Finals Day: The Case For Llanelli

By Claire Melvin
April 5 2006

April 9th 2006. Quins are back at HQ playing in the Powergen Trophy final. After (hopefully) we’ve won, there are two choices for us. We can stay and watch the Cup (well, we have paid £40 for our seats - I hope mine is comfy and affords me a good view), or go to the Stoop, and ‘party like it’s 1999’

I’m not going to say which option you should choose, but I am going to champion Llanelli’s cause. Now if they beat Wasps (sorry, that should be London Wasps. They are a London side, after all), they not only deny them a place in next year’s Heineken Cup, they don’t automatically get one themselves either (some daft rule).

So, why should we support Llanelli Scarlets (I am using full and proper titles here!) over London Wasps?

For a start, their heritage. Their home is the majestic Stradey Park (I have yet to go there, and should really write this next week, after my visit). It’s going to be sold off and turned into flats and a park (think Highbury, but on a smaller scale. And without the footballers), with the Scarlets moving to a state-of-the-art new purpose built stadium at Pemberton. It would be nice for the club to have some recent success before that happens. Incidentally, there is a chance that the Scarlets can win the Celtic League this year – they have 3 games in hand over the leaders (Ulster), so a busy couple of months for them. However, sentimentalism isn’t a reason to win a rugby match – if it were we’d have beaten Sale, and could be playing the Scarlets ourselves!

So then, perhaps their players. Arguably, their most famous recent player, is the great Ieuan Evans. (Incidentally, if my mother has her way, my first born will be called Ieuan. Let’s hope it’s a boy…) They’re not blessed with ex-Quins in their ranks (I’m not sure if Dafydd James counts. I know he was here for a year, but now he’s back in Wales, he seems to be playing rugby again, and has just committed to the club until 2009), but they do have the best scrum half in the northern hemisphere, if not the world, in Dwayne Peel. However, the final may come too soon for him. (I feel I ought to take some responsibility for his injury. He was in my 6 Nations Fantasy Team, and I have an injury jinx that goes back to the World Cup. Sorry, too, Denis Hickie. And Simon Taylor.) Importantly, they don’t have Matt Dawson. Some people might say that’s not a good reason to cheer a team on. I disagree.

Next, they have a long way to travel. Obviously, as a London club, Wasps are a local side, and it will take them no time to get to HQ. For the Scarlets, however, we’re talking a good four hours to get home for these boys. It wouldn’t be a nice journey if they lose.

Then we have the strip. Now, one of the reasons I first supported Quins, was because of the quartered shirts (and that Simon Halliday was at the club at the time was a co-incidence). I don’t like the idea of wearing an insect, and not a nice one at that. (Of course, that I still have nightmares of a wasp sting counts for something. I was on a school trip to London Zoo. We’d all just seen Zammo, which was very exciting (I was about 9 at the time). I was tucking into my sandwich, and went into my bag to get a drink. I hadn’t seen a wasp slyly sneak in, I put my hand on it, and it stung me. My hand swelled up, and I’ve not liked wasps since). I also find (and I’m sorry if this applies to anyone, but it must be said) that the idea of a man wearing yellow, is, quite frankly, wrong. And the stripy shirt Wasps currently insist on wearing, reminds me of a Blind Melon video from the 1990s, but without being so cute, or fun. (‘No Rain’ in case you’re interested.) On the other hand, the Scarlets play in the red of Wales. Perfectly inoffensive.

So, if I put all this together, along with my Mum being Welsh and supporting Llanelli Scarlets (though to be fair, she’d support any Welsh team over any English team), I couldn’t possibly support anyone else. I would also like some pride to be restored to Welsh rugby (injuries and a self-destruct button have been our downfall this year) and have some bragging rights back. It would also be nice for Mike Hercus to win something with the Scarlets, as, let’s face it, with Stephen Jones returning to the valleys in the summer, he’s never going to get another chance!

Will I be at HQ shouting at the boys in red? To be honest, I’ll probably be in the bar at the Stoop, wishing it wasn’t a schoolnight, (hopefully) celebrating a Quins win, and praying that the boys from the land of my (mother’s) fathers can beat Wasps for a second time this season.