The exchange from Blackadder remains memorable, with the general saying “We’re right behind you” as he sends his men over the top.
“About 35 miles behind you,” mutters Blackadder.
Dan Lydiate would never be even 35 millimetres behind any men he was leading.
Saturday against Munster confirmed as much.
The Ospreys were up against it, missing 16 players — five of them still in recovery mode after the World Cup and 11 on the injured list. Coach Allen Clarke said in the post-match press conference they had eight players making European debuts.
They needed leadership from the front, then, and that’s what they got.
So much did Lydiate give that even the Munster press person could sense an hour or so later that this was a man who deserved to have the weight taken off his feet.
She redirected an interview with the Irish province’s likeable coach Johann van Graan to another part of the media room to allow Lydiate the chance to conduct his press duties from the comfort of a seat.
It was the first time all day Munster had given the Ospreys anything without a fight.
But the very least Lydiate deserved was to be offered a pew.
While his side made 199 tackles against the Irishmen, no one defended with greater tenacity than the captain, who finished with 26 completed hits. Whenever his side’s defensive wall was threatened, Lydiate turned up to oversee some on-the-spot repair work. Had he carried a trowel in his pocket the picture would have been complete.
There were also 11 carries, two passes and five lineout takes.
It was one of his finest games for the Ospreys. It was leadership by example and the home pack took their cue from him, with the starting eight forwards putting in 132 tackles between them: an average of more than 16 each.
The understrength hosts were never going to beat Munster.
But they showed an appetite for battle and that is something for the coaching team headed by Allen Clarke to build on.
All this was played out in front of Wales coaches Stephen Jones and Byron Hayward.
We cannot know where it will leave Lydiate with Wayne Pivac poised to announce his squad to face the Barbarians on November 30 and monitoring players for the Six Nations. But, whichever way the cards fall, the 31-year-old will at least have the satisfaction of knowing there’s not much more he could have done.
Asked was he hopeful of being included in Pivac’s plans on Tuesday, Lydiate, who's standing in as skipper at the Ospreys for the unavailable Justin Tipuric, said: “You are always hopeful.
“As a player it’s out of your control.
"For me, it was disappointing not to be involved in the training squad for the World Cup. I was on the reserve list for the tournament itself, but it wasn’t to be.
“My full focus this season has been on playing well for the Ospreys. Our coach Allen Clarke has given me the opportunity to captain the Ospreys while Justin’s been away and it’s been a massive honour.
“I said this the other week: Even though it’s been a poor start to the season for the Ospreys, I’ve enjoyed just playing week-in, week-out.
“If it’s meant to be, it’ll be.
“If it’s not, it’s not.
“I can only put my best foot forward by putting in a performance every week.
“I’m available if they want me.
“If they want to go with someone else, then that’s the way it is.”
Munster were ruthlessly clinical in Swansea, making the most of the chances that came their way. What also impressed was their refusal to panic as seconds ticked away with the team still short of the fourth try they needed for a bonus point.
It duly arrived in the final seconds after they forced a lineout and organised a mass driving maul for replacement prop James Cronin to score.
The Ospreys had shown they were up for the fight from the early exchanges when Morgan Morris forced a turnover, the young flanker maintaining eye-catching form that has seen him complete 32 tackles without a single miss in 200 minutes of rugby.
Wales men Nicky Smith, Aled Davies and Bradley Davies made an impression off the bench, Olly Cracknell wasn’t far behind Lydiate in the tackling stakes and youngster Kieran Williams made a statement after coming on as a replacement, taking the ball at pace and making ground. “He’s a little cannonball,” said Lydiate.
“He made a massive impact.”
But, ultimately, Munster had too much class behind and too much firepower at forward, with the Ospreys not helping themselves with errors, including some poor box-kicking prior to Aled Davies' introduction. But no one could call them out for lack of industry.
“If you don’t have effort you don’t have anything,” said coach Clarke.
“We have effort and we’ve had it every week.
“What we need to improve is our quality, our execution and where we are as a group in terms of who’s available and who’s not available.”
Things will get better for the Ospreys.
But Europe has arrived too soon in the season for them.
