Occasionally something unequivocally confirms a theory we’ve had. Archimedes only exclaimed “Eureka!” when he realised that by adding cold water to his hot bath he’d be less likely to scald his feet.
A long-held theory of mine was recently confirmed as a reality by a couple of random things, as I’ll explain, even though it might get up more noses than a communal nasal spray.
Waiting in a hotel lobby for a business associate, a game show was playing on a nearby TV. I think it was “The Tipping Pointless Catchphrase Chase”.
When a tall, well-built male contestant said he was Welsh, the host lazily assumed he played rugby, stopping short of asking if he sang in a chapel choir.
So, I was delighted when, in a major victory against national stereotyping, the contestant explained he didn’t play rugby, didn’t like rugby and had never attended a rugby match.
My theory that there are many people like him in Wales was confirmed by the news that football is now more popular here than rugby. Why, apart from the obvious? By the time this gets published, I hope the Welsh team may have turned things around.
In 2026, ingrained rugby culture isn’t the same as it was in 1966. People from all over the UK and other countries have no interest in the game.
Likewise, thousands of Welsh people have left to live and work elsewhere. All this is healthy, otherwise we’d end up marrying our own cousins and I’ve never fancied mine. His ginger beard is as off-putting as his gingivitis.
From BBC Wales’s heavy promotion and coverage of the game you’d never know 56% of the population aren’t interested in rugby. Obviously, the BBC has a vested interest in the game, but the reality is that, on match days, the shops, cinemas, restaurants and roads are as busy as any other Saturday.
If you like rugby, you’ll watch these matches on TV or buy a ticket.
However, 1.7 million people in Wales have other interests.
Which reminds me. I’ve got choir practice at the chapel in an hour . . .