Y Coch Cymru

[muckefuck]

Ran into my hot bear coworker at Bear Night and my eyes were immediately drawn to his chest. And not just because of his eye-popping pecs this time either. No, it was the dragon-shaped logo, which combined with the dark red background sent the words "CYMRU AM BYTH!" coursing through my brain. I immediately surmised that it wasn't the jersey of the Welsh National Team due to the conspicuous lack of "BRAINS", but that didn't tell me whose jersey it was. He couldn't tell me either; seems a buddy from his days with the Gotham Knights had sent him a passel of old shirts when he cleaned up his apartment, and this was one of them.

Don't mock me, Cymrophiles, but when I saw the "DYFED STEELS" logo on the back, I thought I'd found the name of the team. Sleuthing the next day, however, determined that this was a merely a sponsor and the ruggers in question were the Llanelli Scarlets. (They dropped the "Llanelli" from their name to broaden their appeal when Wales was reorganised into four rugby regions a few years back.) Later I told another coworker about this and he asked me, "What are they called in Welsh?" I couldn't answer authoritatively, but I thought maybe "y Cochion". Wrong; sad to say but Welsh Wikipedia sez "y Sgarlets". At least the Cardiff Blues are the Gleision Caerdydd instead of "y Bliws". Rounding out the big four are the Ospreys/Gweilch and the Newport Gwent Dragons/Dreigiau Casnewydd Gwent, and apparently plans are afoot for a fifth major team based in Colwyn Bay.

Forgive my insufferable ignorance, but I'd never realised what a major sport rugby was in Wales. In England, at any rate, it's associated with the posher schools, football being the sport with the greatest mass appeal. I never realised how firmly it had taken root in the Valleys. I guess the next step is actually watching a game or two?

ETA: I don't know what it says about my typing skills or my linguistic confusion that every time I had to type the word "rugby" in this post, I began writing it the Welsh way (rygbi) and had to go back and correct it.

Comments

[embryomystic.livejournal.com]

Forgive my insufferable ignorance, but I'd never realised what a major sport rugby was in Wales. In England, at any rate, it's associated with the posher schools, football being the sport with the greatest mass appeal. I never realised how firmly it had taken root in the Valleys.

I could be wrong, but my understanding was that it's a Welsh sport to begin with, and the earliest records of the game being played are in Wales.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

I guess that depends on what you consider to be the relationship between ryg--DAMMIT!--rugby and cnapan. There were a tremendous variety of football games played in mediaeval times and I'm not sure we'll ever know which version was the first to appear.

[embryomystic.livejournal.com]

Indeed. I didn't really investigate before writing that comment. I just had a vague memory of a book I'd read as a teenager. Most likely one biased in favour of Wales, if it said that the Welsh invented rugby, full stop.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

You know they also invented the leek. True fact!

[embryomystic.livejournal.com]

Talented Welsh geneticists working hastily shortly after the Roman withdrawal cooked it up from a mixture of onions and daffodils.