AN UNLIKELY HERO IN FINAL WRAPPED IN CONTROVERSY
IT may have been champagne all the way for Llanelli after the Welsh Cup final success that sealed the treble for one of Welsh rugby’s truly great club teams, but for Neath it was very different.
The Welsh All Blacks were left to suck on grapes of wrath.
Never has a Welsh showpiece game had such a bitter ending.
It was 1993 and many were convinced John Major’s Conservative government were heading for a carcrash of the political sort. Some were convinced Meat Loaf would stay at number one for ever with I’d Do Anything for Love (but I won’t do that).
Neath were convinced they were victims of daylight robbery as they fell to a disputed Emyr Lewis dropgoal in a 21-18 defeat at the National Stadium in Cardiff.
Their fury was barely contained after a memorable game when they did what few had managed that season and gave the Llanelli of Ieuan Evans, Rupert Moon, Lyn Jones, Mark Perego, Colin Stephens, Phil Davies, Nigel Davies and Lewis one heck of a hurry-up, only to have nothing to show for the efforts.
The match was shown last Saturday on S4C.
Here are the storylines it threw up... NEATH REPORT FOR DUTY BUT LLANELLI STAND FIRM
On paper beforehand, the outcome had seemed predictable.
Llanelli had been sublime throughout the season, beating world champions Australia and losing just two league matches. They had crushed Newport 79-10 at Rodney Parade, scored 140 points in two games against Maesteg, beaten South Wales Police 93-0, Bridgend 53-15, Pontypridd 47-3 and Newbridge 52-7 and 53-13. They played with ambition and skill.
Even as the season unfolded, some were classing them as one of the alltime great club teams.
Ieuan Evans remembers: “We’d had a special season.
“We’d beaten Australia and won the league already, and we were going for the hat trick. We’d also won the final the two seasons before, so we were going for a third on the bounce, too.
“We were a strong cup team. We as a team and the supporters were comfortable with going to Cardiff, to play in front of 50,000 people, we were familiar with it. But the pressure was on us, we were the favourites.”
By contrast, Neath had been defeated nine times in the league that season and had seemingly lost the ruthless edge that had made them Wales’s strongest side not long before.
But it was a final, after all, and they brought their A game back to the table as their pack tore into the favourites with Gareth Llewellyn outstanding and Adrian Varney not far behind. At fly-half, Matthew McCarthy performed classily.
“Perhaps we were a bit overconfident going into it,” says Evans. “Neath would love to spoil the party and were strong and always physical.
“There was always a lot going on the pitch against them, and perhaps not the same camera angles as you get these days. They enjoyed being in your face and were a fit team.”
Llanelli survived the searching examination at forward – just.
Lyn Jones shone on the openside flank, while one report spoke of Perego tackling like an American footballer. (Sherlock Holmes would have struggled to work out how the ultrafit back-rower only won nine caps, but that’s a debate for another day).
Anyway, tries from Steve Bowling and Adrian Varney matched two from Ieuan Evans to leave the sides tied at 18-18 in the final quarter. Would extra time be needed? No, as it happened.
But a video referee might have come in handy... THE DROPSHOT THAT LEFT NEATH RAGING
It happened with 16 minutes left to play.
Llanelli launched an attack from a free-kick and were looking for a try. Instead, No. 8 Emyr Lewis put boot to ball and it sailed between the posts.
“When you’re watching it happen,