Four days before Wales played New Zealand at Eden Park in 1988, they were defeated by North Auckland in Whangarei. After they had conceded the softest of tries, which summed up a tour that had started badly and got worse, a spectator got to his feet in the stand, produced a bugle and sounded the Last Post.
As Wales prepare for their World Cup semi-final against France at Eden Park on Saturday night, they are marching to a different tune. Having been part of the tournament's undercard so far, their first major media conference since defeating Ireland in the quarter-final last Saturday was so packed that it took their kicking coach, Neil Jenkins, longer than he used to deliberate over goal-kicks to move from the door to the table from where he answered questions.
"It is the biggest game I have been involved in," said Jenkins, who played in two World Cup tournaments. "Perhaps the same can be said for Welsh rugby. We made the semi-final in 1987, but there is a feeling now that we are creating something special. We do not fear anyone, but we respect France for the great side they are. We are going to have to be at the top of our game."
Wales are confident that the second‑row Luke Charteris and the fly-half Rhys Priestland, who both sustained shoulder injuries against Ireland, will be fit. Whereas in 1987 Wales seemed content with reaching the semi-finals, all the more so because they had knocked out England in the previous round, and that they had little hope against a New Zealand side who were not just playing at home but were by some distance the best in the world, there will be no consolation in defeat this time.
"The job is not done," said Jenkins. "There is more to come from this side. It has been going crazy back home. We are a rugby nation and we love the game. We have been through some bad times in the not too distant past, but we are one game away from a World Cup final. The young players who have been brought in have no fear and we are not afraid to move the ball when it's on. They are playing the game as it should be played."
Wales have captured the imagination here, not least because they have confounded the southern hemisphere stereotype of European rugby. They may not have the athletic forwards that mark out New Zealand and Australia, but there is something old-fashioned about the way they deploy fast backs in the wide channels and do not clog their line with tight-five players when they move quick ball.
Wales reacted to the media scrum by wheeling out two of their most experienced players to tackle the questions. "It is very easy to get carried away, but we have to treat it as just another game," said the wing Shane Williams, at 34 the oldest member of the squad. "The young boys are calm and this is a squad that is far stronger mentally and physically than any I have been involved in."
Williams remarked last year that he felt Wales had it in them to become the best side in the world, but at the point they looked like breaking through they would make a mistake at a crucial time. "It is hard to put your finger on what has changed other than that we believe in ourselves," said Williams. "There is also a new breed of player coming through with a different mind-set. The youngsters are far more confident than I was at their age and they do not let the occasion get to them. When I said before the World Cup that we could win it, I was laughed at but it is clear that the belief and the talent is there. We have the mental strength now to win tight matches."
The 80-cap prop Gethin Jenkins is not one to get carried away. He is probably the most phlegmatic character in the squad, a player whose career has been a series of highs and lows. He is not one to let himself be carried on the wave of emotion that flows in Welsh rugby, neither over the top in victory nor angst-ridden in defeat.
"We have not made the semi-final since 1987 so it is a big step, but we have not achieved anything yet," he said. "Gats [the Wales coach, Warren Gatland] got me before the game against Ireland and asked me if it was the best team I had played in. I said we would see on Saturday. He asked me again after the game and I replied: 'It's got to be now.'
"Four years ago we lost to Fiji and did not make the quarter-finals. Things have changed since then. We are tight as a squad and we stick together, keeping to the values we have. Saturday is a big chance for us. We want to put in a good performance for the squad and management here and the people supporting us at home. We do not want to waste all the hard work we have put in."
