The US has a population of around 330 million – that’s more than 100 times the population of Wales. You might think there is little that one of the most powerful and populous nations in the western world could learn from the Land of Song, especially when it comes to sport – but you would be mistaken.
Rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in the US, especially in the nation’s colleges. But unlike home-grown sports such as baseball and American football, there is little domestic heritage to draw upon. Around two million Americans claim Welsh ancestry, so it is unsurprising that so many American rugby enthusiasts take inspiration from the Dragons.
Here, we take a look at the team’s highs and lows over the years and their prospects in the forthcoming World Cup.
Difficult beginnings and a rivalry for the ages
Rugby union took root in Wales in the late 19th century. The Wales Rugby Team
played its inaugural game against England on 19 February 1881. The English won by a score that equates to 82-0 in today’s scoring. The humiliation started a rivalry that simmers just as hot to this day, and it’s another connection that binds Wales with the USA against a common rival!
The first Home Nations championship (now known as the Six Nations) took place two years later. Again, the Dragons had a torrid time, failing to record a single win. However, it galvanised the Welsh team to try something different.
Reinventing the game with a new formation
In the 1890s, Wales experimented with a new formation, with seven backs and eight forwards instead of six backs and nine forwards. It transformed Wales into a rugby union powerhouse and revolutionised the sport. Over the subsequent years, the “four three-quarters” formation, as it was known, became the standard at both club and international level.
Wales was suddenly the aggressor in international rugby. With the new century, Wales were the new standard bearers, and they went practically undefeated between 1900 and 1910.
Fluctuating fortunes and a new international challenge
Throughout the 20th century, Welsh rugby went through periods of feast and famine. In the 1970s, the team entered its second golden age thanks to legendary players like Gareth Edwards, Gerald Davies and Barry John. In 1978, they became the first team to win three consecutive triple crowns. Rugby Union had never seen such domination.
However, another commonality with which American sports fans can identify is that no team remains at the top forever, and the higher they fly, the harder they tend to fall. The glory years of the 1970s seemed to end overnight, and 1981, their centenary year, saw Welsh rugby fans licking their wounds with a heavy loss to the All Blacks.
At the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, Wales was a shadow of the world-beater of the 1970s but still made it all the way to the semi finals by sheer determination. Ever since, the World Cup has been the ultimate goal, but in eight subsequent tournaments, the team has never come closer.
Future prospects and betting odds on the biggest stage
This year, France will host the 10th Rugby World Cup and thousands of US fans will be visiting online betting sites to back Wales. If you want to join them, this TonyBet review could be useful. But do the gambling experts think Wales stand a chance?
Most agree they are a long shot to win their first World Cup at the 10th attempt, and give them odds of about 33-1. However, there is consensus that Wales have a great chance of making the knockout stages this year thanks to a kind group draw after the qualifying stages. As fans know on both sides of the Atlantic, once beyond the group stages, anything is possible.
The 10th Rugby World Cup commences on 8th September.
