‘Slammed’ evokes Alix Popham’s agony at lost memory of one of Wales’ greatest games
This article is written by Progressive Rugby
Imagine playing in one of your nation’s most unforgettable and exhilarating Rugby World Cup matches against the best in the world - but having no memories of it to cherish.
No recollection of pre-match nerves as the stadium pulsates above you, of the adrenalin flooding your body as you charge out onto the field, the national anthem, of facing down the All Black Haka, of the first tackle, first carry, of the intoxication of taking it to the best in the world.
None too of the changing room afterwards, of the scars of battle, the disappointment of coming so close to making history, of that shared bond with your fellow warriors who have sacrificed so much to reach the very pinnacle of their sport and all the pressure that entails.
Imagine no longer.
Sadly, for the proud Welsh player wearing the Number 8 shirt in that pivotal match, Alix Popham’s only reminder is hanging in the wall at his home in Newport.
For him, the evidence he played in one of Wales’ most memorable games ever against the All Blacks is the famous black shirt he was given by Jerry Collins after the final whistle and the footage showing Popham rampaging around the pitch, thundering into rucks and All Black bodies.
Can he really not remember being in a side, which was expected to get a 50-point drubbing in Sydney, but played with such belief, such flair that they led twice in the second half and made the All Blacks dig impossibly deep to eventually triumph 53-37?
“I only know that I played in the game because of television footage and the fact that I have Jerry Collins shirt hanging on my wall,” Popham, diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), said.
“That shirt is very special to me for obvious reasons (Collins and his partner Alana Madill were killed in a car crash in 2015) but I don’t have any recollection of the actual game.
“It’s clear it was an incredible game, and I can only imagine that it was thrilling to be part of it, but the truth is I can’t remember it, and I accept that is hard for people to understand.
“In Wales most people would give their right arm to play for the national team. Imagine the frustration of achieving that dream and not being able to remember it, not being able to relive it when you are lying in bed at night.
“I still love the game, but we need to look after the players properly and ensure that people can enjoy playing it at all levels for many years to come.”
Popham’s diagnosis is believed to have resulted from numerous concussions and sub concussions he sustained during his 33-cap career. The 42-year-old father-of-three suffers with memory loss, anger issues and struggles with concentration and now campaigns to make the game safer for all.
Talk of the incredible match had resurfaced because of Slammed – the three-part documentary on a remarkable decade in Welsh rugby that everyone’s talking about.
Centre Tom Shanklin credits that epic pool game of RWC2003 as the catalyst that propelled Wales back to the top table and ultimately a 2005 Grand Slam.
The performance was even more remarkable given earlier in that year, the Welsh side had suffered a humiliating Six Nations which saw them lose all five fixtures - bookended by a painful 30-22 loss in Italy and a chastising 33-5 thrashing by France in Paris.
“If there was one game that you can pick out and say ‘this was the turning point for Wales,’ I would say it was New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup,” Shanklin said. “It showed us that that we could compete with some of the big boys on the international scene.”
Gareth Thomas, who went in to record 100 caps, was equally glowing, adding: “It was the greatest game of rugby I have ever played in. I remember thinking I never want this game to end.”
You remember Gareth, you remember. Sadly, not every one of your teammates that glorious day has had the same fortune.