In the end, though, it didn’t turn out to be the day of days for Welsh rugby as everyone had hoped, as France won 9-8, but the Welsh Rugby Union’s decision to offer free-admission at the home of Welsh sport to fans who wanted to gather to support their team proved to be a popular one.
The Wales camp had asked for a ‘sea of red’ and that’s exactly what they got – with First Minister Carwyn Jones arriving resplendent in his 1994 Wales jersey. “It’s a vintage model which I’ve had since before I was married,” he admitted.
There were almost 60 media representatives from the UK, New Zealand and France to see the Welsh fans prove they are the best in the world. The Millennium Stadium had rocked to the sound of Michael Jackson the previous weekend, but the noise levels when the national anthem was sung were so loud they could probably hear in New Zealand.
Led by ‘Only Men Aloud’ and new Welsh singing sensation Sophie Evans, the crowd rose to the task of backing the boys and almost lifted the roof. Despite the disappointments of the first-half, which saw skipper Sam Warburton get a red card and Morgan Parra boot the French into a 6-3 lead, the return of ‘Only Men Aloud’ in the interval break to sing ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ got everyone in the mood for a storming second half.
When Mike Phillips scored the only game of the try a nation rose as one to salute him and everyone went silent to see if Stephen Jones could nudge Wales ahead. His conversion drifted wide, but the support levels soared as Wales went in for the kill.
Heroic French defence eventually saved the day for them and they will now go on to play in their third World Cup final next weekend.
“What an occasion. When we first thought about doing this we were thinking in terms of 25,000, but to see 61,000 Welsh fans get out of bed early enough to come to the Millennium Stadium was simply incredible,” said Millennium Stadium General Manager Gerry Toms.
“They did their team proud – and the players did their bit in return. They have been fantastic ambassadors for Welsh rugby throughout the competition and it is just a shame they couldn’t fulfill their dreams.”
