Watch: Fans slam ‘butchering’ of the Welsh national anthem

There are three things it appears you can rely on – death, taxes and the organisers of the World Cup messing up our anthem.

The playing of national anthems before games has been a contentious issue throughout the Rugby World Cup and it looks like it’s set to continue.

After demands that organisers axe the use of kids choirs ‘ruining anthems’, World Rugby agreed to use remixed versions of participants’ national anthems.

However, the playing of the Welsh national anthem came in for more fierce criticism before the World Cup quarter-final against Australia. It sounded atrocious.

Many fans took to social media to complain that Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau was played at the wrong speed and was rushed, with others posting that the anthem had been butchered.

This is how it sounded:

HEN WLAD FY NHADAU 🎶

Pob lwc bois!!! ❤️

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 v 🇦🇷
📺 @S4C#RWC2023 | #WALvARG | @welshrugbyunion pic.twitter.com/IOCGPQ8D7Y

— S4C Chwaraeon 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@S4Cchwaraeon) October 14, 2023

These are a selection of the many comments on social media platform X (formerly Twitter)

Death
Taxes
Welsh anthem getting butchered by everyone else.

— Ian Collins 🔰🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@IanC_RFFH) October 14, 2023

@rugbyworldcup I'm getting really angry with you lot. Yet AGAIN you have murdered OUR Welsh anthem,one of the best in the world. You race through it like you're under a time limit. FFS get it right -imagine you're playing the Marsaillsaise wrongly, think how devastating it is 😡

— Sue Tester (@2welsh) October 14, 2023

What’s with the French World Cup organisers, why are they so intent on ruining the singing of our great anthem!! 🤬#WALvARG

— Inadvertently Richy Snook (@jamo511) October 14, 2023

@France2023 Why do you continue to spoil the Wales anthem by performing it too fast in every game? It's surely obvious by now that the players and supporters want it slower.

— Gareth Adams (@nostalgisto) October 14, 2023

Such a shame that the anthems are being ruined. Just let us hear the crowd sing. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 #rugbyworldcup2023

— Angie (@angela_vince) October 14, 2023

This is without doubt the worst World Cup, in any sport, when it comes to the anthems. Absolutely butchered both of them then – the attempt at the Welsh anthem is a total joke #RugbyWorldCup #wal

— Any chance? (@MearsD) October 14, 2023