Wales at the Rugby World Cup: In rugby you are who

If you want to understand how important rugby is in Wales, you'll need Barry John's story. In the 1970s, he dominated world rugby with Wales. The 74-year-old is considered one of the best fly-halfs ever to play. The King called him "The King" and they treated him like a king.

John worked casually in a bank. But when a woman made a break in front of him, true to his nickname, he ended his career at the age of 27. "If I needed something that showed me to be way beyond the goal, then it was," said John, "everything was out of control."

This Sunday, Wales is in the semifinals of the Rugby Union World Cup in Japan and will meet there on South Africa (10 clock, TV: ProSieben Maxx). If the team wins there, it will be the first time in a World Cup final - and then could get out of control in Wales again some things. But at the latest, if in the final even England would be defeated.

Corbis / VCG via Getty Images

Barry John is considered one of the best fly-halfs in rugby history

After 28 years, two British teams have made it to the semifinals of the Rugby World Cup for the first time. England will face top favorites New Zealand on Saturday (10am, TV: ProSieben Maxx). If both Wales and England reach the final, the Welshman faces a problem: a victory against England in the World Cup final would be the biggest victory of their own history, a defeat but also the most colossal ever.

In the shadow of England

"The people of Wales would prefer to lose in the semi-final against South Africa, as against England in the final," said Professor Martin Johnes, historian of Swansea University, the SPIEGEL. Johnes researches sports and politics. England vs. Wales in rugby is not just a game of two nations that happen to be next to each other, says Johnes. It is rather a kind of class struggle.

Traditionally, the layers of society in which rugby is played are the biggest difference between the two rugby nations. While rugby in Wales is played by almost everyone, sport in England lives on the wealthy bourgeoisie. "Wales against England is one social group against another," says Johnes.

Rugby in Cymru, as Wales is called in Welsh, goes beyond sport, it is part of national identity. The small country in the west of Britain is internationally in the shadow of England. The Welsh often feel like the English are looking down on them.

photo gallery

10 pictures

Sport is so important in Wales because it shows the whole world that Wales exists, says Johnes. In rugby, the Welsh national team plays at eye level with the English. This is Wales who. In football, the national team made it to the semi-finals at the European Championships 2016 (0: 2 against Portugal). But she is not constantly successful.

Rugby as part of identity

Rugby is a chance for the Welsh to show "that they are important, that they are like other nations," says Johnes. While Wales is independent in rugby, politics goes beyond its borders. It is only since the devolution of 1998 that Wales has its own regional parliament. Previously, the decisions affecting the country fell over in London. The desire of the Welsh for autonomy is also reflected in the planned exit of Great Britain from the EU. While Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar voted against Brexit, just over half of voters in Wales were in favor.

Your own identity is a big issue in Wales. "People are debating whether Wales should be independent at all," says Johnes. "The role of the Welsh language is controversial, and some people feel excluded because they do not speak Welsh." 20 percent of people in Wales speak the Celtic language. Sport like rugby brings these different groups together, says Johnes.

Christophe Simon / AFP

Sport also brings groups together in Wales - and especially rugby

The history of the nation is linked to that of their rugby team. This has its origins in times when rugby players were not professionals yet and had to work alongside. The coal mining process made Wales industrialized early, and with the upswings came the successes of the "dragons," as the rugby national team is called. When most of the mines closed in the 1980s, the rugby in Wales also went into a negative run.

Players changed to the variant Rugby League, in the north of England could be earned money. In Wales, the downturn meant fewer jobs. If things went bad for the country, rugby did. In 1991 and 1995, the team failed at the World Cup in the preliminary round. Only in 1995 Rugby Union was professionalized.

Today, with players as professionals, the achievements of the Welsh economy and the rugby team have decoupled. But the mood in the country may even influence the national team. Imagine, Wales would now win the semi-final against South Africa, but then lose the final against England. Historian Johnes says: "That would reinforce the pain of losing the final."