In the dragons" den all is not quite as it seems It was a busy day at the Vale of Glamorgan hotel on Thursday. In the main ballroom, the Welsh rugby squad were giving a final press conference ahead of their game against England at Twickenham this afternoon. Upstairs, Cardiff City were hosting a media session for their Carling Cup final against Liverpool. In a room next door, the local boxer Nathan Cleverly was talking about his world light heavyweight bout against the American Tommy Karpency this evening. For the busy sports hack it was manna: three stories within a corridor's length. No one could complain about the expenses after that. We all know of Wales as the heartland of rugby, where infants are gifted an oval ball with their birth certificates. They may have fewer players in the principality than there are registered in Yorkshire, but they generally summon up 15 stout-hearted enough to give England the runaround. And, for that matter, the Scots, Irish and French too. But what this weekend insists is that Welsh sporting prowess extends beyond the confines of a traditional facility at egg-chasing. If only the 400 metres hurdles final at the London Olympics could have been brought forward six months, we could have seen a Welsh quadruple, as Dai Greene strode across the line to win gold. It is tempting to suggest this new-found sporting challenge is symptomatic of greater Welsh political autonomy - that somehow the very fact a devolved assembly is meeting near Cardiff docks has encouraged the nation's sportsmen to battle anew for the wider pride. But it doesn't quite work out like that. Especially not when City have been steered to Wembley by the astute management of a Scotsman, Malky Mackay. Nor when the rugby team are being marshalled by a brilliant coach from New Zealand, Warren Gatland. Not when even Cleverly, the impressive Cardiff-born fighter, puts his career in the hands of the London impresario Frank Warren. Listening further to the voices representing Cardiff City, the observer might be hard pressed to define them as entirely the product of Taff water. Their star striker Kenny Miller speaks in the uncompromising tones of Glasgow. And while City may have managed to take their centre back Anthony Gerrard out of Liverpool, judging by his accent they have failed manifestly to take Liverpool out of their centre back. All is not quite as Welsh as it seems. Sure, Cardiff's incomers admit they have been infused by the idea that they are representing an entire nation tomorrow at Wembley. The tangible sense of excitement around the streets of the capital has prompted them - Mackay, Gatland, Gerrard and Miller - to swathe themselves in a dragon-bedecked flag. They all admit how inspirational patriotism can be. Even borrowed patriotism, the flag of convenience. Never mind its wider meaning, if nothing else Wales's sporting triple crown weekend is likely to provoke widespread thirst. You just hope the staff at Brains brewery, down the road from the Vale of Glamorgan hotel, have been doing their patriotic duty by clocking up the overtime. For those watching from the stands - or on television - any victory to be toasted in beer will be a wholly Welsh thing. And the good news is that with all those foreign voices around, at least they will have someone to blame if defeat is forthcoming.