Legendary Welsh singer Tom Jones is thought to have faced audience boos during his Cardiff Castle performance on Wednesday evening when he addressed the ban on his 1968 hit Delilah.
The 85-year-old performer paused his homecoming concert to defend the controversial track, which has been excluded from Welsh rugby matches since 2023.
The crowd's reaction came as Jones questioned the decision to remove the song from sporting events.
"Who's that man who said we shouldn't sing that song anymore? That used to make my day that on an international match," the singer told the audience.
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Tom Jones addressed the song's ban
| ITVHowever, the boos were directed in support of Jones rather than against him, as fans expressed their disagreement with the ban.
The Voice UK judge had been performing crowd favourites including What's New Pussycat and Sex Bomb before the contentious moment arose.
The track, which peaked at number two in the UK charts in 1968, narrates the story of a man who stabs his partner after discovering her infidelity.
The lyrics include the line: "I crossed the street to her house and she opened the door; she stood there laughing, I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more."
Tom Jones questioned the decision to ban the song Delilah
| PAThe Welsh Rugby Union formally removed the song from choir playlists at Six Nations matches in 2023. The track had already been excluded from half-time entertainment at the Principality Stadium since 2015.
For decades, the ballad had served as an unofficial anthem at Welsh rugby internationals, with thousands of supporters singing along before matches.
The song also featured in the 1990 film Edward Scissorhands and was performed by Jones at Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
The WRU justified its stance by stating it "condemns domestic violence of any kind" and acknowledged the song is "problematic and upsetting to some supporters because of its subject matter".
Officials confirmed they had consulted subject matter experts before making their decision.
Several prominent Welsh figures had previously criticised the song's violent content.
Dafydd Iwan, whose "Yma O Hyd" has become synonymous with Welsh football, argued in 2014 that the track was "a song about murder and it does tend to trivialise the idea of murdering a woman."
Rhondda MP Chris Bryant highlighted statistics showing domestic violence incidents increase during major sporting events.
Tom Jones fans booed the Welsh Rugby Union's decision to ban the song
|GETTY
"The truth is that that song is about the murder of a prostitute," Bryant stated in 2016.
Jones insisted the controversial lyrics should not be interpreted literally during his Wednesday performance.
"I used to wait for it and then they said we can't sing it anymore. Who is this man who said we can't sing Delilah?
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Sir Tom Jones' Delilah was released in 1968
|GETTY
"They said it's about a man killing his wife with a knife. Well it is, but you shouldn't take it literally," he told the Cardiff Castle audience.
The singer's defence of the track came after he performed it despite the ongoing controversy. Jones has continued to include the song in his setlists at major venues since the 2023 ban took effect.
The decision to prohibit the song coincided with a broader cultural review at the WRU following allegations of sexism, misogyny and racism within the organisation.