The English have a gift for producing snarling pantomime villains. Born to rule god monsters who are wont to stand over you shouting 'Welcome to the House of Pain!!' after a scrum goes down.
The Scots, French and Irish may want to beat England each year as much as Wales, but two factors make this the big one in the northern part of the globe.
First, Wales’ national identity is intrinsically linked to rugby - a game that unites a nation and cuts across class barriers in a way in never has in England means there is a particular edge to this match (often to Wales’ detriment).
Secondly, Wales’ superior record against England compared to the other northern hemispheres means this is no one-way rivalry. Welsh captain Phil Bennett once gave a team talk that went: “We've been exploited, raped, controlled and punished by the English – and that's who you are playing this afternoon.”
In that light, here are the most disliked English rugby players in the history, in the opinion of a diehard Wales supporter.
#5. Brian Moore
Wales Online: "Snarling, punchy and prone to reading extracts from Henry V in the dressing room, Moore represented everything Welsh fans loved to hate about that England team from the mid-90s."
#4. Wade Dooley
Wales Online: "The "Blackpool Tower", as he liked to be known, really helped himself in the popularity stakes by breaking the cheekbone of Welsh forward Phil Davies during a game at the Arms Park in 1987"
#3. Owen Farrell
The England captain fits the label “our guy” better than most, meaning you love to hate him unless he’s in your squad. Then you’d go to the end’s of the earth to defend him.
Farrell, also known as ‘Shoulder boy’ for his high tackling, does himself no favours with his poor tackling technique.
#2. Austin Healey
Wales Online: "It seemed unlikely when he retired that Healey would manage to become even more annoying as a pundit than he was as a player. But, somehow, he's achieved it. Great job."
#1. Mike Brown
Could it have been anyone else? I'm sure he isn't a bad guy, but he was the pantomime villain when the two teams clashed for a long time.
In his own words, the fullback is a ‘marmite player’ with fans either loving or hating him. A skinhead who enjoys confrontation is not the traditional mould for an England No15.
He played with the annoyance of someone who's read plenty of literature chastising the English and wants to shove it up the noses of the Queen's enemies.
