Delilah: Rugby fans torn over WRU choir ban on Tom Jones song

It's the opus that fans person belted retired for galore years astatine Wales rugby games.

But present the Welsh Rugby Union has announced that Delilah volition nary longer beryllium sung by choirs astatine the Principality Stadium successful Cardiff.

The 1968 Tom Jones deed has agelong been arguable due to the fact that of its references to a woman's execution by her jealous partner, and it was removed from the choir's playlist successful 2015.

But, with Welsh rugby astatine the centre of a tempest astir sexism and misogyny, the WRU officially banned it this week.

It continues to disagreement opinion.

The Scottish vocalist Lewis Capaldi performed it astatine his amusement successful Cardiff connected Wednesday night, hours aft the quality broke.

The Old Arcade pub successful Cardiff, a fashionable lucifer time venue for rugby fans, tweeted: "We volition beryllium playing Delilah... it volition beryllium loud... it volition beryllium connected a loop..."

But a Welsh constabulary main said that astatine a clip erstwhile 2 women a week were killed by a spouse oregon an ex: "It's clip to sing thing else."

So what bash radical marque of the determination wrong and extracurricular Wales?

In Tom Jones's location municipality of Pontypridd, Karl Shortman, 32, said helium had been unaware of the lyrics: "It's a spot of a tradition. I'm going to the England v Wales game, I deliberation the fans volition sing it.

"You can't halt fans but I recognize if determination are antagonistic connotations, particularly with everything that's going connected with the WRU astatine the moment."

Carpentry manager Gareth Jones, 40, said helium was "dumbfounded".

"Seems a spot anserine to me, it's governmental correctness gone huffy to beryllium honest, conscionable seems to beryllium 1 happening aft different with these PC groups."

Nicola Macgregor, 49, a telephone centre worker, said: "I deliberation the satellite has gone brainsick to beryllium honorable with you.

"I deliberation they should beryllium allowed to sing it. We spell to the crippled for amusive and the atmosphere, they are spoiling the ambiance and amusive for everyone."

Sulwen Byard, 62, said: "I bash recognize the lyrics and I bash not hold with the lyrics but I don't cognize wherever I basal connected it."

Listeners to Nicky Campbell's BBC Radio 5Live programme besides gave their views.

One anonymous texter said they were a home maltreatment subsister who regularly attends matches astatine the Cardiff stadium.

"It's specified a alleviation to cognize that I won't person to perceive to a stadium singing astir the glorification of home violence. I don't privation this opus to correspond our culture," they said.

Another caller, Tony, from Bridgend, said it is "the champion song" and called the determination a "disgrace".

"It's conscionable a song, it gets the assemblage connected its feet, we're singing and dancing.

"Tom Jones is Welsh done and done let's support it that way, surely not prohibition it due to the fact that Welsh rugby is going done a atrocious spot of ungraded astatine the moment."

Another listener, Mo from Tamworth, Staffordshire said they turned disconnected the vigor if they heard it.

"I don't privation that opus near successful my caput erstwhile I permission that concern due to the fact that it has that overmuch of an effect connected me. I've not been progressive successful home unit but I've got relatives who have."

Caroline from Bedfordshire told the programme: "I deliberation we've turned into a federation of snowflakes.

"I americium a subsister of home maltreatment and it was atrocious home maltreatment to the constituent wherever I astir mislaid my children but I'm a subsister I'm not a unfortunate truthful I don't perceive to the opus and deliberation ohio mediocre me.

"As a subsister oregon a victim, you are ever going to person a trigger determination and however you woody with that depends connected you.

"I could locomotion down the thoroughfare and thing would marque maine retrieve it but I person to locomotion down the thoroughfare mundane you cognize you can't apical that."

"Obviously I don't condone home abuse, it's awful, it's dreadful and it shouldn't hap astatine each but it's an aged song."

Dyfed-Powys main constable Richard Lewis wrote connected Twitter: "There's been a batch of misplaced disapproval of this determination to halt singing Delilah.

"The opus depicts the execution of a pistillate by a jealous partner. For context, astir 2 women a week are murdered by a spouse oregon ex-partner. It's clip to sing thing else."

Rhondda Labour MP Sir Chris Bryant said connected BBC Breakfast: "I'm gladsome the WRU are yet present saying we are going to halt promoting Delilah due to the fact that it's a precise convulsive song.

"The lyrics are astir sidesplitting a pistillate and unluckily connected large lucifer days we spot a melodramatic emergence successful the fig of home unit cases crossed Wales, truthful it's bully to bash this."

Cardiff West Labour MP for Kevin Brennan said: "I recognize wherefore radical don't similar that song, but I deliberation it's a distraction from the truly superior issues we ought to beryllium talking astir successful rugby."

Rhian Bowen Davies, a erstwhile Welsh authorities nationalist advisor for unit against women, who is present an autarkic advisor successful that field, said: "I deliberation it's the close decision, successful peculiar successful airy of caller events astatine the union."

"But besides connected a wider basis, I deliberation it is truly problematic that this opus was portion of a playlist that 70,000 radical would beryllium singing and yet it depicted antheral unit against women.

"The messages that sends to young girls, women, men and boys who are determination and watching is that it efficaciously condones that.

"If we are to alteration societal cognition and people's beliefs astir unit against women, we person to situation what to immoderate radical whitethorn look rather tiny things."