WHEN Wales were starting out on the most glorious and successful period in their rugby history, in the late 196Os, a central figure in the side was an uncompromising flanker from the Neath club Dai Morris.

While there were more flamboyant figures in the Welsh teams in that era, Morris is recognised for the huge contribution he made.

He won his first cap against France in 1967 and went on to win 34 caps in an international career than ended in 1974. He was on the side that won Triple Crowns in 1969 and 1971, did the Grand Slam in 1971 and he was in two championship winning teams and the team that shared the title with France in 1970.

"Those were great years and indeed after I finished on the Welsh team, they went on to win Triple Crowns Championship and Gran Slams right through the Seventies said Morris, a farmer, whose involvement in the game is now confined to helping his local junior side. Like so many great Welsh players he has been saddened to see his country's decline in recent years.

"I do not think anyone could have anticipated what subsequently happened and the way Welsh rugby went into decline," he said. Yet he is optimistic that the current Welsh team could develop into a potent force.

"There have been encouraging signs even though they lost to England and Scotland. I would be quite hopeful that this team could develop into a formidable one. I must say I like the character they have shown and there are some good players in that side who could develop into much better players."

His memories of playing against Ireland are also vivid and he is surprised at what he detects as a surprising change in the Irish game.

"We always viewed the prospect of playing Ireland at Lansdowne Road as the hardest of all matches and the hardest ground for a visiting side. The Irish came at us with everything. You might be better than them, but they countered your strengths and their spirit and passion were unbelievable. The Irish were as hard as you could encounter but always fair and honest. When you went to Paris you knew you had to tackle all afternoon. Playing against Ireland in Dublin, you knew for certain that they would hit you with everything and came at you from all angles. Irish rugby had a pride and passion that everyone admired and if you were honest you, also feared.

"You could be better than them as a team and individually but they brought you down to their level and imposed themselves on a game like no other opposition in the championship. They did not allow you to settle.

"Mind you they had some great players, and some great characters. Whenever you played against Ireland you knew what deficiencies were in the side were more than compensated for by their wholehearted approach. They did not know what it was to quit."

He remembers well the difficulty of playing in Dublin. "We could beat them in Cardiff but not in Dublin in my time. I played against Ireland three times in Dublin and was never on a winning side there. We lost there in 1968, they destroyed us in 1970 by 14-0 and I think that was the only time in about eight years we had failed to score in an international championship, match. We did not play them in 1972 and I went back there in 1974 and the best we could do was a draw and lucky to get it.

Some great Welsh players were never on a winning side against Ireland in Dublin, Barry John for instance.

"But all that seems to have changed lately and I do not understand why. It seems to me as if Lansdowne Road is now becoming Wales favourite venue. They win there more often than they do in Cardiff. Great Welsh sides could not win there in my time, Welsh teams that have been something less than great can go there now and win.

"There was great spirit in the Irish teams and you had great respect for it. Ireland seems to have lost some of the old fire and the passion and those aspects were an important part of the Irish game.