Always played rugby from school to senior club (wasn't skillful enough for football; was, and still am, a big lumbering bruiser!) and in my formative years always favoured the egg chasers, but became less of a fan as I grew up. Followed the Whites home and away but never understood why they weren't better supported when the Welsh team would sell out the national stadium (Cardiff Arms and then the MS). Wales is a rugby nation? Only when it comes to the national team! The 6 Nations (previously the 5) is more about the occasion than the sport; I was always shocked by how little the crowds at international games actually knew about Welsh rugby! Finally realised (as I entered my 20's) that many of them weren't rugby fans at all, they had never actually turned up to support their local club, and they would struggle to name the players on the field! When I finished playing rugby there was only one team for me; had followed the whites and the swans but found the football fans had a greater connection to their team; rugby fans seemed to be fair weather supporters whilst football fans would stick by the team through thick and thin! Have been a total football convert for 30 years+ now and, whilst I still enjoy rugby, acknowledge that most of the supporters of the national team really don't know very much about what they are watching! Have been proud to watch the Swans through bad and good times, and the same with the Whites - remember the highlight of beating the Aussie touring team in a soggy St Helens! But there is nothing rugby related that compares to watching JT's hatrick against Hull! Or Pratley's audacious play off semi final goal - or Brenda's high five sprint after it - or Garry Monk's big toe denying Reading in the play off final! I played rugby because I wasn't skilful enough to play football - I support the mighty Swans because football is the true national sport of Wales!
I like rugby just as much as football and i dont rate the swans better than the ospreys today and the whites in the past and vice versa. We are blessed in swansea to have two teams on top of their game and im proud of that...
Well I rate the Swans streets ahead of the Ospreys, and I also know my rugby, and as a Neath supporter in the 70's and 80's, then moved to Swansea and followed a the Whites at St Helen's most saturday mornings, due to the fact that I used to take an old friend that played for the Whites and Vardre. Cartoon is correct in his assessment of Rugby fans...........
