Welsh

Wales had endured more than half a century in the international wilderness, absent from major tournaments since the 1958 World Cup.

There followed decades of false dawns and agonising stumbles at final hurdles, until a golden generation of players emerged to inspire a new hope.

Bale, Aaron Ramsey and the rest had been around a while by the time the Euro 2016 campaign came around and, as those stellar talents approached their peak, they were ready to take Wales to new heights.

“There was definitely optimism, a quiet belief I would say,” says Hal Robson-Kanu, the former Wales forward who started up front against Bosnia.

“We’d begun to get results which typically you wouldn’t expect Wales to get at that level. We knew we could do something special.”

Having won three and drawn two of their first five qualifiers, Wales truly started to believe this could be their time when they beat Belgium – then ranked second in the world – in Cardiff.

Coleman’s side then missed the opportunity to seal qualification when they were held to a goalless draw by Israel but knew a point in Bosnia or at home to minnows Andorra would get them over the line.

And so to that night in Zenica, a hard, industrial city in the heart of Bosnia, soaked by driving rain.

Even with the security of the Andorra game to come, Wales could not hide their dejection after second-half goals from Milan Djuric and Vedad Ibisevic gave Bosnia a 2-0 win.

“It was the first game in that campaign we’d lost, so that feeling was just hurting us,” Coleman tells BBC Sport Wales.

“We were playing Andorra at home in our final game, we needed a point, and I remember thinking about our history, how we always fall at the last hurdle and I was thinking, ‘Come on, really?’ I fancied us to do something against Andorra, but you never know, do you?

“Then I was coming off the pitch. Our fans are to the left. I remember thinking, ‘They’re a bit joyful. We’ve just lost 2-0. Why are you doing this?’

“Then I saw Mark Evans (the Football Association of Wales’ head of international affairs), who had a look on his face. He said Israel won. And I swear he waited three or four seconds and then he said: ‘Cyprus two.’ He paused again and said: ‘Israel one, Cyprus two’.

“He said we’d qualified and then I just remember turning around and all the players were waiting for me because I think they knew before I did, and I just couldn’t contain myself. I just ran to anybody.”

Standing in Tintern Abbey, you can feel the magic that has given this small Monmouthshire village on the banks of the Wye and its famous ruin such an outsized place in culture. JMW Turner, Gainsborough and Samuel Palmer are just some of the artists who have captured this landscape, and Wordsworth and Tennyson famously wrote poems inspired by Tintern. But it was Allen Ginsberg’s Welsh Visitation and his “clouds passing through skeleton arches” that came to mind while I sheltered from a cloudburst in the abbey’s nave. It’s a vast and fascinating site, and seeing it through sheets of rain as the sun went down was really special.

Ginsberg was here in the 1960s, following in the footsteps of the Romantics. But Tintern’s fame came thanks to its inclusion in travel writer William Gilpin’s 1782 book Observations on the River Wye. Gilpin’s writing about the “picturesque” – landscapes that inspired art through their rugged beauty – was so popular in the late 18th century that the Wye Tour was created to meet tourist demand, one of the first package trips in British travel history.

Tintern has been a destination ever since for literary travellers – though there are also many hillwalkers and canoeists who love the geography as much as the aesthetics of the area. So it’s interesting that the Royal George, the beautifully renovated coaching inn that has recently reopened in the village after a two-year refurbishment, takes local history and craft as its inspiration rather than leaning into the area’s national reputation.

A building has stood on the hotel’s location since the 16th century – it was originally the village forge owner’s home – but the renovation has opened under the name the Royal George because that’s what local people have always called it. The name comes from the warship HMS Royal George, which sank in Portsmouth in 1782, drowning hundreds on board in one of Britain’s worst maritime disasters. Timbers salvaged from the wreck were supposedly used in the construction of the inn, which opened in 1829. Camilla Kelly, the designer behind the refurbishment, found a ship’s bell which bears the insignia of another George, this one HRH George VI, which is now used to call last orders in the hotel bar

There are exposed paving flags and beams that date back to the 1600s as well as charmingly wonky walls and low ceiling beams but, unlike many hotels that aspire to the rustic, shabby chic vibe currently popular for a country stay, the Royal George is smart and very well put together. In its 20 bedrooms and dining rooms there is some vintage furniture – Kelly grew up in nearby Abergavenny with parents who worked in antiques shops and markets – but it’s the beautiful blankets and textiles made at the celebrated Pembrokeshire Melin Tregwynt mill, the metalwork art by local blacksmith and sculptor Mark Lumley, and the ornaments from Baileys Home, a destination shop for interiors fans that’s just up the road in Bridstow, that define this place.

It’s clearly a formula that’s proving popular with local people as well as visitors. At dinner time in the nautically named Upper Deck restaurant, there were families from the surrounding area who had come for a celebration meal. The pub dining room – the Lower Deck, of course – was full of local people including young parents sharing a plate of chips with their kids, as well as out-of-towners. It’s a testament to the quality of the food, which is really, really good.

Most dishes use ingredients from local farmers, growers and foragers and there are excellent and imaginative vegetarian options. Sunday lunch during my stay included a magnificent brie parcel as a special. Apparently, a local cheesemaker had brought in a particularly nice sample and chef Gareth Hope couldn’t resist adding it to the menu. I’d also recommend trying the Welsh wines – especially the sparkling Velfrey and the White Castle pinot noir.

Hope is particularly grateful that the George has become a pub for local people. At Christmas time, one of those dreaded courier delivery photos flashed up on his phone, of a parcel dropped in an unrecognisable doorway. Unfortunately, this parcel contained £450 worth of caviar for the Christmas menu. Hope shared his misfortune with the bar’s regulars and, after seeing the photo, one of them jogged off into a storm, reappearing with the caviar 20 minutes later.

It’s probably worth noting, with all this talk of fine food and furniture, that the Royal George isn’t as expensive as it sounds, with mains in the Lower Deck starting at £14 and a night in a garden room from £135.

If you want to walk off some of this lovely food, the 5-mile Angidy trail is an interesting journey through Tintern’s often overlooked industrial history. Before the abbey ruins turned it into a tourist attraction, the village was famous for its iron wire, and in 1600 the wireworks here were the largest industrial enterprise in Wales. The remains of the furnaces, waterwheels and workers’ cottages are dotted along the Angidy valley and among the hazel trees and larches on the forested hills. The ruins of St Mary’s church – built in the 13th century by the Cistercian monks for their lay tenants, but on a religious site dating back to the 5th century – will never rival the abbey, but the tombstones of the old industrialists – including one shaped like a wine cooler – are impressive, and there is a great view from the graveyard down to the Wye.

For a different but equally pleasurable excursion, go to the previously mentioned Baileys Home. The homeware store, owned by designers Mark and Sally Bailey, is massive. The showrooms fill not just a barn but also a cowshed, stable, granary and loft with a mix of antiques, vintage pieces and handmade furniture. You can browse smithy-made coat hooks and soap made from organic sheep’s milk for under a tenner, or try the bespoke sofas for size.

Inside or out, this is a very special corner of Wales. It may have found fame as a muse for visiting artists, but if you come here, don’t forget to look for the other stories told by the landscape.

Accommodation and dinner was provided by the Royal George in Tintern, which has doubles from £135, room only

Whilst he may be a stranger to Wales, Govil is quick to point out his familiarity with franchise success.

His Washington Freedom side have won the most games in the three years of MLC, taking home the trophy in 2024 and finishing runners-up in 2025.

“I have a history of doing this, it’s not just the Washington Freedom. I had a professional badminton team in India and in the very first year we won the championship,” the Maryland-based entrepreneur said.

“Even business, I’ve taken over assets, which are really underperforming and turned it around.”

The secret to his success?

“It’s all about looking at a big picture, having the right components, and creating an environment which is very fertile towards success,” he explained.

Fire have already been busy trying to acquire the right components.

Salt, Chris Woakes, Marco Jansen and Rachin Ravindra have joined the men’s side as direct signings whilst Freya Kemp, Georgia Wareham and Georgia Voll have signed with the women’s team.

If Govil is to be successful in reversing the fortunes of his new franchise, the team’s performances on the field will need to mirror his own bold confidence.

The next step to building this team will come in this week’s inaugural auction.

As well as having the opportunity to build a competitive team Govil will have the chance to shine a light on Welsh talent and create an identity fans are more likely to subscribe to.

Then, comes the hope of bringing a history of success to a place that has not yet experienced it.