From Graham Thomas in Dinard
Aaron Ramsey considers two Wembley matches against England as the twin towers on which he has built the confidence that Wales will win on Thursday night.
The most recent was the game in which he was captain – at the age of just 20 – five years ago, when England were lucky to win 1-0.
The other was the famous 32-31 Six Nations victory for Wales back in 1999, which Ramsey watched, transfixed, on TV as a wide-eyed eight-year-old boy.
The winning try in the rugby match was scored by Scott Gibbs, but created by the juggle and pass of Scott Quinnell – eye-catching, dyed-blond heroism that Ramsey intends to emulate when the two countries meet in Lens on Thursday night.
“I’ve had a few good luck messages off the rugby players,” says Ramsey, a keen rugby fan who was there for another Welsh triumph against the old enemy at Twickenham in last year’s Rugby World Cup.
“Scott Quinnell sent quite a funny one,” adds the midfielder who was a talented fly-half as a youngster and had trials with Newport Gwent Dragons.
“We’ve had a lot of support. Everyone is excited, there’s a lot going on around the country, you can see the support.
“One of the best feelings I’ve had was experiencing how the anthem was sung against Slovakia. Hopefully there’s a few more of those spine-tingling moments to come.
“It’s been a long time since we beat them. It’s about time we changed that. Hopefully we can do what Scott and the rugby team did at Wembley.
“We’ve ticked off a few pieces of history along the way and we’ve closed the gap. Hopefully we can show that on the big stage and that we can match them, then go on and better them.”
The other Wembley encounter was during qualification for Euro 2012, with Ramsey skippering the side under Gary Speed. Wales were beaten, but should have salvaged a deserved draw when Robert Earnshaw missed a simple chance.
Ramsey says the significance of that defeat to England was that it convinced him that Wales could, indeed, close the gap on England – opponents they have not beaten since 1984. The changes on and off the field brought by Speed were starting to take root, says Ramsey, although the former manager would not live long enough to see them flourish under Chris Coleman.
“Being captain was a nice moment, a proud moment. We were on the wrong end of the scoreline but it was quite early on in the changes that Gary Speed was making.
“You could see the way we wanted to go about things. That was the start of something. We lost in Cardiff and in the other one we played well at Wembley and showed the progression we’d made in a short space of time.
“We were quite unlucky not to get something out of that game. Ernie had a great chance in the six-yard box, there were encouraging signs.
“But we are more streetwise now – look at the Slovakia game. A few years ago we may have got punished and come out on the wrong end of the scoreline.
“We all know what we’ve got to do. We’re all together and we all go in the same direction. Sometimes that means having a go at each other and that’s only for the benefit of the team.
“We have had some really low points and we are now experiencing some fantastic ones. We have been through so much and it has made us stronger as a unit. Everybody knows their roles and responsibilities, we give everything and leave nothing out there.”
Ramsey speaks with the confidence of youth, but the wisdom of eight years spent at Arsenal, who he joined as a teenager from Cardiff City.
But like all the Welsh players who have spoken this week, he appears relaxed and content – in marked contrast to the usual clench-cheeked demeanour of England’s players at this, or any other tournament.
Ramsey, a Gunners teammate of England’s Jack Wilshere, says he recognises the English anxiety that always appears to envelop them, but it is not something familiar to him from time spent with Wales.
“I don’t know why, they always seem to do well in the qualifying campaign and then there is a lot of pressure when they get to the finals. That is something they experience, but we don’t.
“Of course, we’re relaxed, we’re enjoying every minute of it, it’s a new experience. To get off to a winning start helps. Anything that happens is a bonus. That’s the feeling we get. There’s no pressure, maybe that’s why.
“We’ve ticked off a few things along the way and we’ve closed the gap and hopefully we can show that on the big stage – that we can match them then go on and better them.
“It’s been a long time since we beat them. It’s about time we changed that.”
