England will face Wales on Saturday evening in what will no doubt be one of the feistiest group stage games of the Rugby World Cup, and a former Wales captain has given a detailed account of the hatred that he felt for England as a player.
Gareth Thomas, who if you don't remember as a player you will know from that advert that plays during EVERY SINGLE AD-BREAK of the Rugby World Cup, has spoken ahead of this weekend's clash, and he did not mince his words on the old enemy.
It seems that any time Gareth Thomas played England, he dug deep down into a pit of hatred for motivation to play well:
When I played England I had a hatred for the English jersey. I used to love playing for Wales and to have a hatred for the English jersey showed how much I loved Wales, my country. It was, and is, a fierce rivalry and as a competitor you had to hate them.
It's not just the historical stuff between England and Wales. It's that this is the game when everyone in Wales comes together. It drove me on as a captain and as a player. I used to try not to use what might be seen as historical injustices to motivate myself and my team. I wanted us to have our own motivation and, speaking for myself, I got it by thinking of what it meant to the country.
If Wales beat England but lose to Australia next week, the nation will be happier than if Wales lose to England and then beat Australia.
You get the feeling that Thomas really wishes he was pulling on the red jersey again on Sunday.
Thomas' sentiment will likely be echoed by many in this fair country, as the general consensus over here is that nobody wants to see England win the World Cup on home soil. In fairness, they would be absolutely insufferable.
via ESPN.
