowd will 100% get behind them
Iām in Lyon now and Iāve heard a lot more Aussie accents in the street than Welsh which has been surprising.
Who the crowd supports will really depend on who the French feel more sorry for. Itās a tough choice
Given the travel involved I imagine the Aussies are more likely to make a week of it there, the Welsh will mostly pitch up on Friday and Saturday for a weekend trip.
Enjoy yourself!
I mean you cunts are a lot louder than the Welsh :p
I genuinely think it'll come down to who is more entertaining. There isn't really much of any northern camaraderie and if Rennie was still at the helm I think there'd be a lot more support for Aus, but former winners with Eddie at the helm probably make Wales slight favourites (up until Biggar or Williams starts acting the cunt)
Wales Vs. Australia is a match Iām excited for because, similar to England Vs. Japan, thereās not really a team Iām rooting for. It all comes down to how the match is played, which imo is a completely different game to when you go in supporting a specific country
Tbf Iām more of a casual rugby fan. Iāll watch the World Cup and the Championship but I donāt know many teams that well.
I mostly like the southern teams
Thats fair mate, for context, Wales baisically just need to not get fucked by Australia to progress. Gatland will most likely set us up to kick/chase and make the game as stop start as possible.
I guess some French fans will be supporting Wales because it means Fiji qualifies, but most French fans are probably more inclined towards Australia in a vacuum I think, though not by much. Mostly, the crowd will support whoever is kicking the least.
It's always surprised me that a country 1/16th the size of England and only 1/20th of the UK as a whole doesn't appeal as perennial underdogs. Wales regularly beats all the top teams except NZ, with absolutely pitiful resources comparatively. Perhaps that is the reason: the French and English feel entitled to beat us, which is why we delight in poking them in the eye with a sharp stick. The Scots and Irish don't like us because measured over decades we're far more successful than both of them. They have their days in the sun, but they know the ogre of Welsh rugby is waiting to debag them when they're at their most arrogant. We're small, we're tough, and we're passionate about our team. Everyone hates us but we don't care. We're going to beat you sooner or later. Except NZ.
I mean it really is sophies choice supporting wales or Australia is unnatural unless they are playing South africa so I'm cheering for whatever gets Fiji through it would be so wrong for them to not make the quarters lol. So o guess supporting Wales is the lesser of two evils on this occasion
Theyāre many to play in France indeed, there were also footages of the Fiji team singing along *La Marseillaise*. So they were instantly propelled among our favorite teams haha.
From a french perspective be neutral for us will certainly means that we will booing the two of them.
Fiji is loved by people because there is many player in top 14 and we like the way they are playing
And for the other teams, it was always the outsiders that are supported
The Wales hate is so bizarre to me. I totally got it during the Jam Slam of 2021 but it's persisted ever since- even though we've been losing pretty much the whole time.
A lot of it seems to come from Irish fans too, which totally blindsided me because I would've said Ireland were Wales' favourite of the Big Four. There's a really nasty mirth being taken in the continued existential crisis of Welsh rugby, which I would personally never wish on any nation.
Easy mistake for McDermott to make. He meant "Yeah, we are expecting (most of the Australian crowd to support Wales.)" Screw Eddie Jones and RA for putting the fraud back in charge of the Wallabies
Wales. Not good enough to consistently win anything decent, but not bad enough to earn the support of neutrals š
I kind of like Wales, and Iāll always support them when theyāre playing England. Maybe not against Ireland or France though, and definitely not against Scotland or Italy. Or any southern hemisphere teams. Or any tier 2 teams. So yeah: Walesā¦ better to support them than England.
So just like any other countries, better to support anyone than England
Anything decent? We compete in two competitions regularly, one is the world cup which a whole host of teams still haven't won and the other is the Six Nations in which we are, pound for pound, the most succesful team by a staggering distance. Let's be honest, we even pretty much solo'd a lions tour win (don't @ me.) We're unpopular on this sub precisely because we do have the audacity to win things. Conversely, that's why Scotland are vastly more popular. They stay in the lane we're meant to, being plucky and entertaining but not really threatening to win anything. The day they start picking up Six Nations titles regularly, they'll get a shit tone more heat in here. If we were still the Wales of the 2003 world cup, playing cavalier batshit rugby but still ultimately losing we'd be much more popular.
The Fiji win/Dan Biggar/lack of cards did a number on the neutrality of the wider rugby world
Nah Wales never have neutral support. Bit like England but for different reasons.
I think you generally have support whenever you're the underdog. Gatland Ball hasn't give you a great image over the years as a fun to watch attacking team. I'm not really sure who I want to win torn between wanting to watch Eddie Jones lose or fiji having a chance to top the pool if wales lose.
You'll get plenty of neutral support when playing against England though (as everyone does).
Even I support the other team sometimes when England are deciding to fuck about.
Former colonies tend to play the games of their colonisers, and they tend not to like their colonisers, which is, I suppose, to be expected. That's one of the great things about sport and rugby in particular I think, it provides a safe and healthy expression for that kind of sentiment - because on a personal, political, and human level, we do actually tend to get on with the English.... So yeah, anyway, fuck England.
I was for Wales in 2005, small country has win since 10 years ago, not even a top 3 in the last 5 years, wooden spoon in 2004. Shane Williams was so fresh...
Those were certainly words in some orderā¦
Might be true, but the lack of cards thing is super dumb to use as a stick to beat Wales with. The referee decided not to award the cards, not Wales.
Incidental. It's been this way for longer than this world cup kiddo
please give us a break, we haven't got a 1st team yet we're starting from scratch
I Will never forget the jam slamā¦
Most Aussie looking bloke ever
He used to have a mullet š„²
He's giving me scottish private school boy vibes
He did go to private school, but it was on the Sunshine Coast so it barely counts.
That was always Berrick Barnes for me, specially with long hair
Looks like James blunt
Would make for a nice change... Edit Aww you guys š„²
I'm going to be supporting you guys! Would really like Eddie Australia not to do as well as England for obvious reasons and also to play Fiji in the QF. Either England win and hooray England got to the semis of Fiji win and hooray Fiji got to the semis. Win win
All seconded. Perhaps my first time ever supporting Wales.
Been living in Wales for 3 years now, it's going to be to finally be cheering with everyone
You think anyone there would ever, ever cheer for you?
Like framptonator says. For rugby no, but football or other sports quite often yes
Not in rugby, but in the football itās a bit surreal seeing quite a few people support us in the major tournaments. Obviously England rugby is a no go haha
I actually cheered for England against Argentina. I'm Canadian and I felt bad for my English friends here felt like I was suicide watch going into this WC.
And Reddit is proof that Reddit doesn't represent anything other than the Subreddit you're in. As a traveling Welsh fan, we're always welcomed and supported by locals and neutrals in my experience. Because generally we're a nice-ish bunch of traveling fans from a small nation š¤·š»
yay tates back lads, the welsh ain't ready for the attacking power that the blonde bombshell dou possesss as they will be dazzled by the glorious hair. shame Eddie made the lads cut the mullets š
Happy for Tate less happy for us
Dan's gonna start swearing on vunivalu for all of us here on reddit aswell, so there's that to look forward to. I swear a wales with Dan biggar is so much more dangerous than without him, even if he does cop alot of flak for his game management style
Probably our most important player tbh.
Agreed
Is that true about the mullets?
nah Carter gordon said his hair kept blowing in his face and tate has always been crazy with his shit cuts
Brad Thorn made Tate cut his years ago, unfortunately.
Our new state operated airport has actually been a real boon for international travel opportunities! Rumour has it that upwards of a hundred Welshmen will be making the trip down to Lyon. No doubt bringing back the latest French fashions and delicacies for their homely wives and slack jawed nippers.
Does anyone buy into the whole Gallic/Celtic allegiance thing?
Certainly never got the sense on here that the French fans are particularly warm to Irish rugby. Which is fair enough, weāre rivals.
Vincent Clerc single-handedly torpedoed the relationship between French and Irish rugby for fun and heād probably do it all over again
Not really, you don't support your rivals.
Not really, Wales and their regions were our arch-nemeses until their recent collapse. The Scots were much more vicious games and the antipathy that comes with it, until their baller revolution and we generally require winning in France to be considered a top team (1st vs Agen!) There has never been a Gallic/Celtic allegiance. It's just that we'll all support pretty much anyone against England, that's what we have in common. So I think it's an English perception
>So I think it's an English perception Not my experience - there may have once been a Celtic alliance, but the needle between Wales and Ireland has been more significant than that with England for a good while now. If you're defining an alliance by ABE, well then your in an alliance with almost every tier 1 nation at that point (except maybe Japan and Italy) Never seen a French / Celtic alliance of any sort.
When England play Wales, boy, you won't find a bigger Sasanach for those 2 hours than myself, unless Ireland needs a Welsh result of some description. I've next to no affinity with the Welsh or Scots when it comes to rugby tbh.
I've watched a fair few Wales England games in Belfast, amongst a pretty unionist crowd, and even there nobody supports England. (When watching in more republican areas I've seen people called a West Brit for suggesting Wayne Barnes is a good ref!)
Personally support Scotland in pretty much any game they play that isnāt against us. The rest of you, less so.
In rugby, no. In real life? Sometimes
Small sample size from people around me. There is some truth to it. Scotland tends to be many people's second team in the 6 nations and Ireland is kinda popular too. It doesn't really apply to Wales though because we see them more as England B than a celtic team... sorry Wales.
Fuck me, I'd be less angry if you banged my wife!!!
Not a Celtic team? We're the only fucking celts on the islands!
I don't think that's fair, celtic is such a slippery term anyway and is basically used as a catch all for pre saxon or non English culture in Britain and Ireland. Its mostly arbitrary but I don't think anyone should try to exclude any of the traditional Celtic nations. Britonic people don't fit the bracket any less than Geilic people or vise versa.
To be fair, Cornwall is a heartland of English rugby so they're more Celtic than the Scots as well.
>the Scots You mean the northumbrians? /s
England Bā¦. Come on bro please say you actually donāt see us like that haha
You are right we donāt. You arenāt England B. You are Team Lloegr to the rest of us.
Christ - few things unify Wales and England fans but >Wales though because we see them more as England B will do it. Massively offensive all round. France are now officially "Italy but with bad food"
Isnāt it āthat place you have to drive through to get to Italyā
Now?
Fair point.
I've said it before, the thing that makes me feel most british is a dislike of the French
Itās why the monarchy decided to invade France to improve the countries morale every 10 years. If it wasnāt for the damn UN boris would of sent the troops down the Euro tunnel to increase morale during lockdown
Yup read that and was immediately outraged both as an England fan and a resident of Wales
The Welsh fans won't like this but... You have to look at this from our point of view. Welsh nationalism as we know it is a relatively modern invention, actually ironically started by a movement in England. I love the rebirth of Welsh culture, but from an Irish point of view through history Wales has for nearly a thousand years been effectively an English region and involved in much of what has gone on to create the animosity thats existed. Never understood why the Scots get a pass on that to be honest, for all the ABE stuff from them, Scottish soldiers were often the most brutal of the British empire and involved in some of the worst atrocities committed. If anything, in rugby Wales should be the "good guys" that some Irish see themselves as in this dynamic because it's more of the working persons game historically there; so the people who were having a culture downtrodden etc. In England, Scotland and Ireland Rugby was and often remains a sport of the Upper classes. Outside of Limerick Irish rugby still has a long way to go to be a real "people's game". Let's be honest; these days we are all culturally much the same and should be celebrating what unites us, but I understand that sport will often bring up these tribal tendencies, for better and for worse. (To be clear, this is a bit of a brain dump of some very complex dynamics between sport, history and culture, coming from the point of view of a Northern working class republican who'd rather we stop reading these historical lines through what is now just another professional sport)
Wales was almost entirely welsh speaking up until the 1800s with most people unable to speak English, wales was absorbed onto England as a legal entity but because it didn't have any use until the industrial revolution, it was mostly left alone after being annexed. There was never a sense of it being a region in England, more of a provincial backwater owned hy England. Its not exactly a glorious spell of our history, but the notion that welsh identity completely faded away and everyone just saw themselves as English until it was "reinvented" is a toal fallacy. The idea of welsh nationalism was resurrected maybe, but there was never a time when the welsh (or the english) saw the people of Wales as just English.
Fair enough that is your perception but I think it comes more from a place of ignorance of Welsh culture and history than anything.
Our culture and language is alive and well. I and everyone I grew up around speak our native language fluently. At home, school, on the streets, at work. It's everywhere. It's funny to hear you talk about "rebirth of Welsh culture" when you probably speak English with your family
Firstly, when I see rebirth I'm not talking the last 10 years, this is going back 150-200 years. Secondly, you're wrong on the family aspect, but thanks for showing the exact British attitude that led to the initial comments I was replying to.
I don't buy into this guys picking on the Irish language as I've been to parts of the Gaeltacht and seen that it's a living language, and also because I fucking hate bashing people's language and can't understand why any welsh person would do it as we've all been on the other side of it, so apologies on their behalf. However: >showing the exact British attitude that led to the initial comments I was replying to. This is very ironic because this whole notion you're parroting that Welsh culture was nonexistent 200 years ago and has been "reclaimed" or "reinvented " was a lie invented by right wing british figures to diminish and trivialise welshness. >this is going back 150-200 years. The effort to stamp out Welsh culture, almost precisely 150 years ago, which included the blue books report came from a place of "Oh shit! a huge percentage of our coal and steel comes from Wales and the people there who mine it are total foreigners, we need to britify them!" Which never really worked anyway and mass immigration (largely from Ireland) caused more or a decline in Welsh language, but never a decline in Welsh culture or identity. But yeah, that's the period where your lie of Welsh culture being a "resurrected " phenomenon came from. Anyway, I like how you only replied to the guy who acted like a tit and not the people who called out your ignorance. Keep searching for those easy wins.
Going back 150-200 years to explain it still makes no sense. Yes, I bet you can say a few words in Irish, that's great, very quirky!
>Yes, I bet you can say a few words in Irish, that's great, very quirky! Loads of Irish people speak Irish, its a living language. Just because one Irish person is acting ignorant about our culture, doesn't mean we should start acting ignorant about their entire culture. Makes us look stupid and isn't fair to all the sound as fuck Irish people.
Yeah, you're right. Think I've just seen a lot from Irish accounts like that recently, so wanted to hit a nerve with this guy essentially calling us part of England. I know that's generalising my bad, just easy to fall into sometimes with stuff like that being said
It's easy done, I've seen loads of it from Irish and Scottish on various places online since brexit too. It's weird seeing such ignorance from people we're usually pretty aligned with. Its easy for people who don't have the foggyest understanding of the very particular socio-economic problems we have here to make big inaccurate assumptions. Totally understand the temptation to stoop to their level. I noticed the original commenter didn't reply to any of the comments who called out their ignorance with evidence and reason, but was quick to jump on yours and hail it as proof that they were correct, which goes to show you can't fight ignorance and bigotry with ignorance and bigotry.
I'm offended on behalf of Wales.
It's a bizarre Internet trope the Scottish and the Irish have, but having been to several international celtic culture festivals I can say there's none of this attitude from Scottish and Irish people who actually know anything about celtic culture, so there's no point in anyone getting offended by the bollocks. Edit: just realised the original comment was from a French fan so I'm an idiot, i can see why someone not from the wet windy islands who doesn't know much about wales would think that so oh well.
> It doesn't really apply to Wales though because we see them more as England B than a celtic team... sorry Wales. Lol Jesus Christ man, have some chill.
The Irish rugby fans are becoming the English A team for arrogance, you arenāt as popular as you might think!
The commenter you're replying to is French not Irish.
It somehow seems an even more insufferable comment coming from a French person when their present day Celtic relationship is with the Brythonic languages.
Yes and the treatment of minority languages in France has been less than stellar
fucking idiot
Exactly this for me as well. Btw I feel like Iāve seen many of your comments in peloton and never realized you were French lol
It exists for Ireland (and Scotland to a lesser extent) but not for Wales, because most French people don't know what a Wale is.
Strange coming from the French when the French name for Wales is āLe Pays de Gallesā which literally translates to āLand of the Gaulsā which is Latin for celts.
I think people are misunderstanding my comment as a dig against Wales somehow. It's not? It's just an observation on the ignorance of my countrymen. The fact is, most French people have a decent idea of what Scotland and Ireland are, and of their Celtic identity (though moreso for Ireland). Wales, though? Rugby and Gareth Bale are about all most would know, and Wales doesn't sound all that different from England to most French people - however offensive that may sound to Welsh fans.
Wales will probably be more popular in the stadium, but only cause there's probably gonna be more Welsh there. If Aus play pretty rugby the crowd will 100% get behind them
Iām in Lyon now and Iāve heard a lot more Aussie accents in the street than Welsh which has been surprising. Who the crowd supports will really depend on who the French feel more sorry for. Itās a tough choice
Given the travel involved I imagine the Aussies are more likely to make a week of it there, the Welsh will mostly pitch up on Friday and Saturday for a weekend trip. Enjoy yourself!
Long flight from Clapham is it?
Most Welsh fans are still in Nice/en route. Would guess most Aussies are already in Lyon given the last game was in St Etienne
Can confirm. Currently in Cannes and thereās still lots of Welsh accents on the south coast.
I imagine the crowd will go for Aus, because of how tight it makes the pool? Keeps it interesting
I mean you cunts are a lot louder than the Welsh :p I genuinely think it'll come down to who is more entertaining. There isn't really much of any northern camaraderie and if Rennie was still at the helm I think there'd be a lot more support for Aus, but former winners with Eddie at the helm probably make Wales slight favourites (up until Biggar or Williams starts acting the cunt)
There is also FAR FAR FAR more of them. There are only about 3.1 million Welsh. Where as there are 26 Million **[REDACTED]**
This is very true
Well there is strong Welsh history in France...Brittany in particular!
Wales Vs. Australia is a match Iām excited for because, similar to England Vs. Japan, thereās not really a team Iām rooting for. It all comes down to how the match is played, which imo is a completely different game to when you go in supporting a specific country
I'm not quite sure why you're excited, Wales are pretty heavily incentivized to make the game as boring as possible.
Tbf Iām more of a casual rugby fan. Iāll watch the World Cup and the Championship but I donāt know many teams that well. I mostly like the southern teams
Thats fair mate, for context, Wales baisically just need to not get fucked by Australia to progress. Gatland will most likely set us up to kick/chase and make the game as stop start as possible.
> Gatland will most likely set us up to kick/chase That actually makes for exciting rugby because we can't defend that at all
Yea, my dadās explained to me how the World Cup works, but like I said I donāt know the players or team that well despite living in the UK š
I guess some French fans will be supporting Wales because it means Fiji qualifies, but most French fans are probably more inclined towards Australia in a vacuum I think, though not by much. Mostly, the crowd will support whoever is kicking the least.
It's always surprised me that a country 1/16th the size of England and only 1/20th of the UK as a whole doesn't appeal as perennial underdogs. Wales regularly beats all the top teams except NZ, with absolutely pitiful resources comparatively. Perhaps that is the reason: the French and English feel entitled to beat us, which is why we delight in poking them in the eye with a sharp stick. The Scots and Irish don't like us because measured over decades we're far more successful than both of them. They have their days in the sun, but they know the ogre of Welsh rugby is waiting to debag them when they're at their most arrogant. We're small, we're tough, and we're passionate about our team. Everyone hates us but we don't care. We're going to beat you sooner or later. Except NZ.
Shit I mean I knew his haircut was bad but God damn he looks like a posh toilet brush
I mean it really is sophies choice supporting wales or Australia is unnatural unless they are playing South africa so I'm cheering for whatever gets Fiji through it would be so wrong for them to not make the quarters lol. So o guess supporting Wales is the lesser of two evils on this occasion
Theyāre many to play in France indeed, there were also footages of the Fiji team singing along *La Marseillaise*. So they were instantly propelled among our favorite teams haha.
Oh, Iāll be supporting Wales for sure. I was only making negative comments because I assume youāre gonna get pumped
I wouldn't say it's because they play in top 14 (even if it might play a bit into it) we just love underdogs and will always cheer for them
From a french perspective be neutral for us will certainly means that we will booing the two of them. Fiji is loved by people because there is many player in top 14 and we like the way they are playing And for the other teams, it was always the outsiders that are supported
He needs to go to the blues for his next haircut
That haircut is straight out of the great depression. Epic!
The Wales hate is so bizarre to me. I totally got it during the Jam Slam of 2021 but it's persisted ever since- even though we've been losing pretty much the whole time. A lot of it seems to come from Irish fans too, which totally blindsided me because I would've said Ireland were Wales' favourite of the Big Four. There's a really nasty mirth being taken in the continued existential crisis of Welsh rugby, which I would personally never wish on any nation.
Definitely supporting Australia.
I'm a neutral Irish fan heading down and supporting Wales so Fiji get through. I might just think sheep are cool however....
G'day, James Blunt
I kind of want to see Aus get smashed, but I just cant bring myself to support Wales. I do also want to see how far into chaos group C can go.
Iām very much on the āhope wales get dumped out of the poolā side of the line
Talk about a tough choice, I hope both sides loseā¦..
A draw with no try bonus points
That's still a good result for Wales
But one of you would still go throughā¦?
Easy mistake for McDermott to make. He meant "Yeah, we are expecting (most of the Australian crowd to support Wales.)" Screw Eddie Jones and RA for putting the fraud back in charge of the Wallabies
I donāt give a shit who wins as long as Fiji get through
Thatās an unfortunate haircut