Support our Nation today - please donate here
News

WRU bans Delilah from its Principality Stadium ahead of Six Nations match

01 Feb 2023 2 minute read
Tom Jones. Picture by Ralph_PH (CC BY 2.0).

The Welsh Rugby Union has banned ‘Delilah’ ahead of the Six Nations match against Ireland.

The crowd favourite by Welsh musician Tom Jones has been removed from the stadium choir’s play list by the WRU and will not be played during the anticipated first match on Saturday.

This is not the first time the 1968 controversial hit has been removed due to its murderous themes.

In 2015 it was banned from the half time entertainment music playlist during international matches despite being widely known as one of the most popular songs to sing at a rugby match.

Guest choirs have now been requested to not feature it during pre-match performances or during games.

A Principality Stadium spokesperson said: “Delilah will not feature on the playlist for choirs for rugby internationals at Principality Stadium.

“The WRU condemns domestic violence of any kind. We have previously sought advice from subject matter experts on the issue of censoring the song and we are respectfully aware that it is problematic and upsetting to some supporters because of its subject matter.”

It comes following a week of scrutiny for the WRU after former employees took part in a BBC Wales investigation which detailed claims of a “toxic culture” riddled with misogyny, sexism, racism and homophobia.

READ MORE
More than 7,000 sign petition calling for a rebrand of the WRU crest


Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
51 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago

It’s a song about a jealous man stabbing a woman to death – they should have stopped playing it at the stadium years ago!

James
James
1 year ago

WRU gets in trouble for being horrible to women and instead of trying to sort things out by finding the rotten core they decide to ban a song.

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago
Reply to  James

A ‘song’ about a jealous man stabbing a woman to death. Every year in Wales women are murdered by male partners – they shouldve stopped playing it well before now.

Lloyd
Lloyd
1 year ago
Reply to  James
Julie Jones
Julie Jones
1 year ago

Banning songs! Welcome to dangerous times.

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
1 year ago
Reply to  Julie Jones

They haven’t had it on the official playlist for years and have requested visiting choirs not to sing it. All this is doing is telling official singers not to sing it, the crowd can sing Frigging In The Rigging if it wishes.

Karl
Karl
1 year ago
Reply to  Julie Jones

They ain’t a radio station or source of purchasing songs. Private venues can choose their playlist. Dangerous times is carry on misogyny and sex is and bullying. We have no excuses for it. After all rugby has a link to increased domestic violence sadly. A song is not worth a life

Riki
Riki
1 year ago
Reply to  Julie Jones

The Books will be next! Wales’ History has long since been re-written. To the point where you will get one Welshman attack the histories, another deny them, and another trying to save them. Nothing new in the land of the British. We do self sabotage like no one else!

Last edited 1 year ago by Riki
Owen williams
Owen williams
1 year ago
Reply to  Riki

Finally a comment from you I agree with!

Riki
Riki
1 year ago
Reply to  Owen williams

I’m sure there is plenty we “Agree” on. When it comes to who controls Wales’ future…we couldn’t be further apart.

Owen williams
Owen williams
1 year ago
Reply to  Riki

Think we both agree it’s welsh people and not some politician telling us what we can and can’t sing,

Riki
Riki
1 year ago
Reply to  Owen williams

Yes! On both accounts

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago
Reply to  Riki

What has a song about a jealous man stabbing a woman to death got to do with welsh history? 🤔 Furthermore there is nothing in the song which is about Wales.

Riki
Riki
1 year ago
Reply to  Leigh Richards

It’s an example of how the Welsh are very quick to throw away what’s become a staple of the country at the behest of a small minority of lunatics. It may just be a Song, but what it’s signifies is far darker. It’s show an unquestionable willingness to re-write the nations History. Will music like WAP be banned? Or how About Hotel California? That’s song is far more disturbing than Delilah.

Darren Christian
1 year ago
Reply to  Leigh Richards

You must of been indoctrinated with stupidity by some orange haired teacher somewhere

Iago Prydderch
Iago Prydderch
1 year ago

All they have to do is change the lyrics. Why ban the whole song just because of one line! The red brigade who wear masks of nationalism have been trying to ban the song for years. They’ll find a reason to ban the anthem next to replace it with the Internationale.

Rob
Rob
1 year ago
Reply to  Iago Prydderch

If any anthem should be banned then it should be God Save the King. The United Kingdom does not compete in the Six Nations, or any other rugby or football tournament. England needs to get its own anthem.

David Harking
David Harking
1 year ago
Reply to  Rob

I am all in favour of banning God save the King but I can’t help but laugh every time they belt out that subservient drone, so let’s hope they are forced to sing it forevermore.

Riki
Riki
1 year ago

Absolutely ridiculous! So it’s totally fine for 30+ years and out of nowhere, nope! Totally unacceptable now! This logic about change always being good is utter lunacy. What if the authorities brought about a Purge, would you do it? NO! Why? Because your morality isn’t something that someone else can give you. This is also funny timing with all what’s going on over “Racism”, despite the women’s head being an ex player and Black. So racist of them to give him a job!

Last edited 1 year ago by Riki
Llyn
Llyn
1 year ago
Reply to  Riki

“This logic about change always being good is utter lunacy.” Perhaps it is “good” when a song about bludgeoning a woman to death with a knife in an act of sadistic violence is no longer deemed appropriate?

Riki
Riki
1 year ago
Reply to  Llyn

And a song about child exploitation such as Hotel California? What about WAP? When are these songs going to banned? Let’s face it, It’s just because the Welsh public uses it at the Rugby! Cwm Rhondda will be next because it’s topic is about religion.

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago
Reply to  Riki

So serious allegations of racism within the wru shouldnt be investigated then? So not content with giving misogyny within the wru a free pass you want to turn a blind eye to racism within the wru to? 🤔😡 Lets hope someone with such a bigoted mindset is not involved in welsh rugby in any shape or form

Riki
Riki
1 year ago

And should we ban Hotel California? Read the lyrics. You will soon realise what they are talking about. Weirdly enough, it’s far worse than Delilah! Are we world champions in self Destruction?

Last edited 1 year ago by Riki
Gruff Williams
Gruff Williams
1 year ago
Reply to  Riki

What are they talking about in Hotel California? Even the Eagles admit it means absolutely nothing.

Riki
Riki
1 year ago
Reply to  Gruff Williams

Child exploitation! “some dance to remember, some dance to forget” classic symptom of child abuse! Mirrors on the ceiling, and wishing to leave the hotel, and being allowed to under threat of death. Seriously go and listen to the lyrics again. It’s disgusting how blatant it all is. People don’t realise because how catching the tune is.

Rob
Rob
1 year ago
Reply to  Riki

Dire Straits – Money for Nothing had some homophobic lyrics, as did the Fairytale of New York by the Pogues. Theres even controversy about Band Aid’s – Do they know its Christmas. There are some Eminem tracks that caused controversy
But back in the 80s it was acts like Frankie goes to Hollywood and Madonna that was causing all the uproar thanks to people like Mary Whitehouse and the ‘moral majority’.
In 2075 people will be looking at songs from the 2020s in a similar manner.

Last edited 1 year ago by Rob
Arfon Jones
Arfon Jones
1 year ago

Get rid of the misogynistic lyrics that glorifies violence against women. A step in the right direction by the slow moving WRU.

Gill Jones
Gill Jones
1 year ago
Reply to  Arfon Jones

Cytuno yn llwyr. Hen bryd hefyd.

Blinedig
Blinedig
1 year ago
Reply to  Arfon Jones

Agree, but at the same time a pity people aren’t getting this vocal about real violence towards women.

Owen williams
Owen williams
1 year ago

Typical wales, ban things. Ban parkrun, ban kids from buying stationary, now ban a song. What a world.

Gill Jones
Gill Jones
1 year ago

Of course it should be banned. It should never have been sung in the first place. Notwithstanding that it has nothing whatsoever to do with the game of rugby, it just glorifies violence against women. I have cringed every time I’ve heard it played at every international.

Ivor Schilling
Ivor Schilling
1 year ago
Reply to  Gill Jones

Maybe we should make a list of all of the songs sung by females, which amount to the mental-emotional abuse of men. We would expect to see the ditching of a good third of all female-fronted tracks, sounds fair?

Ivor Schilling
Ivor Schilling
1 year ago

Can’t ban the crowd from singing at the top of their lungs though, can they?

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago
Reply to  Ivor Schilling

If youre that keen to sing a song about a man stabbing a woman to death will you be singing songs about jack the ripper then?

Ivor Schilling
Ivor Schilling
1 year ago
Reply to  Leigh Richards

Yeah, plenty of good songs about killing – males and females, there’s no special treatment.

Rob
Rob
1 year ago

Whenever you attempt to ban something it actually gains attraction.
People will be singing Delilah out loud in the Millennium Stadium on Saturday. The same thing would have happened in Twickenham if the English had banned Swing low Sweet Chariot.

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago
Reply to  Rob

If people are that keen to sing a song about a man stabbing a woman to death will they be singing songs about jack the ripper then?

Riki
Riki
1 year ago
Reply to  Leigh Richards

The song is about that sure! But in no way does it glorify it! It’s clearly about how he went, and shouldn’t have went to such extreme lengths. But I guess nuance is out of some peoples reach.

Gill Jones
Gill Jones
1 year ago

Y peth torcalonnus yw agweddau rhan fwyaf o’r dynion sydd wedi postio ar y testun hwn – digon i godi ofn a chyfod ar unrhyw ferch.

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago
Reply to  Gill Jones

Does dim anghysondeb rhwng derbyn can draddodiadol ar yr un llaw a gwrthwynebu casineb a thrais yn erbyn menywod. Llawer mwy o ddrygionu yn cael ei fwydo gan ein sianeli teledu sy’n dosbarthu trais a tor-cyfraith bob nos yn enwedig ar ol 9!. Digon hawdd dweud “newid sianel” ond yn amal mae’r cyfrwng yn llawn trais.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

Perhaps a little research into the actual numbers of how many women in Wales are murdered by men our new editor could set the record straight. For the UK as a whole it is one every three days…

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago

At the time of writing over 30 comments have been made about this issue yet a far more serious topic, how Dwr Cymru intends to bludgeon us for another 7.5% price hike passes without comment. Get your heads out of your backsides boys and girls we are being shafted. Or is Dwr Cymru one of your sacred cows?

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago
Reply to  hdavies15

I’ve just given you a tick, they only posted it minutes ago…

It should come with conditions, like 7.5% less poo in the rivers, less leaks etc but no divi just means more for the bosses. When did their workers last get a raise I wonder?

I don’t have sacred cows only sacred lambs…you are thinking of Sunak, pity he does not think people on low incomes are sacred instead of untouchable !

Last edited 1 year ago by Mab Meirion
hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

Diolch gyfaill. Dwr Cymru have enjoyed the benefit of the doubt for a long time and it now becomes patently obvious that it is a cosy haven for a bunch of overpaid execs and their buddies out in various service organisations. Loads of bean counters involved so they are good at making surpluses disappear without giving priority to water supplies and disposals of various wastes.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago
Reply to  hdavies15

And another thing if you think murdering women is not serious I would not turn your back on the misses for the rest of the day…

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

You need to stop watching all the violent drivel churned out on TV and other media if you want to seriously address root causes. That old song had its roots in either American C&W or black culture and was couched in terms of a man reflecting on his sin rather than glorifying that act. “Green Green Grass..” was from similar roots too. Splitting hairs maybe, but people need to see things for what they really are. After all are we going to ban certain classical operas cos they contain scenes of violence ? Doubt it, and if we do then… Read more »

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago
Reply to  hdavies15

I have never owned a TV…

I agree with confronting the truth and I expressed no opinion on the song just the shocking figures on femicide in this country…

Last edited 1 year ago by Mab Meirion
Johnny Gamble
Johnny Gamble
1 year ago

Stoke City FC fans won’t stop singing it.Although they only sing the chorus.

Richard
Richard
1 year ago

Sounds like a clever communication diversion by the WRU ……..move the focus away from systemic cultural failures through to a letter so simple in its stupidity to bring the troops on board .

Darren Christian
1 year ago

Most pathetic example of pathetic Welsh wokism ever . Well not quite but just PATHETIC

Philip Davies
Philip Davies
1 year ago

It strikes me that these days even the Welsh National Opera would have trouble putting on ‘The Threepenny Opera’, in which Mack the Knife, the main character, sings:   Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear And he shows them pearly white Just a jackknife has Macheath, dear And he keeps it out of sight   When the shark bites with his teeth, dear Scarlet billows start to spread Fancy gloves, though, wears Macheath, dear So there’s not a trace of red   On the sidewalk Sunday morning Lies a body oozing life Someone’s sneaking ’round the corner Is the… Read more »

Our Supporters

All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018.