Growing up in England as the daughter of a proud Welsh woman (I say that like it's unusual, but I'm not sure I've ever met a Welsh person who isn't proud of their country) I loved and supported Wales before I understood what a rugby match even was. It is questionable as to whether I have actually fathomed the technicalities of a rugby match twenty years later, despite my incessant questions to my parents during and after matches as to why various rulings were made or actions were taken!
I digress.
In amongst my childhood memories of my family members retelling stories of pirates and dragons, kings and queens, giants and imps, are those of my beloved grandad and my mum regaling stories of Wales as a force to be reckoned with on the rugby pitch: revered, feared, admired and unbeatable. As a child in the eighties and nineties, the Wales rugby team I grew up with were mediocre, struggling to live up to the footsteps of the good and the great, trying to show the world they were still up there with the elite of the rugby world.
The last six weeks have been dream like. I have been able to see the grace, spirit and beauty I felt in the tales of my childhood. Hearing comments from pundits, players and coaches from around the world suggesting time and again that Wales were likely to win the competition made my heart swell. I finally understood what my mum and grandad had been talking about all those years ago. The team played with style and passion, whilst also being intelligent and measured. They played for every second of every minute of every match, even scoring a converted try in the dying moments of their final match. Due to some errors in kicking, and an horrifically bad call by Alain Rolland, the Webb Ellis Cup is held in the hands and hearts of the New Zealand squad.
For me though, I've got something more precious. I've finally gotten to experience those stories for myself, and in spite of the fact that my grandad has been gone 13 years now, I feel closer to him, I feel like I have a better understanding of his heart and his soul.
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