Wooden Spoon – Where Did Welsh Rugby Go Wrong?

PONTYPRIDD, Wales - April 23, 2025 - PRLog -- Charting the history and downfall of a once great rugby nation, we follow Ianto Williams and his 'butties' as they attempt one last hurrah through the Six Nations championship of 2025.

'Shwmae love, nice day for it. You with them lot are you?' said Ianto, pointing to the opposition team.
'Yes babe,' said Kylie.
'Hey, don't like the look of your prop. Not the most healthy-looking chap, is he?' Ianto adjusted himself. 'He's sweating like a paedo at a christening.'

As the Wales rugby team lurches from one defeat to the next, so does Ianto, as he fails to seduce a woman at each match. In a kind of reverse 'Grand Slam', the infamous BBC TV film from 1978, we see our anti-hero struggle with mental health issues in a very different place to the one his past heroes inhabited.

The language is pure, unadulterated rugby club banter, but it is impossible not to laugh out loud. As one of the characters insists, we're not misogynists, just sexist. In the final analysis, we find it's the women who come out on top, quite literally!

Richly illuminating dialogue throughout, this short novel finds the delicate balance between profanity and sympathy. The characters are old school, fighting to find a place in a modern, crazy world.

'Do you boys remember when we were drinking up Aberdare and that old boy died in the pub? said Bennie.
'Yeah, mental weekend. The landlord and some of the locals carried him upstairs so they wouldn't miss the bank holiday trade,' said Ianto.

Rugby, Welsh history, politics, mental health, love and sex – they all get the treatment with nothing held back. While this isn't the easiest read in today's climate, it's an honest and necessary one for some men, who might just find it's the wake-up call they need. Lewis walks a tightrope but successfully finds a balance in this highly entertaining look at Welsh culture.

Dave Lewis has written over twenty books and this is his fifth novel. The book is available in paperback and e-book. To find our more about the author's work, visit his website – www.david-lewis.co.uk