A magnificent day for Welsh Rugby League as proud new father Jonathan Davies lifted the European Championship Trophy, the first time Wales had achieved it since 1938. The result was predicted by many pundits after the victory over England but in truth there was much work to be done on a mudridden pitch against a French side not used to surrendering on their own territory.

The first half went badly for Wales. Going in with plenty of confidence, the boys tried to throw the ball around and struggled to gain any momentum in the sticky conditions. A powerful run from Perrett set up Iestyn Harris and the awesome Moriarty created space for Bateman,but the dogged French capitalised on Welsh uncertainty with tries to Llong and Garcia; Millet's conversion giving them a 10-8 lead.

Davies had missed his conversions in the first half and his in play kicking was strangely unthreatening. He took the field after the break determined to run the ball more and a trademark dash of speed saw the defence disappear in his wake - Atcheson the support player on hand to finish the move and restore a lead Wales were never to surrender.

He then posted a high bomb which Sirvent was unable to take, and Allan Bateman was alert to snatch his second try of the game. A penalty from the sidelines in the end stages of the game put the icing on the cake.

Once again, the Welsh had won the game primarily through their pack. Paul Moriarty was the leading light, a deserving winner of Man of the Series although Davies and Ellis must have come close. In a year of unprecedented importance for the international game, Wales had achieved their first goal. Importantly they had restored national pride, bringing a trophy back to take some of the pain away from the union side's wooden spoon.

The World Cup could not come quickly enough.

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Following the European Championships, Wales planned a tour of Australia to gear up to the World Cup, but it never materialised. The Australians posed a couple of potential problems off the field for Wales, with two high profile Welsh players being caught up in the ARL/Super League war. Super League seemed set to take control of the international game and the ARL offered Iestyn Harris £70,000 to sign for them and declare himself ineligible for Wales or Great Britain. Fortunately Super League were able to negotiate him a vastly improved contract which kept him with Warrington and Wales. Jonathan Davies, however, did sign a deal with the ARL set to run from the end of his Warrington contract in 1997. He declared in August that the World Cup would be his international swansong and he would play only club rugby league for the remainder of his career.

However a bigger problem was on the horizon with the announcement in October that Rugby Union had ended its policy of apartheid and declared rugby league players free to return to union. The WRU immediately set about efforts to take the players who had been so successful for the WRL into their own code. Phil Ford, now 33, revealed he wanted to end his career playing union with his younger brother Steve at Cardiff. It was the big club of the Welsh capital, too, who lined up Jonathan Davies.

It all made for an interesting back drop to the World Cup.