Along with intensely emotive montages set to classical symphonies, the 6 Nations has always been conducive to amusing, semi-barbed tv ads which bring the various 'home nation' rivalries to life.
They arrive like the first daffodils of spring, and bring a wry smile or a chuckle to those who catch them on the Beeb in the lead-up to the weekend's fixtures. A bit of good-natured ribbing, essentially, between countries with inextricable historical links and ferocious on-field rivalries.
Apparently, however, there are a few English and Welsh rugby fans who are - to use an old Latin term - 'minus craic', and they've kicked up a bit of a fuss about a BBC Wales ad which asks, 'What's good about England'?
The ad, despite seeming rather harmless, really, sparked a furious online reaction from Welsh fans who described it as 'embarrassing', and English fans who took umbrage at the insinuation that - as per the blank expressions of the Welsh fans in the ad - there is nothing good about England.
You can watch the ad below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7Yt0YDMNWk&feature=youtu.be
One of the arguments made by the aggrieved contingents of both sets of supporters was that the ad was 'parochial rubbish'. Of course, international sport by its very nature is extremely parochial. Indeed, that's sort of the point.
Nonetheless, BBC Wales pulled the ad from their social accounts, and even asked our good friends at Wales Online to remove it from their website.
In fairness, it's not quite as 'parochial' as this previously banned tv advert from 2012, as we were reminded by the Wales Online lads who dug it up earlier.
Banned 6 Nations Ad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbvbQPq4LXk
Ireland really got away with murder at the end of that one, didn't they?
Anyway, Wales face England at the Principality Stadium on Saturday afternoon, and nobody will be supporting anybody and everybody will be best mates.
