Scapegoat Botica left Llanelli having lost money

Steffan Thomas talks to Frano Botica about his time in Wales

FRANO Botica is remembered as one of New Zealand’s best dual code internationals, but his time in Llanelli during the 1990s remains one of Welsh rugby’s most controversial talking points.

Having made his name with the All Blacks before figuring prominently for a Wigan side still considered one of the greatest outfits in English sporting history, Botica became one of the first global superstars to ply his trade in Welsh club rugby when the game turned professional.

Botica was a player ahead of his time, but in the years since his name has become a byword for the financial difficulties the Scarlets faced in the mid to late 90s.

Botica reportedly cost Llanelli £550,000 over two seasons – an astronomical amount of money in those days.

While the Scarlets recently posted a profit, at the time of Botica’s exit the club were on the brink of financial ruin with the Welsh Rugby Union having to buy Stradey Park for £1.25m before mortgaging it back to the club while new chairman Huw Evans also provided an injection of cash.

Now, finally, Botica has lifted the lid on on what really transpired.

“I was at Castleford in Super League and I had a few games for Orrell in Rugby Union when Llanelli came in and paid a huge transfer fee,” Botica,

below, told TRP. “Llanelli were very ambitious and were a serious player in European club rugby at the time so I decided to join them. Their history was also appealing.

“This local businessman said he was selling a business and had promised to invest a significant amount of money into Llanelli. While he was in the process of selling his business Llanelli were buying in players.

“He ended up not being very trustworthy and I never got the money I was promised from him. Stuart Gallagher then became involved in negotiations and he was great.”

He added: “I was at Llanelli for 18 months and even though I loved most of my time there, I left pretty unhappy and I had to live off my savings. Half of the money I was getting paid was held back. They said they might be able to pay me or they might not. They weren’t sure.

“The new sponsor coming in didn’t want to inherit old debt so I ended up leaving Wales having lost a lot of money.”

While Botica is unfairly associated with the financial turmoil at Stradey Park, he had a huge influence on Welsh rugby.

He was a unique talent who brought a different level of professionalism to domestic rugby and was known to win games almost single-handedly.

You might expect Botica to look back with bitterness, but he holds no resentment. He added: “Gareth Jenkins was the coach and he was very good with me – I really enjoyed working under him.

“I don’t blame the people at Llanelli. I was extremely close to Stuart who was a good friend of mine while the players and all the staff were great. It was just one individual who messed up badly and let everyone down.”

Botica says the games he remembers most clearly were against the French clubs in the Heineken Cup. “They were brutal! There was one game against Pau at Stradey which was pretty mental – punches going everywhere. I got headbutted in that game so it was pretty rough. Back in those days they did whatever they liked.

“The Welsh derbies were also an eye opener. The rivalry was very strong and they were extremely passionate. In those days Welsh rugby was extremely

tribal.”