One night in St Helens made us all feel good

SHANE WILLIAMS

For all those ‘Doubting Thomases' out there who keep thinking there is nothing good left in Welsh rugby then Wednesday night at St Helens gave us all something to feel really good about.

Swansea's 150th anniversary celebrations concluded with a spectacular game against the Barbarians that doubled as a possible final farewell to Alun Wyn Jones.

An amazing 19 years on from making his debut for the All Whites at the same venue, AWJ played for both teams in an event that put a smile on everyone's face. More than 6,000 fans turned up for the game and they were treated to 15 tries and almost 100 points on a night that conjured up long lost memories of glory nights at St Helen's for both Swansea and the Ospreys.

As the sun continued to beat down, and the bars began to run out of beer, all the talk turned to a possible return to the ground for the Ospreys. After all, they trained there throughout the Covid period and still have a close affinity to one of the great global rugby venues. It may need more than a lick of paint to get it up to scratch for professional rugby, but just look at what they've done on the outfields at Murrayfield in creating a new, vibrant home for Edinburgh Rugby.

Four covered, temporary stands have transformed some old training pitches into an arena capable of holding 7,800 fans. It has a clubhouse, an expansive Fan Zone and plenty of joint facilities with the international ground alongside.

It may appear in the short term to be beyond the bank balance of the Ospreys in these times of austerity, but it is surely not beyond the wit of their board, the local authority and the WRU to come together to create a new home for the Ospreys that can actually earn them money from their own venue.

I used to love playing at The Gnoll and St Helen's in the early days of regional rugby, and prior to that at Neath. They may have been small venues, but they packed a punch in terms of atmosphere.

They also attracted capacity crowds. They were full of traditional rugby fans. These days the marketeers seem hell bent on alienating their older, long serving fans in favour of chasing a new crowd. That simply hasn't worked.

Grandads and dads bring their sons and grandsons, daughters and granddaughters, the youngsters don't go on their own! The Swansea game against the Baa-Baas may have been a one-off, as was the James Hook testimonial game at The Gnoll in which I played last summer, but it once again underlined the passion that still exists in Welsh rugby.

The challenge now for the community clubs, regions and union alike, is to harness the feel-good factor and ensure we kick-off next season on a positive note.

Until Welsh rugby as a whole banishes its self-flagellation, self-denigration and self-harm, the downward spiral the game appears to be on will continue.

The time has come for chins to be lifted off chests, for the backbones to straighten and for everyone in the game to praise what we've got and what we've achieved, rather than bemoaning what we are lacking. If you keep on telling yourself you can't do something, you'll never be able to do it!

Josh Turnbull, the Cardiff Rugby captain, suggested after his side's ‘Judgement Day' victory over the Ospreys at the end of the season that before the game can move forward it has to determine ‘what success looks like'. Let me tell you, success looks like last Wednesday night at St Helen's when people turn up, they are entertained, and they want to come back for more!

Regional rugby is in the entertainment business, not incessant doom-mongery and moaning.

Whatever our lot is, we have to make the most of it and try to improve it. Players are due to return to summer training in the next couple of weeks and there needs to be a new sense of purpose, a re-invigoration and a back to the wall spirit that means they are prepared to dig themselves out of the hole in which they currently find themselves.

Being a professional rugby player is a fantastic way to earn a living. It is tough both mentally and physically. It demands sacrifices and can be painful and frustrating in equal measure. But on its best days it is hugely rewarding – and not just in the financial sense.