Captain Ryan Jones and his team-mates have moved changing rooms for practical reasons and, after hearing about a fan’s painting the team used to inspire them to victory over England last week, Vicari has produced a piece of original artwork in the hope of repeating the positive influence on Jones and his team.
The Wales rugby team draped good luck messages provided by the Western Mail and sent into goodluck@wru.co.uk alongside a huge painting sent in by 16-year-old Cardiff-born Rianna Lane, over the dressing room walls at Twickenham last weekend and they plan to do the same throughout the tournament.
Professional painter Vicari has depicted a dragon protecting its lair in his offering and the picture will take pride of place alongside the one which aided Wales to victory over England for the first time in twenty years, on the dressing room walls.
Fans who would like to provide a painting to go on the wall for any of the following RBS Six Nations matches can send photographs of their work to goodluck@wru.co.uk and the Wales management team will pick their favourite to inspire the team at each of the remaining matches. Winners will also be invited to present their paintings in person at each of the remaining captain’s runs on the days before match-day.
“The fans can have a real impact on the boys, if you know everyone is behind you it does make a difference,” said Jones. “We are a very focussed group and we can’t let ourselves get affected by outside influence, we take a focussed mindset onto the pitch and try to block everything else out, but you can’t help but be spurred on when someone takes the time and effort to create a piece of art like this and to send their messages in.
“We had newspaper cuttings all over the walls wishing us good luck at Twickenham and various emails alongside Rianna’s painting helped create a great atmosphere in the dressing room.
“To have Vicari artwork sent in just for us takes it on another level. I quite like the one he’s already done straight onto the dressing room wall and now we’ve moved into that room we’ll set that one at every match – I just need to get him to do one for my lounge now and I’ll be sorted.
“The messages of support are always appreciated and we are all now hoping we can do it justice to the level of support and take it up to another level on the pitch too.”
Andrew Vicari added: “I’m thrilled and honoured that my ‘good luck’ creation will be hanging in the Welsh dressing room ahead of their Six Nations match with Scotland. Out of the Dragon’s Lair will come a mighty army clad in red that I hope will once again inspire our nation, as they did so dramatically at Twickenham last weekend.
“I was interested to learn that the new Wales coaching team have decided to switch dressing rooms. It means they will now be changing in the room in which I painted the phoenix and the galloping horse to break the perceived curse of visiting teams at the Millennium Stadium in the soccer finals.
“I do hope they are able to generate some strength and good luck of their own from the existing painting and the ‘Dragon’s Lair’ creation.”
