Memory of Gibbs’ try never fades for Dafydd

PETER JACKSON

THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW

Storm Dudley howled along the Porthcawl seafront as if defying a middle-aged Lion to recall that heavenly Sunday when a blazing blue sky came down on an English Grand Slam.

Dafydd James peered out through the water spitting against the beachside window until the Twin Towers hoved into his view.

“I can see it now exactly as it was at the time,’’ he said of an international occasion which could be described as one of the most historic of all time.

Wales v England at Wembley on Sunday April 11, 1999 was unique, the last Five Nations match of all time.

It also happened to be the last Rugby Union match staged at the old Empire Stadium before the demolition squads moved in. So, at a time when their conversion of Cardiff Arms Park was in the final stages of construction for the World Cup later that year, Wales found themselves in the odd position of playing a home match in London.

No matter what happens on more familiar territory at Twickenham next Saturday, there will never be an England-Wales fixture to match it.

“I remember going into the dressing-room and thinking: ‘This is where Bobby Moore and the Charlton brothers changed for the World Cup final. And this is where they began the celebrations after winning it’,”James said.

“There was nothing posh or fancy about it. The walls were bare and there was a communal bath. On the day of the game they’d put an English flag on the door.

“Some of the more emotional characters, like the Quinnell brothers and Scott Gibbs were riled when they saw it. It was a question of controlling emotions for what was to come.

“The feelings we all had that day were same as we always had against England. It’s different to Scotland or Ireland or France because it’s the one you want to win most of all.

“Wales can lose every game in the Championship just as long as we beat England. We’d done our due diligence and we had a very good team. England, though, were clear favourites and, fair play, they played the better rugby on the day.

“Tom Jones led the singing, the Princes, William and Harry were there and my parents were sitting right behind the Royal Box.

“In the dressing-room, Gibbsy came out with some weird stuff like reciting quotations from war films. The Quinnell boys were really pumped up, bumping into each other as we got into the tunnel.

“It rose up out of the dressingroom. You could hear the crowd but you couildn’t see them until you entered the stadium. Craig Quinnell’s thing before any match was to run out and shoulder charge the post.

“The Quinnell boys were really pumped up, bumping into each other”

I’m pretty sure that at Wembley he damaged his hand not that it seemed to bother him. He then made a bullocking run, Steve Hanley, who was making his debut for England, tried to stop him and Craig fended him off with the result that Steve broke his hand.

“There was a bit of a scuffle with Richard Hill in front of the Royal Box and my boy said to me afterwards: ‘Dad, he put his knee on your head.’ It wasn’t much and it’s nice to be able to say that I’m very good friends with Richard. As the clock began ticking down and you’re six points behind you think maybe this isn’t going to be our day unless something special happens. Tim Rodber had a magnificent match for England but he gave away that late penalty and that was all we needed.

“Scott Gibbs picked an angle so acute that he went inside (Matt) Dawson and side-stepped Ben Cohen. Gibbsy’s showboating and while he’s up in the air we’re all shouting: ‘Put the ball down.’ Once he did, I will always remember his reaction. He walked back, pressed the ball into Neil Jenkins’ stomach and said: ‘Now kick the f*****g thing.’

“It wasn’t a gimee but Neil’s kicking that day was sublime. His radar had been perfect but it takes a lot of composure on such a big occasion. Once it went over the crowd, or the Welsh part of it, erupted.

“England were absolutely devastated. We went into the big function room and I remember Richard Cockerill (England’s hooker) being very humble in defeat.’’

Instead of England walking off with a Slam, the fairytale finale ensured that Scotland would reign as Five Nations champions in perpetuity. They showed their gratitude by sending every Welsh player a complimentary bottle of whiskey.

“England-Wales is not a normal encounter. It may be a normal game for England but there’s never been anything normal about it from a Welsh viewpoint. The Welsh lads always tend to dig that bit deeper against England so you can never write us off.”

Euphoric: Scott Gibbs, centre, celebrates the try that devastated England at Wembley in 1999

Dafydd James

James, forever remembered as the wing whose try launched one of the all-time great Lions Test wins over Australia at The Gabba two years after Wembley, is in top form as Storm Dudley does its dirty worst. A stranger would never guess he has been suffering from depression.

“I feel like the waves out there, up and down’’ he says nodding to the sea. “One day, I’m fine. The next day I break down in tears.

“Jonny Wilkinson and Jason Robinson have reached out to me. They were my room-mates in Australia with the Lions and it’s great that they take the trouble to keep in touch.’’

James does a lot of that in his role as an ambassador for Hafal, part of the Welsh-based mental health charity Adferiad Recovery. “It’s important just to be there for others,’’ he says.

The former Scarlets, Harlequins and Sale wing empathises with those trapped in a dark place because he has been there.

He knows that Twickenham on Saturday is a game of rugby, trivial by comparison to life-and-death issues of mental illness.