Rugby League: Harris ends Wales career

Nov 18 2007 by Peter Shuttleworth, Wales On Sunday

IESTYN HARRIS, the last survivor from Welsh rugby league’s golden era, has announced his retirement from international rugby.

The 31-year-old superstar has called time on his 13-year Welsh career following his country’s failure to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Australia.

Harris, who retired from Great Britain duty 18 months ago, has starred in two memorable World Cup semi-finals for Wales.

But the 20-times capped Bradford Bulls hero is saddened to bow out at his ‘lowest international ebb’.

The Wales stand-off confirmed last night: “As far as my Wales career is concerned, that’s it for me.

“There’s no consistency between World Cups. There was five years between one World Cup and eight years between the next so heaven knows when the next one will be.

“Many of my best times in rugby have been playing for Wales. We achieved some great things and I have fond memories I’ll treasure.

“The World Cup is the biggest stage and to say I’m disappointed that I won’t be there is an understatement.

“It’s a shame I couldn’t experience another World Cup and bow out after that as it is sad to end my Wales career on such a low. But that’s life.”

Harris’ international career began as a fresh-faced teenager in 1994 during Welsh rugby league’s finest hour on a world stage.

But his Wales career ended on a parks pitch in front of one man and his dog with the national team suffering arguably their most testing period in its 100-year history.

The mercurial talent was catapulted onto an international stage aged 18 at the 1995 World Cup in the infamous brutal Battle of The Vetch in Swansea against Western Samoa.

Harris starred alongside the greats such as Scott Quinnell, Jonathan Davies, Scott Gibbs, John Devereux, Dai Young and Allan Bateman as Wales qualified for the semi-finals before losing to England.

“If you look through the chronicles of Welsh rugby league’s history, that was probably the best national side,” said Harris.

“We probably under-achieved in that tournament. We should have really made it to the final.

“The 1995 experience was such a vibrant time and was probably the best team atmosphere I’ve been involved in.”

As rugby union joined the professional sporting era, the migration of quality players to league dried up and Wales’ national team suffered.

Yet Harris, Keiron Cunningham, Lee Briers and John Devereux inspired Wales to a World Cup semi-final appearance in 2000, where the Dragons shocked the all-conquering world champions.

“We took 20,000-odd people to Old Trafford in 2000 and that’s unheard of,” recalled Harris. “We gave Australia, the so-called unbeatables, a massive scare and were six points up at one stage.

“In both World Cups we captured the imagination of sporting fans everywhere; people loved our attacking, sexy philosophy to rugby.

“Bearing in mind our recent World Cup success and what we gave to the tournament, I found it strange that Wales weren’t seeded and qualified for next year’s tournament automatically.”

Wales – minus hooker Keiron Cunningham, the No. 1 Super League player who recently retired from international rugby – weren’t awarded safe passage to Australia and failed to qualify, losing over two legs to Scotland and to Lebanon.

“What disappointed me was to be involved in poor preparation before a game of the magnitude of Scotland,” said Harris.

“And I think if Keiron had played, we’d have won pretty comfortably against Scotland and qualified.

The light at the end of the Welsh rugby league tunnel is the possibility of the Bridgend-based Celtic Crusaders becoming a Super League franchise.

The Super League will award two new franchises in 2009 and last week the Brewery Field club submitted their application.

“For all the good Wales has done for rugby league in this country over the years, we deserve a Super League side,” said Harris.

“If Celtic Crusaders achieve that then the conveyor belt for top-quality rugby league players for Wales will start again,” said Harris.