Sei Williams
@seiwilliams.bsky.social
Cymro
Awdur / Author 'Welsh Rugby: What Went Wrong' a 'Deffro'r Ddraig: Rygbi Cymru 1995-2024'
Mas nawr / Out now ar https://www.ylolfa.com/authors/46720593/seimon-williams
https://amzn.eu/d/eh1qFdl
Blog: gwladrugby.cymru
Awdur / Author 'Welsh Rugby: What Went Wrong' a 'Deffro'r Ddraig: Rygbi Cymru 1995-2024'
Mas nawr / Out now ar https://www.ylolfa.com/authors/46720593/seimon-williams
https://amzn.eu/d/eh1qFdl
Blog: gwladrugby.cymru
How is it possible that somebody so relentlessly hapless as McSweeney is still in his job?
Exclusive: Morgan McSweeney sought official advice about whether Mandelson could be the UK's ambassador to the US on a part-time basis
Officials “had to explain that being His Majesty’s Ambassador in Washington was a full time job… in Washington"
observer.co.uk/news/politic...
Officials “had to explain that being His Majesty’s Ambassador in Washington was a full time job… in Washington"
observer.co.uk/news/politic...
McSweeney ‘asked if Mandelson US embassy role could be pa...
PM’s chief of staff sought advice on behalf of disgraced former Labour peer, senior government sources claim
observer.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 1:58 PM
How is it possible that somebody so relentlessly hapless as McSweeney is still in his job?
This is a magnificent must-read by GwladRugby's Dan.
"But today, looking at the wreckage of Welsh rugby, I find myself asking a question again and again: Is this still my game?"
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/02/04/t...
"But today, looking at the wreckage of Welsh rugby, I find myself asking a question again and again: Is this still my game?"
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/02/04/t...
The Vandalism of Our Heritage: A Fifty-Year Lament for Welsh Rugby
For fifty years, much of my life has been measured in eighty-minute increments. My heart has quickened in the mud of Dave Parade; the biting cold west wind at Stradey, and the deafening, soul-stirr…
gwladrugby.wordpress.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:20 PM
This is a magnificent must-read by GwladRugby's Dan.
"But today, looking at the wreckage of Welsh rugby, I find myself asking a question again and again: Is this still my game?"
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/02/04/t...
"But today, looking at the wreckage of Welsh rugby, I find myself asking a question again and again: Is this still my game?"
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/02/04/t...
So at every stoppage we're going to get Lawrence Dallaglio's nipples looming at the viewer as he emerges from the shower, then.
Cosmic.
Cosmic.
February 4, 2026 at 11:46 AM
So at every stoppage we're going to get Lawrence Dallaglio's nipples looming at the viewer as he emerges from the shower, then.
Cosmic.
Cosmic.
Reposted by Sei Williams
"There is nothing in the WRU’s conduct in recent months to suggest that its senior figures are, in the words of Logan Roy, serious people".
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/a...
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/a...
Are these serious people?
This morning’s GwladRugby article called for those who reject the WRU’s proposals for the professional game – which increasingly looks like the end for the Ospreys – to focus on bringing forward al…
gwladrugby.wordpress.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:37 PM
"There is nothing in the WRU’s conduct in recent months to suggest that its senior figures are, in the words of Logan Roy, serious people".
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/a...
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/a...
"Criticising the Union is the easy bit. Finding an alternative way forward is the difficult bit.
And that’s where energies need to be focused if the Union is to be made to change its mind". gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/i...
And that’s where energies need to be focused if the Union is to be made to change its mind". gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/i...
If not this, then what?
First of all, a confession. I support the Scarlets. I am also from Swansea, and my initial first-class (as we then called it, back in the 14th century) rugby watching was pretty much exclusively at…
gwladrugby.wordpress.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:17 AM
"Criticising the Union is the easy bit. Finding an alternative way forward is the difficult bit.
And that’s where energies need to be focused if the Union is to be made to change its mind". gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/i...
And that’s where energies need to be focused if the Union is to be made to change its mind". gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/i...
This comment betrays the complete incoherence at the top of Welsh rugby.
The 'optimal solution' talked about cohesion, about having access to players. RCK recently talked about the difficulty Tandy had in arranging a get-together with players.
Yet, simultaneously, they're better off in Gloucester.
The 'optimal solution' talked about cohesion, about having access to players. RCK recently talked about the difficulty Tandy had in arranging a get-together with players.
Yet, simultaneously, they're better off in Gloucester.
February 1, 2026 at 4:10 PM
This comment betrays the complete incoherence at the top of Welsh rugby.
The 'optimal solution' talked about cohesion, about having access to players. RCK recently talked about the difficulty Tandy had in arranging a get-together with players.
Yet, simultaneously, they're better off in Gloucester.
The 'optimal solution' talked about cohesion, about having access to players. RCK recently talked about the difficulty Tandy had in arranging a get-together with players.
Yet, simultaneously, they're better off in Gloucester.
"It is alleged that some senior figures among Welsh rugby’s so-called “big three” have not attended a single URC match involving a Welsh region this season. As Dylan Thomas might put it, doing absolutely LLAREGGUB".
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/31/d...
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/31/d...
Do Not Go Gently, Ospreys.
There is something almost poetic about the Ospreys’ current predicament. Not poetic in the soaring, triumphant sense—more in the Dylan Thomas, rage against the dying of the light sense. Except, in …
gwladrugby.wordpress.com
January 31, 2026 at 6:41 PM
"It is alleged that some senior figures among Welsh rugby’s so-called “big three” have not attended a single URC match involving a Welsh region this season. As Dylan Thomas might put it, doing absolutely LLAREGGUB".
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/31/d...
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/31/d...
Lovely touch by Carwyn Leggatt-Jones to put Page in.
Let's not mention the conversion attempt.
Let's not mention the conversion attempt.
January 30, 2026 at 9:23 PM
Lovely touch by Carwyn Leggatt-Jones to put Page in.
Let's not mention the conversion attempt.
Let's not mention the conversion attempt.
Two minutes and 37 seconds more please, Andrew.
*Then* you can call it off.
Ta.
*Then* you can call it off.
Ta.
January 30, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Two minutes and 37 seconds more please, Andrew.
*Then* you can call it off.
Ta.
*Then* you can call it off.
Ta.
Can't help feeling that the Scarlets have missed a trick here.
A lighter shade of grey on this change strip and they'd be unstoppable/invisible.
A lighter shade of grey on this change strip and they'd be unstoppable/invisible.
January 30, 2026 at 8:55 PM
Can't help feeling that the Scarlets have missed a trick here.
A lighter shade of grey on this change strip and they'd be unstoppable/invisible.
A lighter shade of grey on this change strip and they'd be unstoppable/invisible.
A CLEAR BREAKDOWN PENALTY PROBABLY BUT WHO KNOWS REALLY?
January 30, 2026 at 8:50 PM
A CLEAR BREAKDOWN PENALTY PROBABLY BUT WHO KNOWS REALLY?
Proper challenge for the Italian TV production team here.
I reckon the decision to just go with whichever camera is closest to the action - even if all you see is a collection of arses at a breakdown - is probably the right one.
I reckon the decision to just go with whichever camera is closest to the action - even if all you see is a collection of arses at a breakdown - is probably the right one.
January 30, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Proper challenge for the Italian TV production team here.
I reckon the decision to just go with whichever camera is closest to the action - even if all you see is a collection of arses at a breakdown - is probably the right one.
I reckon the decision to just go with whichever camera is closest to the action - even if all you see is a collection of arses at a breakdown - is probably the right one.
God is clearly a supporter of good rugby and doesn't want us to have to watch any more of this.
#PeaSouper
#PeaSouper
January 30, 2026 at 8:44 PM
God is clearly a supporter of good rugby and doesn't want us to have to watch any more of this.
#PeaSouper
#PeaSouper
Ask the Ref:
The ref calls "tackle, release", the defending player releases, the attacking player gets off his knees and makes another few metres,and his team scores a try a phase later.
What do you do?
Oh, I forgot to mention the ref is Andrew Brace.
*Now* what do you do?
The ref calls "tackle, release", the defending player releases, the attacking player gets off his knees and makes another few metres,and his team scores a try a phase later.
What do you do?
Oh, I forgot to mention the ref is Andrew Brace.
*Now* what do you do?
January 30, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Ask the Ref:
The ref calls "tackle, release", the defending player releases, the attacking player gets off his knees and makes another few metres,and his team scores a try a phase later.
What do you do?
Oh, I forgot to mention the ref is Andrew Brace.
*Now* what do you do?
The ref calls "tackle, release", the defending player releases, the attacking player gets off his knees and makes another few metres,and his team scores a try a phase later.
What do you do?
Oh, I forgot to mention the ref is Andrew Brace.
*Now* what do you do?
Temu Hitler on the left, ironically.
Spode off Wish on the far right.
Spode off Wish on the far right.
The National Rebirth Party had their inaugural meeting in Leicester last week.
Take a closer look.
1/3
Take a closer look.
1/3
January 30, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Temu Hitler on the left, ironically.
Spode off Wish on the far right.
Spode off Wish on the far right.
Reposted by Sei Williams
Both Welsh Labour and the WRU trade heavily on their pasts while struggling to articulate futures that feel authentic to the people they represent. Both invoke history while neglecting the values that once gave it meaning ✍️Nye Davies
Rugby, Labour and the Crisis of Welsh Institutions
Nye Davies Sport can often reflect a nation. In Wales, rugby has played a prominent role in the formation of a national consciousness, or at least a shared perception of what it means to be Welsh.…
buff.ly
January 29, 2026 at 9:25 PM
Both Welsh Labour and the WRU trade heavily on their pasts while struggling to articulate futures that feel authentic to the people they represent. Both invoke history while neglecting the values that once gave it meaning ✍️Nye Davies
Surely the question we should be asking is whether Niamh Smyth trusts X.
January 27, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Surely the question we should be asking is whether Niamh Smyth trusts X.
"If the WRU truly wants to rebuild, it cannot do so from boardrooms alone, or, increasingly, from the other side of Severn Bridge. It has to go back to school".
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/26/w...
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/26/w...
Who’s Who v Who?? — Why Welsh Rugby Must Go Back to School
If Welsh rugby needs to reinvent its pathway — and few would argue otherwise — why are these people in these academic institutions not central to designing it?
gwladrugby.wordpress.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:06 PM
"If the WRU truly wants to rebuild, it cannot do so from boardrooms alone, or, increasingly, from the other side of Severn Bridge. It has to go back to school".
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/26/w...
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/26/w...
Reposted by Sei Williams
If I was an astronaut about to go into space on a craft with a known flaw, I'd be a bit worried about the use of "can" here?
"Can" bring the crew home safely? Not "will"?
"Can" bring the crew home safely? Not "will"?
When four astronauts begin a historic trip around the moon as soon as February 6, they’ll climb aboard NASA’s 16.5-foot-wide Orion spacecraft with the understanding that it has a known flaw.
But NASA remains confident it has a handle on the problem and the vehicle can bring the crew home safely.
But NASA remains confident it has a handle on the problem and the vehicle can bring the crew home safely.
NASA is about to send people to the moon — in a spacecraft not everyone thinks is safe to fly | CNN
As the four-person crew of Artemis II prepares to launch on a historic mission around the moon as soon as February, some experts are worried about the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield.
www.cnn.com
January 24, 2026 at 10:25 AM
If I was an astronaut about to go into space on a craft with a known flaw, I'd be a bit worried about the use of "can" here?
"Can" bring the crew home safely? Not "will"?
"Can" bring the crew home safely? Not "will"?
"They left calm, composed and apparently untroubled. They certainly smiled and laughed a lot. So much so you had to check, in fact, that we weren’t 54-0 down with twenty to play."
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/22/c...
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/22/c...
Commons People Simply Watch On as WRU Beats Welsh Rugby To a Pulp
The WRU knows how these sessions work. Say sorry. Promise change. Talk about culture. Wait for the noise to die down.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com
January 22, 2026 at 8:11 AM
"They left calm, composed and apparently untroubled. They certainly smiled and laughed a lot. So much so you had to check, in fact, that we weren’t 54-0 down with twenty to play."
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/22/c...
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/22/c...
Just a reminder to rugby presenters, journalists and pundits.
The potential closure of a rugby club by, effectively, its own governing body *is* a rugby matter.
Please don't report on this kind of issue and then say "but can't we talk about rugby?".
You already are.
The potential closure of a rugby club by, effectively, its own governing body *is* a rugby matter.
Please don't report on this kind of issue and then say "but can't we talk about rugby?".
You already are.
January 21, 2026 at 10:55 AM
Just a reminder to rugby presenters, journalists and pundits.
The potential closure of a rugby club by, effectively, its own governing body *is* a rugby matter.
Please don't report on this kind of issue and then say "but can't we talk about rugby?".
You already are.
The potential closure of a rugby club by, effectively, its own governing body *is* a rugby matter.
Please don't report on this kind of issue and then say "but can't we talk about rugby?".
You already are.
Reposted by Sei Williams
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/w...
“Now it is time to call this out. This really is all bullshit. Enough is enough.”
“Now it is time to call this out. This really is all bullshit. Enough is enough.”
Why Eleven?
Here is the simple and angry truth. If the owners of one region can quietly dispose of another when it suits them, then no club is safe.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com
January 21, 2026 at 8:23 AM
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/w...
“Now it is time to call this out. This really is all bullshit. Enough is enough.”
“Now it is time to call this out. This really is all bullshit. Enough is enough.”
"Welsh rugby’s leadership has united Cardiff fans with Ospreys supporters against them. That alone should end any claim that this is being handled well. When rivals agree on who the problem is, the problem is obvious".
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/w...
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/w...
Why Eleven?
Here is the simple and angry truth. If the owners of one region can quietly dispose of another when it suits them, then no club is safe.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com
January 21, 2026 at 8:06 AM
"Welsh rugby’s leadership has united Cardiff fans with Ospreys supporters against them. That alone should end any claim that this is being handled well. When rivals agree on who the problem is, the problem is obvious".
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/w...
Nathaniel Hale for Gwladrugby.
gwladrugby.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/w...