Rugby pundits on BBC Wales’s Scrum V waxed lyrical about the performance against England and their chances in this year’s World Cup. "It was only one game," said the presenter. "Don’t get carried away."
"But we’re Welsh," they retorted. "It’s what we do."

Four games lost, one game won -- albeit the one really counts. "As long as we beat the English . . . " It’s a strange phenomenon, this passion and determination to beat the old enemy. It’s what binds us to the other Celtic nations: Italy have yet to learn that they can beat the Scots and the Welsh and it counts for nothing compared to a victory over the men in white.

Psychology experts have put it down to the historical dominance of the English nation over its poorer relatives; the need of the underdog to prove something. Others suggest it’s a rebellion against the sheer arrogance of certain team members. Whatever the reason, there can be no denying that, last Saturday, the Welsh team had in their loins a fire that had been missing from the rest of the Six Nations this year.

It wasn’t that they played particularly well; their mistakes were many. It was just fortunate that England’s mistakes were more. After four games, where most of the criticism has been directed at the forwards for lack of possession, the front eight did at last manage to get some ball, allowing the backs to run freely.

Line-outs, which have had Welsh supporters watching from behind their hands in previous games, were consistently won; their own scrums were controlled while the opposition’s were demolished. It was a delight.

But still the mistakes. Brian Moore, commentating on the day, hardly dared to suggest that Shane Williams was being greedy in not passing, but he failed to pass so many times what other explanation could there be, than that he was believing his own spun fantasy? Arrogance will not be tolerated in Wales players; the supporters will make sure of that.

It was not a brilliant display. Let’s not get carried away; this was not a team to challenge the All Blacks. This was a team that finally turned up on the day, played with fire against a very inexperienced and youthful English team -- and were fortunate.

When the score went from 15-0 to 18-all, I said to anyone who happened to be listening: "If they lose I will be so depressed. I don’t know what I’ll do." I don’t know what the nation of rugby-supporting Wales would have done. But thanks largely to the presence of mind of James Hook -- may his praises be sung in the valleys -- we came through it.

I still believe Wales are a good team. I believed that at the start of the season and, losses aside, I maintain that position. If anything, the team is stronger now than the one that took the Grand Slam two years ago. There’s that persistent Welsh hope again. But as Jonathan Davies said: "If we’d won the first game, it would all have been different."

So bring on the All Blacks, bring on the World Cup, and let’s get carried away!

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