The inflatable blond was dancing a crazy, fixed gazed jig about the heads of the excitable throng.
“Oo-ess-ay, oo-ess-ay, oo-ess-ay,” they cried as the big screens showed England labouring to overcome the United States in rugby’s world cup.
In another corner of the Walkabout bar in Cardiff’s St Mary’s Street, an English-born football fan was trying to follow his team’s fortunes against Israel, against the back drop of pre-match noise and enhanced rugby commentary.
“What is it with the Welsh?” he lamented.
Another cheer exploded at the prospect of a USA score.
Perhaps it was the thought of facing the might of Germany in football’s European Championship qualifiers a few hours later that had encouraged such an outpouring of ‘schadenfreude’ at England’s rugby difficulties in France.
After all, England’s highly-paid footballers decided to dispatch their Israeli usurpers 3-0, so no sport there.
Another giant city-centre bar across the street wasn’t even showing the England football match in the belief that the rugby was a better pull for the punters.
Even when Wales’ soccer side is on show at the Millennium Stadium, it is hard to consider Cardiff and the south as anything other than the rugby half of this nation.
Inside the stadium, the mood of barely 25,000 fans amid the wide expanse of empty seats was hardly enlivened by the absence of striker and captain Craig Bellamy for personal problems.
A sick baby really is more important than a football match and Welsh fans should try to keep their perspective while analysing a dismal performance against one of the world best teams.
Coach John Toshack had decided defence was the best form of attack before the first whistle, leaving poor Wolves striker Freddie Eastwood as the sole Welsh presence in the German half for most of the first period.
German playmaker Bastien Schweinsteiger was the man of the match in midfield, always demanding the ball, always finding a pass, while Miroslav Klose grabbed two goals on the back of Welsh players being caught in possession.
Jens Lehmann, the gaffe-prone Arsenal keeper whose early kicks brought ironic cheers from the sparse Welsh crowd, largely had a night off.
The gulf in class was clear for all even if Wales’ few premiership stars largely failed to twinkle.
Toshack’s problems were exemplified when he brought on Gillingham’s Andrew Crofts for Fulham’s Simon Davies after 79 minutes, prompting Welsh fans near the media section in the upper stand to crane forward to find his name on the team sheet.
The last 10 minutes was the cue for many to head for the train.
There is always the prospect of a decent game against Ireland to look forward to...
At least the rugby team realised that Canada were not the All Blacks in time to record what we had hoped would be a routine victory on Sunday.
And they will be sure of a full house when they take on the Australians in the Millennium Stadium at the weekend.
