To this day, it remains a curious episode.
There Graham Henry was, head coach of Wales, preparing for his first Five Nations joust against England — Johnson, Hill, Back, Dallaglio, Wilkinson and all, a formidable crew who would go on to win the World Cup four years later, under the stewardship of Clive Woodward.
Wales had beaten France in Paris in their previous game but were still seen as underdogs against their Grand Slam-seeking neighbours in 1999. A couple of months earlier, after all, they had started the championship with defeats by Ireland and Scotland. England, by contrast, were developing into a powerful side who had beaten world champions South Africa five months earlier and put 60 points on Wales the previous season.
