Sporting Traditions

This book represents a delightful collection of essays on Welsh sport, in particular the Welsh sport of rugby union football and its place in Welsh society. Gareth Williams has provided sports historians with some of the best accounts of sport in the Principality over the years and 1905 And All That is no exception. Avid readers of sports history will recognise some of the articles, however, since the book is essentially a collection of writings by Gareth Williams on rugby and sport in Wales, including some of his book reviews. Despite that, this book allows readers to explore sport and identity in Wales in a more unified context. Welsh purists are also catered for in that two chapters appear in the Welsh language, though one of these chapters covers similar territory to an English language chapter. Another chapter targets younger Welsh readers by providing player biographies of great Welsh players and even one notorious AU Black, George Nepia. Williams writes sports history beautifully and successfully transports readers into the periods he discusses. Even if we have not witnessed Wales play at Cardiff Arms Park Williams provides a sense of what it might have been like in 1905, 1935 or 1969 and beyond. What makes Williams’ sports history so valuable is that his excellent narrative skills are combined with a depth of analysis which appeals to the social historian. For Williams, the crucial point in the flowering of Welsh national identity was on 16 December 1905 when Wales defeated the New Zealand All Blacks by 3-0, inflicting the only defeat suffered by the All Blacks on that tour. The Welsh victory was interpreted in terms of saving the mother country, or ironically, even saving the Empire. The 1905 match came at a time when Welsh rugby was at a high point, Wales won six Triple Crowns between 1900 and 1911. Sadly, for their fans, they did not win another until 1950.